"We will look at ways to ensure the legitimate incentives that apply to charities are not used as vehicles for outsourcing by local authorities."
Scotland's Future:
Scottish Policy Report
November 2006
On the 1st of April 2007, the management of Glasgow's common good assets was transferred to a private charitable company...
Latest gLNews:
| That's it in a nutshell! |
| The medium is the message |
| Limiting genuine freedom of commercial expression |
A list of what the people of Glasgow LOST:
|
"These facilities are Glasgow's biggest cultural assets. How can we leave them in the hands of a trust run by multi-national businessmen?"
Keith Baldassara
Pollok Socialist councillor
"History will look back on this as a fairly tawdry exercise, moving public money from one pocket to another....like seeing a smashed bus shelter, this leaves me more sad than angry. Part of this city is being sold off."
John Mason
SNP group leader
"I find it totally remarkable that, in a week when the Casino Advisory Panel criticised the council for failing to consult in its casino bid, there is no mention of any consultation on this. There is no need to rush this through. We are bringing an end to 200 years of democratic control of these services and it's not a road we should go down."
Christopher Mason
LibDem group leader
"These assets the council are hiving off belong to the people of Glasgow. This proposal is immoral. We are told it will save money on council tax. It's a spurious saving and we do not believe it will happen."
Niall Walker
Independent councillor
"We believe the council's proposals clearly breach the 1887 Public Libraries Act which says that there is a duty on the local council to manage the public libraries, museums and art galleries provided under this legislation. That statutory duty cannot lawfully be hived off to a charitable trust, as Glasgow proposes to do. This type of transfer is widely acknowledged as a way of avoiding tax, and this is the only possible advantage. To discard hundreds of hard-working staff, snatch libraries, museums and leisure centres away from the people of Glasgow, and to breach the law in doing it is bad enough. To do it as a tax dodge is worse."
Unison spokesman
"On April 1st, without any consultation with the public, Labour transferred your Cultural and Leisure Services to an 'independent Trust'. We will reverse that transfer. The management of your museums, libraries, sport and community facilities, bowling greens and golf courses will come back to the Council and still be fully accountable to you."
LibDem Manifesto Pledge
"There are certain things that are commercially sensitive that cannot be discussed in public. Also, these people can only discuss an agenda at one meeting whereas in the council matters can be discussed at two or three different meetings. There will be an agenda and minutes published. The newsworthy stuff from a meeting will be sent out as a media release."
A council spokesman
"The application to become a trust was received by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator last December. It agreed to charity status in February and registered the charity Culture and Sport. The charity consists of two parts, as it is also a trading company. The extent of the assets of the trust is not listed; the value in financial terms of the assets is not listed; the existing burdens on these assets, which are legally binding, are not listed. This is confirmed by the risk assessment statement by the council's legal advisers, Burness, who raise a series of potential problems."
M E Mackenzie Commentator
"This is an evil move, designed to save money, not to benefit services or staff. Staff are extremely concerned about the future under this charitable trust."
John Murdoch
Branch secretary of Unison
"Unison is confident that the democratic control of public services and the management of these services will be removed by what amounts to a tax scam."
Mike Kirby
Unison branch secretary
"I believe the establishment of this trust is morally wrong, whatever a judge decides."
John Mason
SNP group leader