Parties focus on crime and youth

Campaigning entered its second full week on Monday In full: Glasgow East candidates

Crime, business and youth facilities have topped the agenda for parties campaigning in the Glasgow East by-election on Monday.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats called for more youth facilities in the east end to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The Conservatives attacked Labour's record on crime while the SNP focussed on business and fuel costs.

The vote will take place on 24 July. It was called after Labour's David Marshall resigned on health grounds.

The Liberal Democrat candidate, Ian Robertson, spent the day highlighting the lack of facilities for young people in the east end.

He said: "What I have been hearing from local residents is that there is not nearly enough for young people to do in the constituency.

"We need the investment to bring more youth clubs, after school groups and sports facilities to Glasgow East."

Labour's Margaret Curran called for more youth facilities to tackle teenage gangs and knife crime during a visit to Easterhouse.

She said: "If we want to get serious about tackling knife crime and anti-social behaviour, we need to offer young people something to do.

'Social breakdown'

"We have to acknowledge that we have a problem with gangs of neds who are making decent, hard-working people's lives a misery and we need to face up to that challenge."

But Labour's record on crime came under attack from Conservative candidate, Davena Rankin.

She said: "In Labour's Glasgow, there is now a serious assault every four hours, a rape or attempted rape or indecent assault every 20 hours, and a drug crime every single hour.

"To have presided over such a breakdown is a disgrace. Labour has let down the most vulnerable and this has been going on for far too long."

Meanwhile, SNP candidate, John Mason, talked about the benefits of his party's small business bonus scheme and the potential for a fuel price regulator to ease rising costs.

He said: "At a time of rising fuel bills, made worse by Labour's high taxes, nearly 16,000 small businesses in Glasgow are benefiting from the introduction of the small business bonus with nearly 12,000 benefiting from having the burden of business rates lifted completely.

"By cutting business rates the SNP is helping businesses and their employees at a time of spiralling living costs while Labour's government in London is refusing to lift the burden of taxation."

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