Glasgow City Council approve funding for residents impacted by tenement collapse

Glasgow residents who were made homeless in July when a neighbouring burnt out tenement building collapsed are set to receive financial support.

Glasgow City Council passed a motion on Thursday to financially support residents who were forced out of their homes when the building on the corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive collapsed in the middle of the night almost nine weeks ago.

The agreed funding could work out at around £2,000 per family.

A motion by Glasgow City Council states: “Council notes the urgent need for clear and immediate support for residents displaced to collapsing buildings.

“Council believes that residents who find themselves in this position should be well supported and notes that there is precedent for providing direct financial support following major fires, such as Sauchiehall Street.”

The B-listed tenement building was gutted by a fire in the early days of the Covid lockdown, and nearby residents had long complained that it was dangerous and should have been demolished.

After the building collapsed in July, a number of residents living on either side of the building were evacuated.

Since then, they have not been allowed back into their homes to access their belongings, medicines and other vital supplies.

Glasgow & West

‘We have nothing left’: Residents face months in limbo after tenement collapse

The collapse has triggered evacuations, delays and frustration for homeowners still dealing with the aftermath of a fire which destroyed the tenement in 2020.

Asifa, her husband and their three children are one of the families who were evacuated.

The council has placed the family in homeless accommodation, but Asifa has told STV News that her temporary home is riddled with mice and is unsuitable for her family.

She said the mice leave mouse droppings everywhere and “chew things all night in the room”. The bath is also not accessible for Asifa’s husband, who has care needs.

Local councillor Jon Molyneux said residents like Asifa and her family had “their lives turned upside down overnight”.

The Green councillor called on the council to support vulnerable citizens with money from the Lord Provost’s fund.

The cash will be ringfenced to help those who are unable to return home for “an extended period due to action taken by the council under emergency powers”.

Cllr Molyneux previously said: “Two months on, insurance companies are no closer to agreeing liability and that too is causing huge financial stress.

“By stepping up and supporting people’s immediate needs, we can ensure Glasgow is a humanitarian council. I believe that when our citizens are forced into such distressing circumstances, through no fault of their own, then the local state should have their backs.”