by Bill Heaney
Glasgow has seen an increase in baby birth registrations from parents living outside city which has come after the council introduced registration online without families having to attend in person.
So far this year, 1,170 births have been registered, while the total last year was 7,447. West Dunbartonshire Council refuses to give The Democrat an update on the situation here.
The city registers the highest volume of births, and the wait time is 32 days compared to a statutory timeline of 21 days.
A council spokeswoman said: “When a baby is born in Scotland, the birth can be registered anywhere in the country, regardless of where the family lives or where the birth takes place.
“We are one of a number of local authorities that now offer remote registration, which many parents find more convenient than attending an in‑person appointment—particularly if their own local authority doesn’t provide a remote option.
“In addition, the Glasgow Registration Service supplies birth cards to the two major maternity hospitals in the area. These cards include general information about birth registration as well as our contact details, which naturally directs many families to our service.”
Your Party councillor Seonad Hoy asked how long the waiting time is to register a birth in Glasgow compared to other local authorities at last week’s full council meeting.
Councillor Greg Hepburn, convener for open government and business manager, said: “The current average wait time in Glasgow to register a birth is 32 days, against a statutory timeline of 21 days.
“Glasgow registers the highest volume of births due to our population size and the location of two large maternity facilities within the city. With the introduction of remote registration, there has been a significant increase in the number of clients who have chosen to register the birth of their baby in Glasgow despite living outwith the area.
The local SNP city politician added: “A number of other local authorities also have average wait times which have exceeded the statutory timeline, with some having taken the difficult decision to suspend their services for short periods of time. However, we have not taken that approach in Glasgow, and our registration staff continue to make every effort to reduce the current average wait time.
“A review of staffing arrangements is currently being undertaken, and measures are being put in place to address current recruitment and resourcing challenges.”
West Dunbartonshire Council refuse to tell The Democrat what the situation is in regard to birth registration here although their most recent budget cuts included a proposal to close the Municipal Buildings in Dumbarton where the Registrar’s Office is based at present.
Of course, when the uncommunicative Council refuse to speak to us they refuse to speak to the public through our many thousands of readers, which fluctuates between around 4,000 and 20,000 depending on the news agenda on any given day.