NORTH-WEST Glasgow’s health problems are partly the fault of government “social engineering” policies, according to a new report.

Academics with the Glasgow Centre for Population Health issued a study showing the focus on promoting new towns and relocating industry and skilled workers outside the city was a factor in leaving residents vulnerable to increasing poverty.

Compared to Manchester and Liverpool, the report states, Glasgow has a higher early death rate that can be explained by socio-economic problems.

It also argues the weak response by the city made the problem worse, and “gentrification” and lack of housing investment left Glasgow in a worse position than other similar cities.

The Scottish Office New Town programme from the 1950s-on diverted resources from Glasgow, it adds.

The report states: “These other areas became the key priority in terms of investment, and this policy was extended and expedited over the ensuing decades despite awareness of the negative consequences (both socioeconomic and also ultimately health-related) for Glasgow.”

Glasgow, it stated, differed from Manchester and Liverpool in having a larger slum clearance programme and more poorer quality inner city housing estates with greater emphasis on high rise developments.

It said while Manchester’s response was to slow the changes and Liverpool’s to oppose them Glasgow prioritised “inner-city gentrification” and commercial development potentially exacerbated the damaging impacts of UK policy on what was already a vulnerable population”.