Decision made on the selling of ice cream in Glasgow parks

Cllr Ken Andrew, SNP, objected to applications from ice cream van firm Mr Cool to trade from stances in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow Green and near Hogganfield Loch.
The Hillhead councillor was 'uncomfortable' with plans for the van to sell 'high sugar, high fat foods' near a 'children's play park and sports facilities' in Kelvingrove Park.
He claimed allowing an ice cream van to be situated near the skate park 'sends the wrong message to our young children'.
'The very least we want to do for our young people is get them into good eating habits,' Cllr Andrew told the city's licensing committee.
However, Cllr Alex Wilson, SNP, who chairs the committee, said: 'This is basically down to whether we agree that children should be fed ice cream at the park.
'Do we become the fun police and not allow them to have a treat when they are skateboarding, running around, burning off calories galore and then having an ice cream?'
After hearing committee members support for ice cream vans in parks, Cllr Andrew joked: 'I now feel like the childcatcher from 'Chitty Chitty Bang bang'.'
Cllr Wilson retorted: 'If you were the childcatcher from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', with your healthy options, I think they would stay out of your van.'
The committee agreed to grant six applications for street trader licences which allow the holders, who all work for Mr Cool, to sell from the three sites.
Andrew Hunter, the licensing lawyer representing the firm, said the council had determined the stances and held a tender process to find an operator.
'If you don't licence it and you don't regulate it, then you potentially have a free for all,' he added. 'Members of the public who are out and about have the option to use it or not to use it.'
He said the company has been operating for over 25 years, including more than 12 years in Kelvingrove Park.
Mr Cool, which also sells slushy drinks and soft drinks, including zero sugar options, is 'very much a traditional ice cream van', Mr Hunter said, with ice cream supplied by Glasgow firm Crolla's.
He agreed childhood obesity is an issue, but 'targeting that on a single van in this particular location is perhaps unfair'.
Cllr Andrew said he wasn't objecting to the company 'having an ice cream stand somewhere in the park' but he was concerned about 'its adjacency to the play park and the skateboard rink'.
'I think we do have an obesity crisis, we do have instances of teenagers now exhibiting type two diabetes, there is a problem here,' he added.
'I'm sure it's a well-managed and a well-run business but I think at some point we have got to do something about this.'
Cllr Wilson said: 'I think it's a perfectly valid opinion about trying to get young people to eat healthier and good on you for doing that.
'We have to then decide whether we become the fun police or not.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Scottish Sun

14 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Thousands of Scots struggling to save for first home secretly barred from government's help to buy scheme

Dawn Ramsay, a Dundee-based mortgage broker, said the rule change was a 'kick in the teeth' for first time buyers 'kick in the teeth' Thousands of Scots struggling to save for first home secretly barred from government's help to buy scheme Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MOST first-time buyers have been quietly banned from an SNP government scheme to help people get on the housing ladder. The Open Market Shared Equity scheme allows people to pay for as little as 60 per cent of a sale price, with the state buying the rest. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Most first-time buyers have been quietly banned from the SNP help to buy scheme Credit: Alamy It had mostly been used by first-time buyers on lower incomes. But now first-time buyers have been locked out of the scheme unless they fit into a 'priority' group such as social renters or people with disabilities. Data obtained by the BBC shows that the majority of the scheme's past users did not belong to any of the priority groups. Dawn Ramsay, a Dundee-based mortgage broker, said the rule change was a 'kick in the teeth' for first time buyers. She said: 'It pushes the house price up because there could be five or six people looking at a property, and some of them may well have financial backing where they can pay over the asking price for that property. 'It's not a level playing field. These are the people that will keep our housing market moving.' And Scottish Tory shadow housing secretary Meghan Gallacher said: 'This is typical of the sleekit SNP. No wonder they didn't people knowing they had quietly ditched this flagship scheme during a housing emergency that has spiralled on their watch. 'SNP ministers appear hellbent on turning their noses up at those with aspirations of getting on the property ladder with short-sighted decisions like this.' Last year, 182 out of 210 successful OMSE purchases were made by first-time buyers with just six per cent in the priority groups. The scheme does not allow househunters to bid over the asking price so low-income buyers are frequently outbid by those that can afford to pay over the odds for property, particularly investors. Homeowners blast 'tone-deaf' plan by billionaire to build massive resort & rename town as they insist it'll 'destroy' it The scheme opened in 2007 and was mostly used by low-income first-time buyers seeking a way out of private lets or family homes. The Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency in May last year pledging to increase housing supply and tackle homelessness, with more than four in 10 Scots struggling to meet housing costs. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Supporting social renters to make the transition to affordable home ownership will help free up social rented accommodation, which in turn could help families move out of temporary accommodation.'

Edinburgh Reporter

15 hours ago

• Edinburgh Reporter

Senior Edinburgh councillors back giving themselves a pay hike

Senior Edinburgh councillors have backed giving themselves a pay hike, with only one member speaking out in opposition. In February, Edinburgh Council agreed to freeze pay for senior councillors – including political group leaders and committee conveners – at the previous year's levels. But at Thursday's meeting all political groups except the SNP voted in favour of raising pay for senior councillors, with most getting an uplift of £4,637 to their annual pay packets – an 11.6% jump. Council committee conveners, as well as the SNP, Conservative and Liberal Democrat group leaders, will all get £4,637 added to their annual pay, bringing them to £44,644 per year, up from £40,027 from the previous year. And the depute council leader, Labour's Mandy Watt, will also get a £4,637 pay hike, bringing her total compensation to £52,669, up from £48,032 before. A council spokesperson said the increase in pay for senior councillors was intended to match the pay hike given to non-senior councillors by the Scottish Government. While local authorities have the power to set the pay of senior councillors, the rates for all other councillors are set by the Scottish Government, including the council's leader and Lord Provost, based on the fidings of the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC). Earlier this year, it mandated that the salary for most councillors be raised to £25,982 per year, up £4,637 from their previous pay of £21,345, which stood unchanged for several years. Labour councillor and council leader Jane Meagher is paid £71,519 per year, while Lord Provost Robert Aldridge is paid £53,640. Depute council leader, Labour councillor Mandy Watt, said: 'I sat down and read the guidance, and it does say that in your approach to this, you should be doing councillor remuneration from the bottom up, not the top down. 'I very much appreciate the support that I've had [from officers] to get all this together.' An SNP source said: 'Councillors have been chronically underpaid for decades, and normally I'd take the view that we remunerate the position held, rather than the individual holding it. 'But the current crop of administration conveners are so inept that we could not support them getting a pay hike.' A council spokesperson said: 'While we don't set the rates of pay for non-senior councillor roles it's appropriate that we publish them and provide elected members with the opportunity to scrutinise rates for full transparency. 'The increase in Senior Councillors' remuneration was agreed by Council yesterday, and now includes the increase to the Councillor basic pay set by the Scottish Government.' Only one member, Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda, spoke out against the pay hikes. She said: 'I think you should take note of which councillors are getting extra money, and you should work out whether you are getting value for money from those councillors. 'Since this is public money, and I don't think anyone in here would support the misuse of public money, I'd ask the public to have a look at that, and work out if they think that in Edinburgh Council, the extra money they have to spend to subsidise councillors is being used in the right way.' Cllr Faccenda, who will not financially benefit from the pay increase for senior councillors, voted to support the hike. Meanwhile, independent councillor Ross McKenzie voted with the SNP to oppose the pay hike. Green co-convener, councillor Chas Booth, said: 'Greens think it is right that people are paid appropriately for the work they do, and we welcomed the recommendations of the Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee around councillors' salaries. 'Pay is a significant barrier to people from marginalised groups entering politics, and if we want to see more diversity in our councillors to reflect the rich diversity of the communities we serve, then we need to ensure people without independent income can become elected representatives. 'However, we acknowledge that while so many people in Edinburgh continue to face a cost-of-living crisis caused by years of austerity which is now being continued by the Labour government at Westminster, the Labour council administration doesn't feel that big increases in senior councillor pay were not appropriate. 'Therefore Green councillors were happy to support their proposals around this.' By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related

The Independent

19 hours ago

• The Independent

Scottish city to charge visitors in bid to fund public services

Glasgow has approved a new tourist tax, becoming the second Scottish city to implement such a levy after Edinburgh. The visitor levy will charge tourists an additional five per cent on their accommodation bills, estimated to average £4.83 per night. The tax is projected to generate £16 million annually, with funds allocated to Glasgow's infrastructure projects, events, and public services. Following an 18-month implementation phase required by national legislation, the levy is expected to be rolled out by January 2027 at the earliest. The decision received cross-party support from the SNP, Labour, Greens, and Conservatives, following a public consultation.