i illegal parking comesaitercomplalnts _

: irom emergency services oi blocked

:— Bell’s toll

Glaswegian motorists could see their cars doing a disappearing act it they park illegally in certain parts oi the city. From the beginning oi December, Bell’s Recovery, a Middlesex-based car ‘recovery’ specialist lirm, will operate a three-year contract with Strathclyde Regional Council to remove ollending vehicles irom congested areas. Vehicles will be towed to a pound in Glasgow’s High Street and will be released only on the payment oi a statutory ice at £95, with a lixed penalty at £20 and a lurther charge oi £12 ior every day that the car remains uncollected.

This more dramatic approach to

roads at peak periods. Bell’s Recovery will operate between 7.30am and

6.30pm seven days a week in the

lead-up to Christmas, then Monday to Saturday irom the New Year. Cars parked on yellow lines, or near bus

I l l l l 1

stops and junctions will be most at risk, 3

while special occasions such as lootball matches will also be targeted. However, vehicles can only be removed on police instruction.

The English firm also operates in London and removed around 60,000 illegally parked car in the past twelve months alone, while an experimental scheme in Edinburgh saw 5,250 cars

, impounded and £135,000 raised irom . penalties. Any surplus irom the

Glasgow scheme would be paid to Strathclyde Region. (AM)

An initiative like The Institute would be welcome however iertile the economy, but now, with the pernicious eliecis oi the recession gnawing into the purses oi even the conspicuous consumption brigade, it’s become an oasis ior penny-pinching hipsters with its vibrant marketing approach. Since opening a iew months ago in Glasgow’s West George Street, The Institute has provided a retail outlet ior many young designers who can't aiiord their own unit but who can rent-a-rail in its Persil-white, open-plan premises ior a relatively modest sum. lt’s equally been a haven ior designer shopaholics nursing a wounded budget, with its inexpensive but exclusive ranges oi clubwear, casual wear, knitwear, headwear. . . and jewellery.

Manager Ian Campbell explains the rationale behind the everything- under-one-rooi smallholding approach. ‘You’ve got Hyper Hyper in London. You’ve got Attleck’s Palace in Manchester. Glasgow needed

L- 4 The List 4 17 December 1992

.‘VI

something like that, plus it doesn't cost f‘

a lot to retail and you can be in the city centre.’

The emphasis is on individuality and

not covering the same ground more than once. Sidewalk’s club-iniluenced iigure-huggers rub Lycra-d shoulders with Sara Lawrence’s startling knitwear, while in the basement Going Dutch opt ior Muji-like label-tree practical sobriety to the strains oi Bomba Records’ relentless techno pulse.

‘0ther people want to come in,’ says Campbell, ‘but the merchandise they sell has been more like market

Name game

The proposed educational institution that will be iormed when Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen’s College merge next April is still without a name alter stall and students rejected a second choice last week. Thrown in the dustbin this time was ‘The Glasgow Merchants University’, alternately described as sexist, reminiscent oi capitalist businessmen, backward-looking and leaning too much to the commerce side. Staii in both institutions made their views clear in a ballot that showed 85 per cent opposition to the name.

'

Earlier this year, the iirst choice oi ‘The Queen’s University’ was turned down by Scottish Secretary lan Lang

because at concern over setting a

precedent about the use oi royal titles. Stati and students are currently being

; invited to submit other suggestions,

irom which a shortlist will be drawn up

and a vote carried out. Meanwhile, The ; List is happy to accept any suggestions ; at a title ior Glasgow's newest

5 educational establishment, prelerably at a humorous nature. Just send them

5 to ‘Agenda’ at the Edinburgh address.

3 (AM)

_ Happy again

His smile‘s more open. he‘s looking bouncier and those little lines around his eyes surely aren‘t there from worry. Because Mr Happy. the Mr Men character who found additional fame through the Glasgow‘s Miles Better campaign of the 19805, may well be called back from early retirement. The new version of the little yellow man has been redrawn from Roger Hargreaves’ original by John Struthers, the man behind the Glasgow’s Miles Better slogan.

But the prospect of Mr Happy’s return has wiped the smile off the face of those behind the current Glasgow‘s Alive campaign. David Harris, whose firm Grafix International initially produced the latter slogan, has accused Struthers ofundermining the new campaign. One ofStruther’s companies, Impact Scotland. which for four months has held controlling interest of the Glasgow‘s Alive souvenirs, has gone into liquidation amid complaints

from the business community that

the campaign had not caught the

" public imagination.

Meanwhile the Lord Provost. Robert lnnes. has renewed his

The changing lace at Glasgow

commitment to the current

campaign, while Glasgow District

Council leader Jean McFadden has

: gone on record saying she would like

to see Mr Happy return alongside

other civic promotions. So, while battlelines are being drawn in the George Square and in PR firms ; across the city. the cheerful one can i only wait in the wings ready to ; bounce back again onto centre stage. . (AM)

: l Student Overcrowding: Over 200 students walked out ofclasses at the

Dundee College of Further

1 Education last week in protest at overcrowding in the campus‘s

canteens and common rooms. Since the new academic year began, the

g lecture halls and tutorial rooms of

merchandise— Indian skirts and things ;

; like that—whereas I'm trying to keep it

to people who are a bit more creative. ii

' they’re not manufacturing their own

garments, they’re selling labels at a cheaper price. They’ve got to have

something to otter to the public,

1 something that’s a wee bit diiierent.’ (Fiona Shepherd)

universities and colleges across Scotland have been struggling to cope with increased student numbers (The List 188). Meanwhile a Government report has revealed

'; that more graduates than ever are on

lobby group SALVO has accused the

the dole. Almost 9500 Scots with further education qualifications are registered unemployed. an increase of29 per cent on last year‘s figures. I Arts Funding: Independent arts

Government ofbetrayal following

funding cutbacks in the arts announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. ‘The arts in Scotland are likely to get something like £500,000 less than expected in 1993. with large cuts in the following two years.‘ said SALVO‘s director. Eric Robinson. ‘In addition there is no sign ofany support for the Crafts or of adequate funding for Film. The arts have proved their social and economic value through hard work and creative talent. 1991 indicated a more generous Government attitude and a more stable three-year funding pattern. ending the damaging stop-go policies of the past. We are now back to square one.‘ SALVO is encouraging people to write to their local MP in order to urge a parliamentary review of the cuts.

!_l