How can we move forward with optimism and ambition?

3rd September 2026

Glasgow’s Voluntary Sector Shares Priorities with New MSPs

Last week, members of GCVS met with two new MSPs from the Scottish Parliament.

Alison Thewliss and Iris Duane shared their journeys to Parliament and discussed the challenges affecting the voluntary sector. Members then had the opportunity to ask questions, and they did not hold back!

Organisations Are Frustrated with the Implementation Gap

At our events over the past couple of years, there has been a clear sense of frustration, and, yes, anger, towards politicians and governments, about the state of public services, and how these pressures drive demand and need in the sector.

The sector and others talk of an implementation gap in Scotland: positive policies and legislation, yet families are still fighting for the support they need, or find it is just not there – often after a long and tiring battle.

Nowhere is that felt more keenly than in social care and mental health services, as numerous organisations highlighted last week.

Key Issues Facing Glasgow Communities

We hear often of the bureaucratic hurdles that delay access to essential services. For instance:

• Individuals with life-threatening conditions are fighting for basic rights such as access to toilets and the ability to shower.  
• Experiences of Ukrainians and other new Scots seeking recognition for their qualifications illustrate the systemic barriers that prevent us from fully benefiting from the talent and skills in our communities.

Poverty, experienced by far too many people in Glasgow, was raised repeatedly in the discussions. Refugees, asylum seekers, families with children, and people with disabilities – many groups are experiencing destitution, a word we do not use lightly. There are multiple reasons for this, including housing costs, no recourse to public funds, social care charges, and social security cuts.

And then there is the never-ending cost-of-living crisis and the global repercussions of war.

We heard harrowing details from our members. So many people lack access to the basics required for human dignity: food, warmth, and a place to call home.

Organisations frequently mentioned the rise of negative rhetoric directed at particular communities and groups. This is feeding into how the sector delivers its services; it affects staff and volunteers – and where people are already struggling, it adds to the sense that their lives are not valued.

What the Voluntary Sector Wants from Government

Amid these challenges, organisations expressed a strong desire for cooperation across government at all levels. National to national, local to national. The need for greater international cooperation is pressing as the climate crisis unfolds before us.

Members emphasised the need for a more compassionate approach, for politicians to act urgently, and for public service reform to be grasped as a real opportunity to change course and ensure communities are no longer overlooked in policy-making.

They asked the new intake of MSPs and Government Ministers, too, to be radical and take risks because that is how we turn things around and rebuild trust. 

Shared Ambition for a Brighter Future

Participants expressed hope for a kinder, fairer political landscape and a willingness to contribute ideas and solutions.

Both Alison Thewliss and Iris Duane recognised the voluntary sector’s vital role and committed to fostering a more compassionate political climate. And that matters.

The sector has an unprecedented opportunity to be at the heart of ‘rewiring’ government and public services, so that we all live a good life in safe and supportive communities.  We are ambitious and impatient for change.

That this is recognised – to some extent – in the recent Programme for Government is hugely welcome.  We need to take that intention to the next level.

We have an opportunity here that we cannot ignore.