Glasgow’s rat infestation problem is not unique. But the scale of the crisis in Scotland’s largest city is deeply alarming.
Figures we reveal today show reported rat sightings trebling in the past decade. There were nearly 10,000 sightings in 2024 alone– with about a fifth of these spotted inside people’s flats and houses.
Glasgow City Council is right to say rats are a fact of life in large urban areas and a challenge to cities across the UK. It points to a range of factors behind the increase, including milder winters and rats moving to more residential areas since Covid lockdowns.
But action to clean our streets is still urgently needed – not least with Glasgow hitting the international stage when the Commonwealth Games roll into town in 2026. Cleansing workers have been sounding the alarm over limited resources and hobbled services for years now.
Cuts to street cleaning crews and locals fly-tipping with impunity have contributed to the crisis. Residents can play their part by taking a bit of civic pride in keeping streets tidy.
Critically, though, councils need to give clean-up crews the resources they need to do their job. Not just in Glasgow but across all our towns and cities afflicted by rats.
When it comes to the endless finger-pointing over funding for local services, the public are tired of the political blame game. It would be great in 2025 if politicians at all levels took some responsibility and started getting this problem sorted.
End blame game
The two biggest political parties need to offer voters a realistic plan to improve Scotland’s public services.
It’s not good enough to blame the other side for everything that goes wrong. Voters can see through excuses and it puts people off from engaging. For years the SNP could point the finger at Tory incompetence at Westminster as the source of the country’s ills. But with a Labour government in power, it’s a much tougher sell.
Scots can see Keir Starmer has faced a tough time so far but many are still willing to give him a chance. Similarly, Labour cannot expect an electoral breakthrough at Holyrood in 2026 by repeatedly saying the SNP has been in power for too long.
Voters want practical solutions to real-life issues. With 18 months until the next scheduled Scottish election, politics cannot become an endless blame game between the two parties.
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