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COUNCILLOR STEVEN PURCELL Councillor Purcell was elected, unopposed, as Leader of Glasgow City Council on 24 May 2005 at the age of 32. Born in 1972, he has lived all his life in Yoker in the west of the city and was educated at St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School. After leaving school at the age of 16, Councillor Purcell started work on a YTS scheme in 1988 in a building society. He joined the Labour Party in 1986, campaigning for the future First Minister of Scotland, Donald Dewar, helping the MP to secure his Garscadden seat in the 1987 election. Councillor Purcell was first elected to Glasgow City Council in May 1995 for the ward of Blairdardie. Between 1999 and 2003, he was the Council's Convener of Development & Regeneration Services, during which time he oversaw the creation of the Glasgow City Plan. It replaced dozens of outdated local area-based plans and was heralded by the Scottish Executive and the Royal Town Planning Institute as a striking example of clear thinking. From 2003, until his election as Leader, Councillor Purcell was Convener of Education, and helped deliver a £220 million PPP to refurbish or rebuild the city's 29 secondary schools. He pushed forward an ambitious new education strategy to replace half-empty and run-down primary schools with community-based pre-12 campuses which merged primary, nursery and special needs facilities. The programme remains on-track to be extended across the city and is designed to include communities in the decision-making process. The Council has already committed almost £261 million in capital investment which will lead to 37 new-build school campuses across the city. Councillor Purcell used his first weeks in office to re-dedicate the city's focus toward social renewal married to economic growth as Glasgow's physical regeneration provides the building blocks not offered in a generation. Getting people off benefits and back to work remains his number one priority. In his first 2 years as Leader, Councillor Purcell has relieved the burden on low income families and pensioners by producing a balanced budget and an unprecedented freeze on Council Tax. This has been achieved through efficiencies and cuts in bureaucracy, allowing money saved to be diverted to the key priorities of education, social care and tackling the causes of poverty. Councillor Purcell is a keen football fan and enjoys reading, music, history and debates among many interests. He is currently a board member of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the Careers Service Advisory Board and of the Labour Party's Scottish Executive Committee. He still lives in his native Yoker. Glasgow City Council has an annual budget of £2.4 billion and employs some 36,000 staff. January 2007
COUNCILLOR STEVEN PURCELL
Councillor Purcell was elected, unopposed, as Leader of Glasgow City Council on 24 May 2005 at the age of 32.
Born in 1972, he has lived all his life in Yoker in the west of the city and was educated at St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School. After leaving school at the age of 16, Councillor Purcell started work on a YTS scheme in 1988 in a building society.
He joined the Labour Party in 1986, campaigning for the future First Minister of Scotland, Donald Dewar, helping the MP to secure his Garscadden seat in the 1987 election.
Councillor Purcell was first elected to Glasgow City Council in May 1995 for the ward of Blairdardie.
Between 1999 and 2003, he was the Council's Convener of Development & Regeneration Services, during which time he oversaw the creation of the Glasgow City Plan. It replaced dozens of outdated local area-based plans and was heralded by the Scottish Executive and the Royal Town Planning Institute as a striking example of clear thinking.
From 2003, until his election as Leader, Councillor Purcell was Convener of Education, and helped deliver a £220 million PPP to refurbish or rebuild the city's 29 secondary schools.
He pushed forward an ambitious new education strategy to replace half-empty and run-down primary schools with community-based pre-12 campuses which merged primary, nursery and special needs facilities. The programme remains on-track to be extended across the city and is designed to include communities in the decision-making process. The Council has already committed almost £261 million in capital investment which will lead to 37 new-build school campuses across the city.
Councillor Purcell used his first weeks in office to re-dedicate the city's focus toward social renewal married to economic growth as Glasgow's physical regeneration provides the building blocks not offered in a generation. Getting people off benefits and back to work remains his number one priority.
In his first 2 years as Leader, Councillor Purcell has relieved the burden on low income families and pensioners by producing a balanced budget and an unprecedented freeze on Council Tax. This has been achieved through efficiencies and cuts in bureaucracy, allowing money saved to be diverted to the key priorities of education, social care and tackling the causes of poverty.
Councillor Purcell is a keen football fan and enjoys reading, music, history and debates among many interests.
He is currently a board member of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the Careers Service Advisory Board and of the Labour Party's Scottish Executive Committee.
He still lives in his native Yoker.
Glasgow City Council has an annual budget of £2.4 billion and employs some 36,000 staff.
January 2007
