The recent Glasgow city centre fire has devastated businesses and wrecked livelihoods. But the blaze next to Glasgow Central station has also brought into focus the usually abstract topic of devolution to Scotland’s city-regions.
Calls for empowering local government are often met with a degree of scepticism by some within the business community, fearful of creating additional bureaucracy.
However, the city needs help to protect its civic heritage. The ruins of the Victorian masterpiece on Union Corner follows two fires at the Glasgow School of Art, the blaze at the Victoria nightclub on Sauchiehall Street in 2018 as well as the collapse of the India Buildings on Bridge Street on the south bank of the River Clyde in 2024.
This is not just an issue of architectural preservation: an attractive public realm is good for business too. Anyone taking a walk down Union Street in recent years would struggle to say the area was reaching its commercial potential.
But there are limits to what local authorities are currently able to do.
That’s why proposals for strengthening regional partnerships, such as that between the eight neighbouring authorities in the Glasgow city region, should be taken seriously.
Enabling local authorities to take action on absentee and rogue landlords is not a populist crusade. Empty properties and boarded up shopfronts are in nobody’s interests: opening these spaces creates opportunities for start-ups and social enterprises as well as much needed homes to tackle the city’s shortage of housing.
It’s also worth remembering that Scotland’s other cities, as well as rural regions, face their own challenges too, with devolution allowing for tailored approaches to their needs.
Collaboration between local authorities, the business community, universities and others, backed up by Westminster and Holyrood funding, could lead to the rejuvenation of our public space.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Dear Green Place can be reborn. Let’s get on with it.
Prosper forum 2026: Growth Starts Here
Forum is the most significant gathering of senior economic decision makers in Scotland.
On June 4 at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh we will be joined by UK country manager of Ocean Winds Adam Morrison, Scotland MD of Balfour Beatty Nick Rowan, chair of the Society of the Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace) Pippa Milne and CEOs Alex Plant from Scottish Water, Ronan O’Hara from Crown Estate Scotland and Gordon Dewar from Edinburgh Airport.
We will bring together senior leaders from business, academia, the public sector and charities to discuss how to grow Scotland’s workforce, our regions, our competitive industries and how to get things done.
To book your place visit https://prosper.scot/events/forum26/
Partner content in association with Prosper