East End Stone Cog Markers

[benzodiazepine]

I've been living in the East End of Glasgow for 5 years now, but only just noticed a few strange stone markers that exist.

Corner of Spoutmouth and Gallowgate:


Corner of Melbourne Street and Duke Street:


Corner of Hunter Street and Bell Street:


Corner of McFarlane Street and Bell Street:


and a map plotting them out (red dots):


Does anyone know what these represent, or why they are in place? I'm not having much luck googling. Has anyone seen any others?

Benzodiazepine.

[moonbeam]

It was part of the east end "GEAR" renewal project. GEAR Glasgow East Area Renewal. Millions got pumped in of UK government money after Beardmores, Arrols etc closed and the east end of Glasgow was "tarted up" with lots of derelict sites cleared and cleaned up. Was it a waste of money? Could the money have been better spent? Are these urban renewal projects only 6 to 12 months of "get people off the dole for a wee while" projects. Maybe a usefull debate on this topic could ensue.There seems to have been a lot of money going to do up streets and houses in parts of Glasgow which as soon as the GHA took over were promptly flattened. I suspect the tax payer- you and me- will be paying off the costs of these projects for years to come. An example might be the Tabowie Street area in Anniesland/Knightswood or Netherton or whatever they call that area now.

[Dexter St. Clair]

It was part of the east end "GEAR" renewal project. GEAR Glasgow East Area Renewal. Millions got pumped in of UK government money after Beardmores, Arrols etc closed and the east end of Glasgow was "tarted up" with lots of derelict sites cleared and cleaned up.

The employment projects were for 12 months and there was a Conservative government in. What did you think they were going to do? Stop industries closing down? Spend money on health? Buy everybody a bike they could get on?

Do you have anything of that era that was a good move in Glasgow that maybe we could compare with GEAR?

No?

[Josef]

Here, this rings a bell. This subject has come up before, in fragmentary form like here. 'Putting up red-painted railings', as I recall.

[Dexter St. Clair]

Canopies more like it.

My argument is now declared fucked.
Glasgow East Area Renewal scheme

but

• By 1986 two thirds of the population were living in new or modernized housing
• Gear created over 2000 additional jobs between 1976 and 1985.
• By 1987 the Scottish development agency had assembled 190 ha of industrial land, industrial units were provided to attract industry.
However despite all of the efforts between 1976 – 1985 16,000 jobs were lost through economic decline.

on the other hand

An academic study was undertaken on job creation programmes in the GEAR area. This found that very few had actually been taken by local people. The estimated total was nine jobs. Many jobs in the new service sector economy are low paid, part-time, insecure, high turnover and without opportunities for progression. They are therefore unattractive to those without jobs in areas like Govan and their casual and temporary character poses big economic barriers to the move from benefit to wages without loss of income. Local people do not have the contacts, the capital or the skills to set up own businesses and so the self employment and enterprise route is not available to most.

Could I point out that if you live in a deprived area and get a job you tend to move to a less deprived area. So maybe the 9 above are the ones who stayed.

[moonbeam]

I worked in the foundry industry in the east end up till 1982. Yes my place shut and I went on one of these
"retraining programmes"! Thus I saw the devastation at first hand these closures brought. However millions were thrown at these urban renewal projects. Both by Tory and Labour administrations. There was a big office
at Parkhead staffed by "administrators". There was lots of criticisms at the time of "jobs for the boys & girls". That the locals got the 12 month job creation type jobs of painting railings, clearing land etc at rates if I recall at £10 a week more than dole money. By the time you bought your lunch and any bus fares the £10 had mostly gone. I suspect that the government of the day "wanted to be seen to be doing something". However after 12 months the locals seemed to go back on the dole. The other "grouse" was that they put locals on retraining jobs that did not really retrain you for anything but got you off the dole ie you did not count as unemployed as your in "training". If I recall there were 6 month or 12 month building, joinery, painting/decorator, plumbing etc training courses. But there were tradesmen on the dole with years of experience in these trades. One thing I recall from my "retraining programme" was that it was not really 12 months. I think it was actually something like 312 or so "actual" days. It was some odd number of days which I never really understood. Probably because weekends and holidays did not count. Perhaps someone else can remember these times and of course courses. On a happy note I did OK and got a good long lasting job out of it. Along with quite a few others I knew.