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Glasgow Times
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Hollywood director dines at Glasgow city centre Italian
The Starwars director dined at Italian restaurant Sarti on Bath Street last night (June 19). A post shared on Facebook by the restaurant along with a photo of Abrams with staff read: "We had the pleasure of welcoming JJ Abrams to Sarti Bath St last night. "He's in Glasgow filming his new movie Ghostwriter and popped in for some proper Italian hospitality." READ NEXT: Glen Powell and stunt double snapped shooting futuristic scene in Glasgow Abrams is currently in Glasgow directing upcoming movie Ghostwriter, which stars Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega and Samuel L Jackson. The film is rumoured to be a retro 80s throwback about a writer whose fictional world turns out to be real. The Glasgow Times previously reported some city centre streets have been dramatically transformed for the filming, with Powell and Abrams having been pictured on set around Bothwell Street. READ NEXT: Film star pictured in Glasgow as filming takes place for Hollywood blockbuster (Image: Gordon Terris) Abrams daughter singer Gracie Abrams is coming to Glasgow next month as she is set to perform at TRNSMT. The singer-songwriter will take to the main stage on Sunday, July 13.
Glasgow Times
17 hours ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
Are refugees given priority for social housing in Glasgow?
Those who get the blame are not necessarily those who caused the problem but often can be suffering from the problem just as much as anyone else. The homelessness crisis in Glasgow has spiralled out of control and shows no sign of abating. In fact, it is getting worse. Today is World Refugee Day and while Glasgow prides itself on being supportive as a city, not everyone approves of rolling out the welcome mat. Many people have argued that migrants and refugees are getting homes ahead of the settled population. Last month, a senior councillor responded to say migrants were not given priority over local people for social housing. The reaction in some quarters was to basically call the councillor a liar. Many people feel that migrants, particularly refugees, are being put to the front of the queue for housing at the expense of people who have lived here all or most of their lives. The language usually refers to 'our own'. So, what are the facts? Homelessness has increased and Glasgow City Council declared a housing emergency in December 2023. Since then, the situation has become intolerable. In the last three months available, February, March and April, the council received 2017 homelessness applications and, of these, 763 were from refugee households. Non-refugee homeless applications outnumbered refugees by more than two to one. At the last count, there were 4236 households in temporary accommodation, including hotels. Of these, 2342 have refugee status. So bad has the homelessness crisis become, the council is forced to spend more than £40million a year on hotels for homeless people just to prevent rough sleeping. In hotels and bed and breakfasts, the council has 1721 households. Of these 1246 have refugee status. Refugees in hotels outnumber non-refugees by almost three to one. Recently, the Glasgow Times spoke to a refugee couple who spent more than a year in a hotel for homeless people. When someone, an individual or family, is granted leave to remain, they are not automatically given a tenancy. Instead, they face the same hardship as other homeless people who are not refugees. Based on the numbers, refugees are more likely to be in hotels than other people. The criteria to be moved out of a hotel into a temporary accommodation flat make no mention of refugee status. Glasgow City Council said: 'Each household's situation is unique, and we make decisions on moving to them to an alternative placement on an individual basis. The Unsuitable Accommodation Order is a factor in the decision to move a household to alternative accommodation.' When asked if there are any circumstances that give priority to someone to be allocated a hotel room or temporary accommodations, the council said there were not. When asked, 'Is there any priority throughout the processes given to people with refugee status that is not afforded to other people?' the answer was: 'No.' The largest provider of social rented homes in Glasgow is Wheatley Homes. Their allocation policy by law is based on housing need. Priority is given to statutory homeless people, people who are living in overcrowded houses, those who are occupying houses which don't meet the tolerable standard and those who have large families and people living under unsatisfactory housing conditions. Again, no specific criteria are mentioned about refugees or arriving in the city from another country. The homelessness emergency has put pressure on Wheatley Homes Glasgow's stock. It commits to give 60% of its new lets in Glasgow each year to homeless households. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, that commitment is for at least 1600 lets. The social landlord has an ambitious wider target of making 11,000 homes available to tackle rough sleeping by the end of 2026. It has several bands based on level of housing need. The top three are: Band A: Wheatley Group tenants who require urgent re-housing to prevent homelessness Band B: Statutory homeless referrals Band C: Preventing homelessness The stated policies of both the council and Wheatley, as the biggest social landlord, do not mention refugees as a category. The numbers in temporary accommodation and the extremely high number in hotels strongly suggest that refugees are not being fast-tracked into tenancies ahead of other people. There is a finite amount of available homes and the flow of people coming through the asylum system is leading to more refugees on the waiting list for housing. But there appears to be no evidence that they are getting preferential treatment. The Glasgow Times also asked the housing minister, Paul McLennan, if refugees or migrants were given priority. He said he knows from his time as a local councillor for many years that is not the case. The increase in asylum seekers in Glasgow who then get refugee status has led to more people who need accommodation. But according to the available numbers, policies and statements, they are treated the same as any other homeless person.
Glasgow Times
17 hours ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
Call for memories of famous Glasgow building for new book
It's one of many myths circulating about the George Square building, but it's extremely unlikely, according to an author who is writing a book about the city landmark. 'I mean, the Vatican is like a marble quarry, it has so much of it,' says Nina Baker, smiling. 'What we can say, though, is that the grand marble staircase inside the building has around four times as much marble as the famous 'holy stairs' in the Vatican. 'There are well over 100 steps in the City Chambers, and only about 26 steps in La Scala Sancta – so that claim is certainly true.' (Image: Newsquest) Nina, who was a councillor in Glasgow from around 2007 to 2017, is researching the history of the City Chambers for her latest book and she is hoping Glasgow Times readers can help. 'I have lots of people willing to tell me about the goings-on inside the building, but what I'm looking for are stories about the building itself,' she says, wryly. 'I'm looking for the oldest 'living memories' I can find from visitors or people who worked there. 'I'd love to talk to the workies, the people behind the scenes who might have been involved in putting in electrics or boilers, for example, or the steeplejacks who cleaned the stonework in the 90s – what tales can they tell me about the place?' (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest) She adds: 'I'm also collecting the myths and legends, what Glaswegians believe about the building, which may or may not be true.' The City Chambers were designed by Paisley-born, London-based architect William Young, who won a competition organised by the city. A public holiday was declared on October 6, 1883, for the laying of the foundation stone. Around 600,000 people watched a trades' march of skilled workers from the city's heavy industries as Lord Provost John Ure did the honours. (Image: Glasgow City Archives) In August 1888, the topmost stone - the apex of the central tower - was installed, and Queen Victoria performed the inauguration ceremony. In 1889, a 10-day public viewing attracted 400,000 people. The pediment above the main entrance shows Queen Victoria enthroned and surrounded by figures of Scotland, Ireland and Wales receiving homage and congratulations of her subjects from all parts of the world. (The original proposal was to illustrate the Clyde and the city's manufacturing going to all parts of the world, but it was changed to mark the Queen's jubilee in 1887.) Above the pediment are statues representing Truth, Riches and Honour. At the very top, Truth is known by some as Glasgow's Statue of Liberty because it bears more than a passing resemblance to the famous New York lady. The building's beautiful Banqueting Hall includes murals by several famous Glasgow Boys, depicting Glasgow's past, present and future. These are lit by huge electric chandeliers, which are winched down annually for cleaning. Nina's fascination with the building began almost by accident. 'I discovered by chance that there are tunnels beneath the old building, which connect it underground to the 'new' bit, which was built in 1913,' she explains. 'These were used as archive stores, coal and ash stores, and it was fascinating to have a nosey around.' (Image: Newsquest) Upstairs, there is an old members' library, full of fascinating books preserved in glass cases. 'When the library moved to the Mitchell, doubles of the books were made to ensure the shelves in this lovely room were populated,' says Nina. 'In one of the cupboards, there were enormous leatherbound books, about a metre high, which were the city scrapbooks. 'Those are fascinating – they are full of records like seating plans and menus from city events.' Asking Nina for her favourite spot in the whole building is 'too difficult a question,' she says, with a laugh. 'Although standing at the bottom of the marble staircase looking up is hard to beat,' she says. 'In the 10 years I was a councillor, every single time I walked into the building, I thought – what a privilege to work here. It really is an amazing place.' Can you help Nina by sharing your stories about Glasgow City Chambers? Email or write to Ann Fotheringham, Glasgow Times, 125 Fullarton Drive, Glasgow G32 8FG.
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
All the banned items from Lana Del Rey's Glasgow gig
Lana Del Rey will perform at Hampden Park in the Southside on Thursday, June 26. The 39-year-old superstar, from New York, is known for her megatunes, including Summertime Sadness, Young and Beautiful, Cinnamon Girl, and Say Yes To Heaven. READ MORE: Leading musician dismissed from senior role at prestigious Glasgow school READ MORE: Wearing a Celtic top and shopping in Shawlands - Lana Del Rey's love for Glasgow Lana Del Rey (Image: Newsquest) Ahead of her show in the city, the concert's organisers have revealed all the banned items from the event. An email, which was seen by the Glasgow Times, was sent to fans heading to the gig outlining what items are prohibited. Here are all the banned items from the concert: Chairs. Professional cameras. Drugs. Flares/smoke canisters. Glass or metal/hard plastic bottles (including perfume). Flag poles. Selfie sticks. Umbrellas. Weapons. (Image: Newsquest) Additionally, concert-goers are being urged not to take a bag 'unless it is absolutely essential'. Here are the items fans can take to the show:
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glen Powell and stunt double seen in Glasgow filming
The pair were seen underneath the Kingston Bridge, suited up in matching costumes for a high-energy scene involving a futuristic bus. The movie star wore a distinctive white shirt with a tan and green trench coat and was later seen leaping into the air while sprinting down the road for an action sequence. (Image: Gordon Terris) (Image: Gordon Terris) READ MORE: Glen Powell pictured in Glasgow for filming of Ghostwriter The Top Gun: Maverick actor also shared a moment with director J.J. Abrams, who is at the helm of the project. The Star Wars director is leading the production of Ghostwriter, rumoured to be a retro 80s throwback about a writer whose fictional world turns out to be real. Powell is joined on the star-studded cast by Jenna Ortega, Emma Mackey, and reportedly film legendSamuel L. Jackson. The Glasgow Times reported earlier in the week that Glasgow's streets have been dramatically transformed for the production. (Image: Gordon Terris) READ MORE: Glasgow transformed for filming of new Ghostwriter film (Image: Gordon Terris) Production crews have descended on the city to prepare for scenes that will be shot in and around Glasgow City Chambers, with parts of the surrounding area being redecorated. Images show streets reimagined for the film's retro-fantasy theme with period signage and faux brick walls appearing across key filming locations. Film trucks have also been pictured lined up across closed streets to support the production.
