Scotland
Save Govanhill Pool!
For four months the Victorian Swimming Pool in Govanhill has been occupied by the local community to prevent the council closing it. A 24 by 7 occupation supported by a continuous external picket; with braziers and chairs and food and fuel donated by local residents and shops, has prevented Glasgow Council from effecting closure.
Govanhill is in an area with the worst health record in Britain. The local pool provides swimming clubs for youth, private swimming for women including many Muslim women, the only public bathing for the homeless, steam rooms etc. The Council without consultation decided to close the pool without providing viable alternatives.
Govanhill considers itself a working class community under attack from the council. A proposed motorway will isolate the area, the local hospital is under threat as is the local college.
The community decided to fight back and has organised occupations of other leisure centres, disruption with egg attacks of council meetings, marches, 20,000 signature petitions of Scottish Parliament. As well as the occupation and public activity, a strategy group has prepared alternative plans for the Council including drop in health centre as well as bathing. These have been used to challenge the Councils local plans and pose alternatives, legal challenges and approaches to Europe over misuse of grants. Above all the community is united in fighting the closure.
Meetings have been held with other campaigns fighting service cut backs and a broad coordinating group to defend the South Side of Glasgow has been set up uniting the Victoria Hospital, Langside College, M74 Motorway, Housing Stock Transfer and Govanhill Pool campaign.
To mark 101 days of occupation a march and rally was held supported by local MPs and some MSPs. The campaign has already succeeded in splitting Labour MSPs and MPs from the local Labour administration and local councillors are feeling the pressure of public anger. This is the highest point of public resistance to the anti working people strategy of Glasgow Council. Save our Pool.
The campaign has its own web site at http://crowd.to/saveourpool