This has certainly been an exciting year for Glasgow.  As Leader of the Council, it has been encouraging to see the city’s continued success while at the same time fitting into place the next pieces of the jigsaw that will widen access and opportunity for all of our citizens, especially our young people.
 

It was tremendous to be part of the team which won the 2014 Commonwealth Games for the city.  But what is most important to me are not just the games themselves – as spectacular as they will be - but the opportunities that hosting this event will bring to the city – from the sporting development of our youngsters through to the creation of new facilities, housing and employment.  All of these factors can help achieve a sustainable legacy for all of Glasgow’s citizens.

That was why I was pleased to be able to announce that the Council will offer an apprenticeship to every school leaver from the summer of 2009.  With this announcement, we will have the chance to create a generation of young Glaswegians with the skills, drive and talent to succeed in work and in life and it is because we want all of Glasgow’s young people to be given every opportunity to succeed that we have promised to provide the literacy, numeracy and social skills for those young people who do not initially qualify for this scheme.

Freezing our council tax for the third successive year was not simply because of the actions of the Scottish Government.  Here in Glasgow it was thanks to the way in which we have been able to manage our city’s finances while continuing to deliver improvements across all of our council’s services.
  

If local government finance is at the top of the political agenda in the coming years, the most important factor for us will be that any change or otherwise is to the benefit of the people of Glasgow.  Everyone agrees that council tax is an unfair tax, but it’s important to ensure that any replacement is right for our city.

 

To find out more about the new apprenticeships goto: www.glasgow.gov.uk