Residents 'shocked' as Glasgow City Council considers closing Ruchill Community Centre permanently

Residents have spoken of their shock at news that Glasgow City Council is considering permanently closing a much loved community centre.

Councillors are due to vote on recommendations for the Ruchill Community Centre tomorrow, which includes shutting the building.

The future options laid out are for community lease, demolition or selling it off.

Ruchill community council chair Ann McGinley is one of a number of residents who has protested outside the Glasgow Life property for years calling for its reopening.

Ann said: “Why are they so insistent on closing this community centre? There are another 20 years left in the building. It is absolutely shocking. We were living in hope. We are not going out without a bang. We don’t think this is the end of the road. There are other ways we can stop this.”

The building has been closed since the pandemic in 2020.

The council said it would cost £1.1m to repair the entire facility following a building condition report but Ann said she believes it could be done cheaper.

The council said it will work with an organisation interested in taking over the building but if that fails it could be sold off – or even demolished.

Members of the Ruchill community council and business owners had joined forces to form a charity to take over the shut-down building as part of an asset transfer through the council.

Labour city councillors are against the community centre closure, branding it a “betrayal of local residents and a broken promise made in 2022 to re-open the vital community facility.”

Labour Canal councillor Fiona Higgins said: “Ruchill Community Centre is more than bricks and mortar – it’s a lifeline for families, young people, and local organisations. The decision to shut it down without a serious attempt to involve the community or explore ownership alternatives is nothing short of disgraceful.

“Local people were told the centre would re-open. Instead, they’ve been strung along for two years while costs rose and transparency vanished.

“We stand firmly with the local community in calling for a pause to this closure and a serious rethink of the alternatives.”

Councillor Sharon Greer, Labour Communities spokesperson, added: “This is what happens when you have a council more focused on asset disposal than community development.

“There is still time to act – and Glasgow Labour is calling for an urgent review of options to save Ruchill Community Centre, including full community ownership, other funding options and partnerships with local third sector organisations.”

“We are asking the SNP City administration to immediately lift the block on new expressions of interest, to undertake genuine community consultation and ensure a path to community-led regeneration of the site. If there is political will, this facility can be saved.”

Council officials have put forward recommendations for councillors sitting on the city administration to approve tomorrow.

They include the closure of the property, moving funding allocated to the building to the Ruchill Golf Pavilion and closing the asset to any new Expressions of Interest through the People Make Glasgow Communities.

A council report said: “If the recommendations in this report are approved, the proposal is to recommence the extant expression of interest (EOI) but close this asset to any further EOIs and work with the organisation over coming months to reach a point where a tenure agreement can be reached.

It added: “If by October 31 2025 the above noted process fails, the proposal is to explore commercial interest in the property before moving to other options.”