Glasgow was well represented in this photograph taken in the House of Commons in 1985. It shows Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock with a delegation of Scottish councillors. Kinnock is flanked by Dick Stewart, leader of Strathclyde Regional Council, and Donald Dewar, MP for Anniesland. Maryhill MP Jim Craigen is on the right of the back row, next to Glasgow councillor David Wiseman, with Glasgow City Council leader Jean McFadden also present. The photograph appeared in the March 1985 issue of Glasgow City Council's newspaper The Bulletin.
The delegation was in London to lobby parliament over cuts in housing and rates support grants and the the effect the Conservative Government's Rate Fund Contribution limits were having on rents. Glasgow's housing budget was particularly badly affected by the Government measures, with cutbacks on council house maintenance and significant rent increases. Many council tenants at this time began to give serious consideration to buying their homes.
Reference: Bulletin photographs, Box 10, March 1985
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
Bulletin, council houses, councillors, Glasgow City Council, House of Commons, housing, Labour Party, Members of Parliament, MPs, rates, rents, Strathclyde Regional Council