The Southside has a £100m storm solution. But what about the rest of the city?

Dear readers, Storm Boelo is dead. As for The Bell team, we’re readying ourselves for a different tornado of activity this week: handing out our first ever print edition. 

That’s right, on Friday, we lugged 5,000 copies up two flights of stairs in preparation for our inaugural distribution session today. We’ll be smiling through the wind and rain outside Central Station, at the Gordon Street entrance, from 5pm to 6.30pm. If you want a copy, come find us there (or tomorrow morning from 7.30am outside Hillhead subway).

A further 15,000 copies are in posties’ vans on their way to random letterboxes across Glasgow postcodes. If you find yourself with a copy, let us know what you think. Tag us on socials, send a photo to editor@glasgowbell.co.uk and share the love. And if you want to hand some out in your local area, get in touch and we’ll arrange a pick up. 

Last week, in addition to our coverage of the great Glasgow bus takeover, ‘ruthless’ millionaire buying up classic boozers, and the city centre, The Bell staged a not-very-hostile takeover of the BBC, with stints on Scotcast and BBC Radio Scotland’s Sunday Show for Beth and Calum. Beth was on to discuss her exclusive data analysis of the schools most affected by the bomb hoax that hit Glasgow (and the rest of Scotland) last week, while Calum told Gary Robertson how The Bell is making local news “cool” again. And on that note…

Campaign update:

Speaking of… If you haven’t yet supported our campaign by subscribing or sharing, today would be a great day. Our tracker is currently sitting at a healthy 364, but you don’t need to be Professor Hannah Fry to see we’re still well over 600 subs away from reaching 1,000 by 15 November. If we meet that, we’ll make good on our five brilliant pledges to make Glasgow better, shaped by you, our readers. We’re already trialling some — episode two of our podcast, Saved By The Bell, drops tomorrow (listen here) and we’re talking all things buses.

Get involved with our campaign: come nab yourself a paper, spread the word, or make use of our deals (starting from £2.99 a month or save £40 with an annual sub) by signing up today.

And now, your Monday briefing.

Glasgow in Brief:

How is Glasgow preparing for extreme floods?

Glasgow has never been a stranger to rain. But after a weekend of Storms Austen and Boelo bringing damaging floods to Renfrew, it’s worth asking: how prepared is the city for a proper soaking?

Our flood risk is from a combination of factors, including rivers, heavy rainfall and ageing drainage systems that struggle to cope. Glasgow’s built-up environment — dominated by tarmac, concrete and sealed surfaces — also increases the risk of flooding by blocking natural soil absorption and funnelling rapid runoff directly into drains and low-lying streets.

In Dalmarnock, where the railway station flooded on Saturday night, around 1,000 homes and businesses are classified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as being located within the flood risk catchment area. The National Flood Risk Assessment 2025 identified 52,900 properties in Glasgow at risk of flooding, of which 49,000 are homes. Glasgow city council has been investing in ways to prevent flooding, with one of its biggest successes lying beneath the grass of Queen’s Park.