Scotland’s biggest city needs a “deep clean” before hosting the next Commonwealth Games, union bosses have warned. Bosses of the GMB union cheekily nominated Cludgie the Rat as a mascot for the next games in 2026 to make their point about the city’s rodent problem.
The union is demanding that ministers take on board the concerns of Glaswegians before it is put on the world stage again in 2026. The GMB also wants a tourist tax introduced to make Glasgow shine again, after years of decline.
The city’s recent history has been blighted by a lack of cash that has led to cleansing worker strikes. And citizens claim there has been a massive upsurge in rat populations, which they do not wish to see continuing until 2026, when international sporting stars and their supporting contingents hit the city.
John Slaven, GMB Scotland organiser in Glasgow City Council, said: “The council insist Glasgow is facing the same problems as other cities recovering from the pandemic but that doesn’t make it true.
“When Glaswegians go to these other cities, they find streets clear of litter and walls clean of graffiti, busy shops and a feeling of optimism. That is not the experience in Glasgow but it should be.
“Huge clean-ups were launched before the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and COP26 seven years later to ensure visitors and VIPs smelled only fresh paint.
“If the Commonwealth Games return, the people of Glasgow deserve to know their city will be cleaned up for good. Ministers need to trigger the necessary funding and the council needs to urgently secure a visitors’ levy to pay for a deep clean.”
The Scottish Government has insisted no public money will be spent on the slimmed-down 11-day sporting spectacle in August 2026 after striking a deal with Australian state Victoria after it pulled out because of rising costs. There will be no marathon or cycling road races to reduce policing costs, although work to repair potholes before previous events improved the roads.
The GMB, one of the biggest in the public sector, called on the Scottish Government to deliver emergency funding for civic improvements and Glasgow City Council to impose a tourist tax as soon as possible. Chris Mitchell, GMB Scotland rep in the council’s cleansing department, said: “The crisis is clear but so is the solution. We need more workers, more collections and more pest control officers.
“It is about resource and priorities but nothing can be more important than keeping our city clean and safe. The city centre is bad enough but some of the surrounding neighbourhoods are in an emergency situation. It demands emergency action.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said a tourist levy could not be implemented before the Games. And he called for citizens to do their part by keeping littering at a minimum. The spokesman said: “Glasgow has a fantastic track record at delivering major events and event organisers are always full of praise for the city. We have frontline environmental teams working every day throughout the city to keep Glasgow in good order.
“Our recently expanded street cleansing team is up to 470 strong and this includes the Deep Clean Team, which works through every city ward to tackle stubborn grime, weeds, hard to reach litter and other environmental issues.” The spokesman said Glasgow still spends more per head of population on street cleansing than almost every other local authority in Scotland.
He added: “We will always seek to strengthen our team when resources allow. But research shows litter is dropped every three seconds in Glasgow and so residents and visitors have a crucial role to play by ensuring all litter goes in one of the city’s 5500 public litter bins.
“We are engaging with the event organisers for 2026 and any further plans will be developed in conjunction with them. While a visitor levy is being considered in the city, due to the required legal process it is not possible for a levy to be applied in advance of the Games.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “As the event organiser, Commonwealth Games Scotland is working with Glasgow City Council to identify the necessary work and budget to support the city’s preparations for hosting the games in 2026.”
In 2024-25, Glasgow City Council will receive more than £1.6billion to fund local services, which equates to an extra £74.9million to support vital day-to-day services or an additional 4.9 per cent compared to the 2023-24 budget.
“New visitor levy powers also give councils – following consultation – the opportunity to raise additional funds to invest in local facilities and services largely used by visitors.”
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