Frank McAveety (born 27 July 1962) is a

Scottish Labour Party Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak o ...

politician who served as

Leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

Glasgow City Council Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of the S ...

from 2015 to 2017. He has been a councillor for the Shettleston ward of Glasgow. He was previously the

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The ad ...

(MSP) for the Glasgow Shettleston constituency from

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Early life

McAveety was born 27 July 1962 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and brought up in the city's

Barmulloch Barmulloch ( gd, Barr a' Mhullaich) is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde. Formerly rural, it was developed as a post war overspill housing area, largely featuring Prefabricated housing. Barmullo ...

district. He was educated in Glasgow at

All Saints Secondary School Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan All Saints is a single-session secondary school located in Jalan Teluk Likas of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. It is also known as All Saints Secondary School and SM All Saints for short. The school ...

, followed by the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

, from which he graduated in 1983, with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in English and History. After receiving a

Postgraduate Certificate in Education The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which provides training in order to allow graduates to become teachers within maintained schools. In ...

from St Andrew's College of Education (now part of the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

) in 1984, McAveety began a career as a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

teacher. He taught English at schools across the South side and the East End of Glasgow.

Political career

Glasgow councillor

He was a member of

Glasgow District Council Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

from 1988 until 1996 and served as Convenor of the Arts and Culture Committee, which developed the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art and initiated plans for the large-scale redevelopment of Kelvingrove Gallery in Glasgow. McAveety served as Leader of the

from 1997 until 1999, during which time he initiated the largest-ever investment package for Glasgow Secondary Schools and oversaw the removal of housing debt for City Housing Tenants. He also established the first ever Local Authority Standards Committee, which was the influence for the establishment of the

Standards Commission for Scotland The Standards Commission for Scotland is an independent body that has the purpose of advancing high ethical standards in public life. Its main tool is the promotion and enforcement of Codes of Conduct for councillors (approved by the Scottish Parl ...

by the Scottish Parliament, a few years later.

Scottish Parliament

When elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, he was appointed Deputy Minister for Local Government in the Scottish Executive and served in that position until 2000. He returned to office as Deputy

Minister for Health and Community Care The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, commonly referred to as the Health Secretary, is a cabinet position in the Scottish Government. The Cabinet Secretary is responsible for the Health and Social Care Directorates and NHS Scotland. ...

in May 2002. As Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport following the

2003 Scottish Parliament election The 2003 Scottish Parliament election was the second election of members to the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive. Jack McConnell, the Labour Party MSP, rema ...

, he established the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

, which has resulted in the award-winning play, ''

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

'' and other productions. In his capacity as Sports Minister, McAveety advocated using sports investment as an opportunity for community regeneration and he oversaw Scotland's largest ever investment in national sports infrastructure, being developed in the East End of Glasgow. He also conducted a successful campaign to bring the headquarters of

Sportscotland Sportscotland (officially styled sport), formerly the Scottish Sports Council, is the national agency for sport in Scotland. The Scottish Sports Council was established in 1972 by royal charter. The body works in partnership with public, pri ...

, the national sports agency, to the East End of Glasgow. In 2004, he was mocked by a Sheriff Court judge after charges against two anti-war protesters were dropped after an altercation with the two protesters and a Labour council candidate. McAveety had claimed they had put him through the "worst intimidation in his life" during an altercation in the southside of Glasgow. In dismissing the case however, Sheriff Graeme Warner said that McAveety "must have lived a very sheltered life" and had "completely blown his credibility". A week later, he was forced to apologise for misleading parliament when he turned up late for a ministerial question time claiming to have been unavoidably detained on ministerial business. It was later discovered that he was actually eating pie, beans and roast potatoes in the parliament canteen. The incident was dubbed by some as "porky pie-gate" and is said to have led First Minister

Jack McConnell Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, (born 30 June 1960) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2001 to 2007. McConnell served as the Minister ...

to sack him from his cabinet later that year. McAveety was re-elected to the Scottish Parliament on 3 May 2007 after winning more than 50% of the vote in Glasgow Shettleston and until June 2010 he served as Convener of the Public Petitions Committee and was the Scottish Labour Party's Shadow Minister for Sport. On 16 June 2010 he resigned as Convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Public Petitions Committee after being overheard making comments about the physical appearance of a female member of the audience during a break in committee proceedings. The comments were broadcast because he had not switched off his microphone. McAveety said: "There's a very attractive girl in the second row, dark... and dusky. We'll maybe put a wee word out for her." McAveety led a campaign in 2009 to establish access for children free of charge to professional football matches in Scotland. He is a keen supporter of

Celtic F.C. The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...

and the Scottish national team and, while an MSP, was a regular player for the Scottish Parliamentary Football Team, which has taken part in a number of high-profile charity events. McAveety is known for his knowledge of various genres of modern popular music. He has written in praise of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

in the ''

Scotsman The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...

'' newspaper and he wrote a regular feature for ''

Holyrood Magazine ''Holyrood'' is a fortnightly current affairs and politics magazine. Created following the advent of devolution in the UK in 1999 the magazine provides coverage of the goings on at the Scottish Parliament, as well as interviews with leading pol ...

'', which celebrated and recommended his favourite albums. In April 2005, the ''

'' newspaper dubbed him the "Daddy of Parliamentary Pop". This was in reference to his speech in the Parliamentary Chamber in support of a motion recognising

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. F ...

for that band's contribution to Scottish popular music and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

. McAveety has served as a board member for the Arches Theatre Company in Glasgow, Enterprise Scotland and the

Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest exhibition centre, located ...

. From January 2009 he served on the boards of the

Scottish Youth Theatre Scottish Youth Theatre is Scotland's national youth theatre company for ages 3–25. It was established in 1976 and has provided theatre training to young people. The company has a free-to-participate National Artistic Programme that covers ages 14 ...

and

Fields in Trust Fields in Trust, is a British charity set up in 1925 as the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), by Brigadier-General Reginald Kentish and the Duke of York, later King George VI, who was the first president, which protects parks and green s ...

Scotland (formerly National Playing Fields Association). In the

2011 Scottish Parliament election The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to Members of the 4th Scottish Parliament, elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament. The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, ...

, he lost his seat to the SNP's John Mason but he made an early return to politics in May 2012, when he was elected as a Councillor for the Shettleston ward of Glasgow City Council. On 10 September 2015, McAveety was elected leader of Glasgow City Council after

Gordon Matheson Gordon Matheson CBE is a former Scottish Labour Party politician and a former leader of Glasgow City Council. Career Educated at Glasgow and Strathclyde universities, he was first elected to the city council in 1999. Re-elected in 2003, 2007 ...

stood down, thus returning to a post he had held sixteen years earlier. He was succeeded by

Susan Aitken Susan Aitken (born November 1971) is a Scottish politician who has served as Leader of Glasgow City Council since 2017. A member of the Scottish National Party, she has been the leader of the SNP group on the council since 2014 and a councillor ...

on 4 May 2017.

References

External links