Emergency Motion 3
Defend Public Cultural Infrastructure, Workers & Communities
“That this Congress notes the abrupt closure of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow due to financial mismanagement, which left the workers without notice or redundancy pay, subject to the liquidators. This has devastated the arts sector in Scotland, and local communities that were inter-dependent with the CCA.
“Congress notes, that the seven long-standing arts organisation tenants at Trongate 103: Centre for the Arts and Creativity face an extreme rent increase of 400% from City Property (ALEO of Glasgow City Council). In reality, this is an eviction notice. These arts organisation’s are central to the wider social, economic and community life of Glasgow and Scotland. Closure of Trongate 103 will cause further devastation.
“Congress believes, these actions represent the extraction of public value from cultural and third sector infrastructure, undermine Fair Work, and have been undertaken contrary to prior assessments and without adequate scrutiny or public consultation, directly placing access and the most vulnerable communities at risk, including disabled, LGBT+ and BPoC artists and audiences for whom these venues are central and essential.
Congress calls on the General Council to urgently:
- demand an immediate halt to all rent & service charge increases and evictions affecting Trongate 103 cultural tenants;
- lobby the Scottish Government to intervene as an intermediary to assist in implementing fair peppercorn rents at Trongate 103 in line with the original promise to the cultural tenants;
- demand that Glasgow City Council urgently review and reform its relationship with City Property regarding tenants that are non-profit organisations;
- demand Disability Impact Assessment of all decisions affecting Trongate 103, with immediate mitigation measures implemented; and
- support former CCA workers and allies to secure 350 Sauchiehall Street as an independent multidisciplinary arts venue, with the continuation of affordable peppercorn rent.”
Mover: Scottish Artists Union
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