Mick Lightbody is a veteran housing campaigner from Easterhouse, Glasgow. Alongside Bob Holman he managed to turn round the fortunes of the run-down estate through a series of high profile campaigns
Poor housing in Scotland isn’t the issue it should be. Because I came from a run-down area I moved out and spent 15 years without a house to call my own. And I quickly understood no-one really cared - a reality for thousands of families.
Back in the 1990s we believed we could do something about it. In Easterhouse, where I was born and bred, we started a campaign to get the council to refurbish dilapidated houses because the problem was getting so severe.
The area was long known as a slum but it was the people who were being blamed. It lead to homelessness, drug use, violence and alcoholism. But like all housing schemes, the problems start with homes and amenities, not people. This is disputed but there are few heroin addicts in Bearsden or Newton Mearns.
Does that mean the people are inherently better? No, it means young people are raised in places they see are well maintained and serviced. And it teaches them to do the same with their lives: to care and support their community instead of destroying it.
We told the council we wanted homes fit for habitation. Many were damp and routine repairs weren’t happening. It got so bad most of the original residents who were able to move did.
Then the council offered the homes to people who had been moved from other areas for anti-social behaviour and Easterhouse’s infamous reputation was cemented.
Easterhouse was neglected since it was first built in the 1950s and the residents thought, if the council doesn’t care then we won’t either.
The campaign achieved lot of success and eventually a 10-year renewal got underway. Councillors claimed at the time this was always going to happen but we knew it was only through our pressure that they acted.
Easterhouse used to be dominated by gangs and drug dealers. It soon became a no-go zone for everyone other than those born here. Yet the council didn’t care. It turned a blind eye to our problems until we forced it to act. To this day we never got the recognition.
Instead councillors took all the plaudits – but for what: turning around the problems that were its own doing in the first place? It’s the residents who deserve credit, not the council.
It spawned other successful campaigns such as Glasgow Mothers Against Drugs as well as a series of local clean-up projects run by volunteers.
When I returned to Easterhouse after 20 years away, the transformation was amazing. I knew local campaigner Bob Holman well. He was an integral part of the original camapign to improve the area. He died last year but he inspired us all and made us realise we can achieve anything we want.
Bob’s legacy lives on and though he might be gone the memory of his achievements have inspired a generation.
That's what I tell young campaigners today: the motivation behind your actions will continue. Once you light the touchpaper of civil action the momentum can continue for generations.
