NICOLA Sturgeon has indicated her support for extending a far-reaching scheme to improve one of the poorest urban areas in Scotland.

In an interview yesterday, the First Minister backed the continuation of a pilot project that allows Glasgow City Council to take control of rundown properties in Govanhill.

The local authority was given enforcement powers last year in a bid to help it clamp down on rogue landlords blamed for poor housing and living condition in the area in Glasgow's south side.

The powers, brought in under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014, allow the council to enter and seize control of four tenement blocks – known to have the highest concentration of landlords, overcrowding, anti-social behaviour and unhygienic conditions – and designate them an Enhanced Enforcement Area (EEA).

Improvement plans also involved the council and the Scottish Government supporting moves by Govanhill Housing Association to buy up 80 flats in the area over a two-year period and bring them into the public rented sector.

The scheme will have to be evaluated by the Scottish Government but in advance of the assessment Sturgeon, who represents the area as a constituency MSP, said she was in favour of it being extended.

“Govanhill Housing Association have actually got more properties than they expected, and that’s allowed them to consolidate their progress in these four blocks,” Sturgeon told a Sunday newspaper yesterday.

“[The scheme] definitely, in my view, needs to be extended.”

During the Holyrood election campaign the First Minister was accused of not caring about “deteriorating conditions” in her own constituency, but she rejected the claims.

“It’s not true, but I accept that goes with the job,” she said. “My office is in Govanhill, so I’m part of a community in the sense of being there physically.

"But if I was living in Govanhill I would also be frustrated and would look to point the finger at elected representatives. I don’t take umbrage at that. It’s my job to be part of finding solutions for Govanhill.”

She added that the argument for compulsory purchase had “probably” been made. She said: “Whenever possible we need to try and do it without compulsory purchase, because it is a lengthy and complicated process. I don’t want us to get into a situation where compulsory purchase is seen as the first option, which was part of testing out the programme without it. But you’re only going to get so far with voluntary acquisition, so my view is that compulsory purchase will be a part of the package in the next phases of the programme.”

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “The work being carried out in partnership to address the persistent housing problems in this area is making a positive difference. It’s great the

First Minister supports this and wants to extend it.”


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