Latest news with #ColinMcGowan
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Council forced to send in clean-up crew to deal with vile drug den near Glasgow's fix room
COUNCIL chiefs were forced to call in a JCB to scoop up drug debris near Glasgow's safe consumption room. Piles of used needles were piled on Tobago Street in the city's Calton, near the controversial facility heralded by local authority bosses. 6 A JCB was called in to clean up drug debris and mess from fly-tipping Credit: Glasgow City Council 6 A clean up was ordered on Tobago Street near the safe consumption room Credit: Les Gallagher 6 Discarded needles at the drug den near the facility Credit: Les Gallagher 6 The Thistle has caused outrage among local residents Credit: Les Gallagher 6 Campaigner Colin McGowan said the council owes the people of Calton an apology Credit: Steve Welsh 6 Councillor Allan Casey rejected suggestions the clean-up was a U-turn by the council Credit: Les Gallagher Residents have been up in arms over the fix room and said the area around their homes has become a hotbed of drugs and crime since it opened. They gathered at a meeting where they said they feared for their kids safety and blasted cops for their lack of action in tackling the rise in drug dealers flooding the area. But a major cleanup of the area was ordered by bosses after multiple complaints from locals. There was so much debris from drug use and fly tipping around the drug den that a digger had to be used. Pictures taken by The Scottish Sun in the area today showed used needles and foil wrappers littering the area. Campaigner Colin McGowan, who runs childrens' charity Blameless, told how he has repeatedly been out picking up dozens of used needles from the Tobago Street area. He told The Scottish Sun: "We've been told we are peddling misinformation and have been called social media agitators with a passing interest. "This clean-up is a total U-turn from the council. It's a good start, but they still need to answer to the rising crime, the rise in drug dealing, and the lack of police presence in the area. "It is bringing more drug users and drug dealers to the area. Where is their duty of care to the people? "The people of Calton are blameless. They have to go out there and live in an area saturated with needles. Drug fix rooms could be rolled out across Scotland before end of controversial Glasgow pilot "The council and John Swinney need to apologise to the people of Calton for finally catching up." Councillor Allan Casey, who is the council's convenor for addiction services flat out rejected any suggestion the JCB was a U-turn from city bosses. He said: "There has been absolutely no U-turn. We have been doing clean ups in the area long before The Thistle has been there. "We've conducted a number of clean ups before The Thistle even opened and indeed after it because we have been speaking to the community all throughout the process of opening The Thistle and we will continue to do so. "Any misinformation is that this is a new phenomenon. "We hope that's a good start and it's making a difference but it's very early days and we want to obviously make sure that we're removing harm as much as we possibly can." We told how Health Secretary Neil Gray has paved the way for more of the fix rooms to be opened up across Scotland. He appeared before MPs at Westminster amid the controversy surrounding The Thistle. talked up the idea of allowing crack cocaine to be smoked at the first fix room, saying the Scottish Government and top prosecutor Lord Advocate would 'consider' this. His appearance at Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee came amid a row over the Thistle Centre facility, which has seen a stream of ambulance call-outs since it opened this year. There are also worries it may be fuelling levels of discarded needles in the area of Glasgow's east end, and campaigners have warned it is distracting from the need for rehab for addicts.
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Hamilton Accies Broadwood move still to be approved, SPFL confirms
Accies are bidding to play home games in Cumbernauld next season by the SPFL are yet to give it the green light Hamilton Accies' proposed move to Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld is yet to be ratified by the SPFL, Lanarkshire Live Sport can reveal. The League One club are seeking to complete the move to a new temporary home after they failed to come to an agreement to purchase New Douglas Park from its current owner Colin McGowan last season. It is a decision which has sparked anger and concern amid large sections of the Accies support and local businesses in the town. Last month, we revealed that Accies would be unable to play any pre-season games of League Cup matches at Broadwood due to pitch resurfacing works taking place. The new pitch is set to be relayed in time for the start of the new league camapign, which kicks-off on Saturday, August 2. And that has forced Accies to schedule their 'home' Premier Sports League Cup games with Hearts on July 15 and Dumbarton on July 26 at K-Park in East Kilbride. The SPFL are due to release the fixtures for the 2025/26 league campaign on Friday, June 20, by which time Hamilton's home ground would need to be confirmed. It is understood Hamilton Accies submitted a tenancy agreement in April but amendments have since had to be made. The SPFL has yet to approve Broadwood as their home ground for next season and they remain in discussions with the club and landlords North Lanarkshire Council regarding this. An SPFL spokesperson told Lanarkshire Live Sport: 'The SPFL remains in dialogue with Hamilton Academical FC over their proposed temporary move to Broadwood Stadium. "East Kilbride's K-Park has been confirmed as Hamilton Academical's venue for home matches during the Premier Sports Cup group stage – but, to date, no venue has been confirmed for the club's other SPFL home fixtures for season 2025/26.' The letter claimed: 'The SPFL stated if New Douglas Park is off the table, and the supporters don't approve Broadwood, there is the very real possibility that they will kick our club out of the leagues. 'If we don't have a 'home' stadium approved by the SPFL without further delay (we've already missed the deadline), we won't meet their Membership Criteria for next season and it'll go to a vote of the other 41 SPFL members." The SPFL did not comment on our enquiry regarding this.
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Hamilton Accies' move to Broadwood 'no-brainer' with club saving over £500k a season
The club are set to agree a two-year lease with North Lanarkshire Council, with the option of a further year, after leaving New Douglas Park earlier this month Hamilton Academical's move to Broadwood Stadium will save the club over half a million pounds a season, Lanarkshire Live Sport can reveal. The Lanarkshire side were relegated from the Championship to League One earlier this month after being hit with a 15-point deduction for breaching multiple SPFL rules, and they are now preparing to complete a move across the region to Cumbernauld's Broadwood Stadium. Accies chairman Jock Brown issued an open letter to supporters last night explaining that the club is leaving New Douglas Park because stadium owner Colin McGowan, who was trying to sell the facility to current Accies owner Seref Zengin, 'made it impossible' for them to stay in the town. The club claims Mr McGowan refused to provide the necessary information showing what liabilities any new owner would take on, giving Accies 'no option' but to leave. And now the eye-watering costs facing Accies under their recent lease go some way to explaining their move. From July 2023 to February 2024, it cost the club £714,000 to lease New Douglas Park, while switching to Broadwood in a groundshare agreement with Lowland League outfit Cumbernauld Colts will cost the club £6,900 a month or £82,800 over the course of a year. Accies are currently in the process of agreeing a two-year lease with North Lanarkshire Council, with the option of a further year. The impending switch has. A fan petition which has garnered almost 1500 signatures has also been set up to try and stop the move. However, it appears there is no going back to New Douglas Park as the club are seeking a brand new stadium site in the town during their temporary switch to Cumbernauld. A spokesman for Accies said: "Quite literally, this keeps the club alive for five years or so at the cost of one year at New Douglas Park. "It also allows the club to invest in the academy and the first team as well. It is a no-brainer financially." Hamilton are due to return to pre-season training on June 19 but they will not be able to train on the Broadwood pitch, with the surface being relayed over the summer. Any sessions will be held on the public park adjacent to the stadium, while Accies are also considering a training camp elsewhere for their preparations.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Staying at Hamilton stadium 'could have finished Accies'
Buying New Douglas Park instead of moving to Cumbernauld next season could "almost certainly have finished" Hamilton Academical, chairman Jock Brown has Scottish Championship club have been relegated after receiving a 15-point penalty for various breaches of Scottish Professional Football League, including giving incorrect information to the governing body about stadium subsequently announced that they would be moving to Broadwood Stadium next season after deciding to stop renting their current ground from a company controlled by Colin McGowan, one of the club's former owners."It became impossible to stay at New Douglas Park and there is no other location at the moment available in the town which could house the club at this time," Brown told his club website. "We tried for many months to purchase the company which owns the stadium, which was the seller's preferred method of completing the transaction. The funds were in place, but the seller refused to provide all the normal information about the company – a standard, required procedure."Brown said Accies would have had to "buy the company without knowing what liabilities it had" and with no redress if there were any."That would have been irresponsible in the extreme and would almost certainly have finished the club," he said. Brown disputed a claim made by the seller that the club owed him rent in excess of £500,000, saying they owe "absolutely nothing" and that the terms of a two-year rent-free lease were "unacceptable".League 2 club Clyde will continue to rent New Douglas Park while looking for a permanent home in Glasgow as Accies say they are looking for a new arena site in their home recognised that moving to Clyde's former stadium in Cumbernauld would "affect our home support".However, he also stated that the experience of being tenants for the last two years were "totally unsatisfactory for the club in respect of players' facilities, hospitality, catering, cost, and general management of the stadium". Meanwhile, Brown promised to clarify soon what the future holds for their youth academy.
The National
12-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Staying at current stadium 'would finish' Hamilton Accies
The recently relegated Championship club will leave their ground in Hamilton to play their 'home' matches at Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld, next season. Brown has explained the reasoning behind this, as he revealed that taking Colin McGowan's offer to remain at their current stadium would have 'certainly finished the club'. "No one is more upset about the club having to leave Hamilton than I am," Brown said in a lengthy statement. "I was brought up in the town, attended Hamilton Academy, played in the youth set-up, and have supported the team all my life. "Any harm to local businesses or damage to the community in any way by the club's relocation is something I would bitterly regret. "But the board was left with absolutely no option. It became impossible to stay at New Douglas Park, and there is no other location at the moment available in the town which could house the club at this time. "We tried for many months to purchase the company which owns the stadium, which was the seller's preferred method of completing the transaction. The funds were in place. But the seller refused to provide all the normal information about the company – a standard, required procedure. "He also refused to provide the normal, necessary warranties. That meant we would have had to buy the company without knowing what liabilities it had, and without having any redress if we found any. That would have been irresponsible in the extreme and would almost certainly have finished the club. We were also presented repeatedly during the negotiations with demands and threats, all of which we managed to ignore. "The seller in the end sent a letter which was published by The Sun newspaper in which he claimed the club owed him rent in excess of £500,000 and which purported to offer a lease rent-free for two years. "The club owes the owner absolutely nothing. Indeed, the contrary is the case. "Further, the conditions attached to his proposed lease were completely unacceptable. The distortions and inaccuracies in his letter ended any possibility of a deal being agreed and brought all negotiations to an abrupt end. "The experience of being tenants at New Douglas Park for two years was also totally unsatisfactory for the club in respect of players' facilities, hospitality, catering, cost, and general management of the stadium. In the end the only course of action open to us was to leave. "We appreciate that moving to Broadwood could adversely affect our home support. But we are aware that many supporters (I was one of these) had stopped attending matches in Hamilton because they were unhappy with the manner in which the club was run historically, going back many years. "Hopefully, some of these will return and see this move as a fresh start. We are also carefully considering ways and means whereby we can help supporters attend matches."
