Category: Local News

2026 Scottish Parliament Election Questions to Candidates

Introduction

Dennistoun Community Council (DCC) aims to ascertain, coordinate and express the views of our community, and seeks to promote Dennistoun as a positive and inclusive neighbourhood.

Instead of holding a hustings for the Scottish Parliament elections on 7th May 2026, we sent (on Saturday 18th April) the following questions to each candidate in the Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn and Glasgow Central constituencies, both of which cover areas within the DCC boundary. These questions were also put to each party with a candidate on the Glasgow Region list, within which the DCC area sits wholly.

Q1: On Swimming Pools and Leisure Facilities

(Question provided by Save Whitehill Pool, DCC associate member.)

Almost on a daily basis we read reports about the decline of physical and mental health across the country. Swimming is an activity accessible to all that has proven health benefits, yet the number of pools in Glasgow and beyond is in steady decline.

  • What will you do in Parliament to help Glasgow (and other local authorities) finance a programme of investment in the renewal of their aging pools and leisure facilities?

Q2: On Housing and Built Heritage

Cost of living pressures are severe for many people who live in our area. Recent fire and damage we’ve seen in the city centre has been highly concerning.

  • How will you help renters and owners in the constituency to afford to continue living and working here, and also, how will you help protect the built heritage of Dennistoun?

Q3: On Transport

Accessible, affordable and safe mobility is essential for enabling people and businesses to thrive. Dennistoun is a densely populated inner city neighbourhood within Glasgow, the largest urban area in Scotland. Yet neither are fulfilling their potential: many residents face significant connectivity challenges, with local and citywide transport options falling short of what is needed.

  • What specific actions or policies would you prioritise locally, regionally, and nationally to improve connectivity within and between our communities?

Responses

Best efforts were made to contact each candidate and party using publicly available points of contact.

Answers were requested to be supplied no later than Friday 24th April.

We will publish all replies here on our website (and share via DCC social media) in due course.

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Response to Dennistoun Traffic Management and Parking Proposals

Dennistoun Community Council today (12th January 2026) submitted the below response to the Glasgow City Council regarding the proposals for Traffic Management and Parking Controls as published in December 2025.

This response was also submitted to all elected representatives (councillors, MSPs, and MP as listed here) representing any part of the area within the extent of the proposals.

Tap here for a PDF version.

Tap the headings in the Contents list below to jump directly to the corresponding section.

Contents

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Dennistoun Traffic Management and Parking Controls Proposals

Introduction

Glasgow City Council (GCC) is proposing to expand parking controls in support of the policies outlined within the Glasgow Transport Strategy.

Plans for Dennistoun have now been published. As well as parking controls, proposals include 20 mph speed limits, one-way streets, junction and footway improvements, expansion of the Co Wheels car club provision, enforceable disabled parking spaces.

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Necropolis Eastern Entrance Proposal Drop-in Events

Text: "Drop-in events - Proposed improved pedestrian access to the Glasgow Necropolis" over a photo of the Necropolis.
GCC Necropolis Eastern Entrance Drop-in

Drop-in Events

Glasgow City Council are developing proposals to provide pedestrian access to Glasgow Necropolis from Firpark Street.

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Save Whitehill Pool – August 2025 Update

Save Whitehill Pool

An update from the Save Whitehill Pool campaign…

Hi everyone,

It was wonderful to see folks at the Alexandra Park Festival last month and we realised it’s been a wee while since the big meeting in the spring. Here’s an update all on what’s been happening with the Save Whitehill Pool campaign since then.

We’ve built strong support with other local community groups which we will keep building on. The working group have met several times, independently and with representatives from Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council. And, we’ve learned that the current building has a LOT of issues, in all parts of the building. RAAC is just the recent one! Because of that, where we are now is that there are four options Glasgow Life will consider:

  • A) A new pool and gym facility (estimated £30m – £35m, 5 years build, 50-year life).
  • B) Retrofit and refurbish the existing building (estimated £25m – £35m, 5 years build, 50-year life).
  • C) Temporary pool, no gym or additional facilities (estimated £3m – £4m, 1 year build, historical use – around two years. Beyond two years is unknown territory with no guarantees).
  • D) Do nothing & close the pool for good (estimated £0.85m).

Our aim is still 100% to re-instate the swimming and gym activities at the Whitehill Pool site! Options A and B are the only ones that provide long term stability to swimming and sports provision in the neighbourhood. We believe our community deserves investment in our physical wellbeing and mental health, so we are focused on the first two as the best options. It has been achieved elsewhere, but we need you to help make it a reality!

What can you do?

We are calling on everybody who ever used the pool or hopes to use it again in the future. You all will have different knowledge, capability, power and influence to contribute.

Here’s how:

  • Fill in the survey: forms.gle/c5qkfezswg81PQ2t8. We’re using this to understand community needs and hopes for Whitehill Pool in our advocacy to stakeholders.
  • Sign the petition: livingrent.org/save_whitehill_pool and let decision makers know you want the pool reinstated!
  • Write to your elected members and let them know you want them to Save Whitehill Pool!
  • Support the campaign: email savewhitehillpool@gmail.com to get involved with the working group. If you are part of a club, school or community group that wants to support the campaign, we’d love to hear from you.

Please don’t delay – signatures and surveys are most useful to us now – before the end of the month!

What will we do next?

We’ll be reaching out to Councillors, MPs, MSPs in arguing for the re-instatement of Whitehill Pool. They ultimately hold the budgets that invest in our communities.

We will work with Glasgow Life to develop the business case for the pool. Using survey responses and additional research, we will demonstrate that Whitehill Pool has been a huge asset to the East End for over 50 years, that its two-and-a-half-year closure has had a significant impact on our people and our area, and that we will continue to champion the reinstatement of this vital community resource.

Thanks to all of you for your support!

Warmest wishes from the Save Whitehill Pool campaign.

Whitehill Pool Lane Swimming
Whitehill Pool Lane Swimming
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Alexandra Park Junior Parkrun

Flyer for Alexandra Park Junior Parkrun
Flyer for Alexandra Park Junior Parkrun (for full size version tap here or on image)

Volunteers are being sought for a Junior Parkrun to be held in Alexandra Park on Sundays at 9:30am for 4 to 14 year-olds. The event is to be weekly but volunteers would help on a rotational basis. For more information, scan the QR code above, or contact james.goldie@glasgowlife.org.uk or liz.corbett@parkrun.com to note interest.

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Whitehill Pool Working Group

Thanks to everyone who attended the meeting to revitalise the Save Whitehill Pool campaign last night.

Bill Stark chaired, welcoming new faces and introducing people who provided valuable support back in the early years of the original campaign.

The meeting itself provided great community input, in terms of personal experiences, and hopes for the future over the current closure of Whitehill Pool.

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Whitehill Pool Follow-up Meeting

We're still here! Save Whitehill Pool.
We’re still here! Save Whitehill Pool.

Dennistoun Community Council is following up on our recent public meeting about Whitehill Pool with a community-only meeting for people who’d like to be actively involved with the campaign to save the pool.

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