Just outside of Glasgow Central constituency, at 13 University Gardens, the Hetherington Research Club has been serving postgraduate and mature students at the University of Glasgow, as well as staff and graduates, for 54 years. At 4.15pm on Friday 19 February, the Club closed, with the loss of 3 full-time and 20 part-time jobs. A facebook group and a google group have been set up to try and find a viable way forward.

Glasgow Central Liberal Democrat candidate Chris Young, himself a member of the Club for most of the last seven years, said: “The Hetherington has played a significant role in the life of many people in the area. As both a mature and postgraduate student myself, I used to rely on the Research Club for its balance of work, food, drink and banter. It made studying easier, providing a refuge from academic isolation. It is sad that it should have come to this after so many years. But the levels of support for the club, both online and at public meetings, indicate that there is a great opportunity here. I have been both following and contributing to the discussions aimed at making the Research Club a viable concern again, and I plan to do all I can to make sure all viable options are considered.”

Chris continued: “Nobody would say that this is a party political issue. But the decline of student facilities cannot be entirely unrelated to a decline in student finances. The abolition of student grants under the Conservatives and Labour’s introduction of undergraduate tuition fees (which still apply to students from outwith Scotland) have taken their toll. University funding is being squeezed from every angle.  It is going to be trickier than ever to find a way to provide the services which make university more than just an academic publishing house.”