Vital service told to make way for new houses
A vital service which operates in one of Glasgow’s most deprived areas has vowed to take legal action against a council agency trying to evict it.
Garthamlock Community Group supports children in the area through a variety of projects as well as running a foodbank.
But staff have been given notice to quit their community shop, which offers provisions to people on low incomes, because landlord City Property wants to turn it into houses.
The Evening Times reports that the group currently rent the community shop at Barholm Square for £50.40 a month from City Property, but the site is to be cleared.
A spokeswoman for the group said: "We got our notice to quit on April 27, but we haven't moved.
"We are still here, we're just waiting for a court date"
Alongside the community group, the local butcher and post office are planning to take court action together over the forced eviction as they are all being pressured to leave their premises,
"The three shops here - us, the butcher and post office, are hopefully going to court together.
"The landlords have asked us to move into a centre round the corner which we'd been trying to go to for more than 10 years with these kids.
"They wouldn't let us in but now all of a sudden they've changed the lease and they'll let us in two nights a week.
"The problem is we won't be able to have a summer club or anything, It'll be these two nights and that's it. The weans need something to do over the summer or that's how problems happen."
SNP councillor Gerry Boyle said City Property should rethink its plans to evict the group.
"They're being blocked at every turn,” he said. “These guys are taking children off the streets, they are alleviating any crime problems.
"They are talking to other community youth groups and helping to bring kids from different areas together. It is getting rid of the territorialism in Easterhouse and they need to be supported."
City Property – an arms-length external organisation formerly belonging to Glasgow City Council – has come under fire for a spate of evictions of late including Maryhill Foodbank which was once one of the country’s busiest emergency food charities.
