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Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow City Council criticised over working hours lost to stress
Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request has revealed that in 2024 alone, the local authority had to cope with 1612 instances of absence – the highest figure since 2017. The document also revealed that already in 2025, at least 636 reports of stress-related sickness have been lodged as departments face an ever-increasing workload across education, children's services, social care and health. The figures show that the cumulative time annually lost due to stress has been steadily rising, going up from 963 instances of absence in 2017 to 1478 in 2023. The total number between 2017 and now is a staggering 10,192. Drumchapel and Anniesland councillor Paul Carey BEM believes the data is the result of excessive demands being placed on already-stretched frontline staff. He says people are being asked to cope with a growing burden of more and more work and that these new figures must act as a 'wake-up call' to council chiefs. Cllr Paul Carey (Image: Colin Mearns) He told the Glasgow Times: 'It is not surprising to me that stress-induced absence among staff has continued to rise year upon year. Council bosses must pay close attention to this because we have already experienced a worrying shortfall of teachers, cleaning workers, classroom assistants and home-helps. If more people are off sick, this becomes a vicious circle because those left to pick up the slack then also end up struggling. 'The figures clearly show that frontline workers are being stretched to their absolute limit and feel so stressed out they are forced to take time away from their jobs to recover.' He added: 'I am constantly hearing from employees who feel under strain because of the pressure around their roles. Years of cuts to budgets has piled on the pressure and it's clear from the data here that much of the council's workforce feels exhausted.' However, council bosses say they are committed to supporting staff whose health and wellbeing is being impacted in any way by stress. A spokesperson added: 'Our priority is providing a supportive work environment for all employees. 'Our absence policy focuses on early intervention and supporting staff with their health and wellbeing. The council also has a counselling and information service available to support employees, and line managers are instructed to ensure staff are aware of it and know how to access the help it can provide. 'The council is a large organisation - the largest local authority in the country - with over 25,000 employees and this is reflected in these figures.' We previously told how the cash-strapped local authority was under-fire after paying out more than half a million pounds to staff injured in workplace accidents. READ NEXT: Glasgow City Council paid £600k to employees hurt at work The council has been forced to fork out an eye-watering £629,291 over the last three years to workers injured in slips, trips, falls and manual handling of defective equipment while at work. The highest pay out to staff was £447,487 in the financial year 2022/23, while £181,804 was handed to claimants during 2023/24. Physical injury was the most common reason for action being taken, with a total of 161 claims submitted. This number was followed by physical and psychological injuries, with 45 employees successfully lodging actions.
Glasgow Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow City Council paid £600k to employees hurt at work
A Freedom of Information request has revealed that Glasgow City Council has been forced to fork out an eye-watering £629,291 over the last three years to workers injured in slips, trips, falls and manual handling of defective equipment while at work. The highest pay out to staff was £447,487 in the financial year 2022/23, while £181,804 was paid during 2023/24. Physical injury was the most common reason for action being taken, with 161 claims submitted. This number was followed by physical and psychological injuries, with 45 local authority employees successfully lodging actions. Councillor Paul Carey BEM says more care needs to be taken to safeguard people doing their duties and subsequently protect the public purse. Councillor Paul Carey BEM (Image: Supplied) He told the Glasgow Times: 'This is a shocking amount of money to spend on compensating staff injured doing their jobs. Here we have a cash-strapped council paying hundreds of thousands of pounds for slips and accidents that should be avoided. If more effective protective measures were in place and proper risk assessments had been carried out, this figure would be substantially lower. "The council quite simply doesn't have this kind of money to waste on claims that could, and should, have been avoided." Councils have a duty of care to staff under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which states they should take every reasonable step to ensure people's safety in the course of their employment. Examples of measures include conducting regular risk assessments, communicating an up-to-date health and safety policy to all staff, providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training employees to work safely without harming themselves or others. Failure to comply with any of the above can constitute a failure around health and safety codes and a breach of the local authority's duty of care. Employees who have been injured in a workplace accident may be able to make a claim for compensation if their employer is found to have been at fault by failing to provide a safe working environment. Solicitor for JF Law, Lucy Parker, said: 'Councils, like all employers, have a legal obligation and owe a significant duty of care to safeguard their workforce and prevent them from harm. "Unfortunately, council workers can often be involved in workplace accidents ranging from seemingly minor issues like slips on wet floors and trips on uneven surfaces to more serious incidents involving manual handling and defective equipment. Sometimes, workplace accidents could have been avoided with proper risk assessments and safety measures. "Making sure that councils are sticking to their legal responsibilities after an accident is crucial as it can ensure lessons are learned to prevent future incidents." In 2022, 78 workplace accident claims were made against Glasgow City Council, the highest number over the past three years. A year later, this number decreased to 71. The council has seen the number of actions drop over the past year, with a total of 64 successful claims. Glasgow City Council were approached for comment.
Scottish Sun
03-05-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
‘Eyesores' set to be removed from streets as Scots council splashes £20m on major revamp
The dodgy decking will soon be ripped up and replaced with new features 'PUBLIC HAZARD' 'Eyesores' set to be removed from streets as Scots council splashes £20m on major revamp COUNCIL chiefs in Glasgow are set to remove rotting 'benches and eyesore decking' as part of a £20m refurb plan. The seating, situated on the city's Queen Street, was installed during the Covid pandemic and has been neglected ever since. Advertisement 2 The works are currently underway Credit: Alamy 2 George Square and the surrounding areas are set to be transformed as part of a £20m revamp Critics have blasted Glasgow City Council's failure to act sooner, now branding the benches a 'public hazard'. Councillor Paul Carey BEM claims the local authority should have conducted frequent inspections to prevent it from falling into such a sorry state. He told the Glasgow Times: 'The council have simply failed to look after them properly and the wood is now so rotten that if you sit on them, they just start to break apart. 'They were put in place as part of a positive initiative to give people somewhere to sit to get a breath of fresh air during lockdown, but they are now in such a sorry state that the only real option is to lose them." Advertisement The issue was brought to the attention of the Drumchapel and Anniesland councillor after one of his constituents was injured by a splinter. He continued: 'The man told me he sat one of them and ended up with a large skelf sticking into him. It's taken a councillor to raise this and the question is why they were not properly and regularly inspected after being installed? They are a hazard now and should be cordoned off to the public until they are removed.' Now, as part of a £20m revamp of George Square and surrounding areas, the dodgy decking is set to be ripped up and replaced with new features. The project, funded by the council, Scottish and UK governments, will see new seating, sensory gardens, play areas, feature lighting, and "high-quality" paving installed at George Square. Advertisement The works will also extend to North Hanover Street, George Street, West George Street, Cochrane Street and St Vincent Place. It will be done in two phases, with George Square, St Vincent Place and West George Street due for completion in August 2026. Memorial benches removed ahead of Europa League final The rest are to be finished by Spring 2027. A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: 'The benches and decking on the east side of Queen Street were introduced on a temporary basis. These features will be removed as part of the work that's getting underway in George Square and the space will become a loading area. Advertisement 'There are similar features on the west side of the street and these will also be removed, but the pavement will be widened permanently at this location, which will allow tables and chairs to continue to be used.'
Glasgow Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Councillor claims Glasgow's Queen Street benches ‘left to rot'
Critics say the seating areas in Queen Street have become unsightly and dangerous as a result of being unmaintained since their installation five years ago. Now local authority chiefs say they will go as part of a planned £20 million revamp of the streets in and around George Square. The Glasgow Times understands they were introduced as part of the Spaces for People programme that was initiated during lockdown. Councillor Paul Carey BEM says they have become a 'public hazard' and insists frequent inspections should have been carried out to stop them falling into such a serious state of disrepair. The benches are to be removed from Queen Street. (Image: Supplied) He added: 'The council have simply failed to look after them properly and the wood is now so rotten that if you sit on them, they just start to break apart. They must go as it is really only a matter of time before someone is injured using them. 'They were put in place as part of a positive initiative to give people somewhere to sit to get a breath of fresh air during lockdown, but they are now in such a sorry state that the only real option is to lose them." The councillor for Drumchapel and Anniesland says the matter was brought to his attention after a constituent was injured using one of the benches. Councillor Paul Carey (Image: Supplied) He explained: 'The man told me he sat one of them and ended up with a large skelf sticking into him. It's taken a councillor to raise this and the question is why they were not properly and regularly inspected after being installed? They are a hazard now and should be cordoned off to the public until they are removed.' READ MORE: Glasgow City Council spends £13m on agency staff The council said today that the benches are earmarked to go as part of the redevelopment of George Square and surrounding streets. This project will include tarmac being replaced by 'high-quality stone', play areas for children and the installation of new state-of-the-art sensory gardens. New greenery will be planted to complement the existing Norway maple and cherry trees, while feature lighting and new seating will also be installed to improve the square. George Square is now closed off to the public. (Image: Colin Mearns) Funding has been put in place for the works at the square and also the Avenues Project that will enhance North Hanover Street, George Street, West George Street, Cochrane Street and St Vincent Place. The cash is coming from the council, Scottish and UK governments. The new-look George Square is expected to be open to the public in August 2026. Wooden hoardings are in place, with Glasgow's civic heartbeat now completely closed off to the public. George Square is now closed off to the public. (Image: Colin Mearns) A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: 'The benches and decking on the east side of Queen Street were introduced on a temporary basis. These features will be removed as part of the work that's getting underway in George Square and the space will become a loading area. 'There are similar features on the west side of the street and these will also be removed, but the pavement will be widened permanently at this location, which will allow tables and chairs to continue to be used.'
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cornwall youth club in limbo as building put up for sale
A youth club in Cornwall faces closure unless it can secure £100,000 by the end of April to buy the building it currently leases, bosses Callington Youth Project Group, which opened in May last year, holds drop in sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays at The Vault youth the former Lloyds Bank building the club uses has come up for sale and chairman Paul Carey fears they may be gazumped by another interested buyer. He said: "The truth is there is nowhere else... as good as The Vault youth centre - it's nice and big, there's room upstairs to expand to create some flats that we could rent out and provide a sustainable income." Mr Carey said they have another year on their lease but if someone else bought the property they would be given three months' notice before they were "out on our heels"."We've got the opportunity to buy it," he said."We need another £100,000 to complete the deal, if we can do that by the end of April we'll be home and dry - we can secure the building and keep it as a youth club forever. "We've been lucky to secure grants to cover half the money we need and we're hoping that another couple of grants applications that have been made will come through. "What would be really good though is to show some community support because it's important we can show funders we have the community behind us." The youth group is attended by about 45 to 55 young people, said 15, who visits the youth club, said: "I love it here, it's a great place to get away from everything going on at home because life has been hectic over the last year. "I've loved coming here, playing games, practising for my GCSEs, I've loved every second of it."To me it's very important to save it, because it distracts teenagers, gets them off the streets from doing stuff they shouldn't do, so I would love this space to stay open."Ruan, 14, another club member, said: "I think The Vault is a good place to go because it's good to get out of the house sometimes and talk to people."I would say it has made me a better person."Madison, 14, added: "I'd say The Vault is probably the best place to be when you are struggling because you can make new friends and there's lots of things to do when you get bored."
