In recent years, we at Cathcart, Merrylee and Muirend Community Council have received some complaints about fireworks being used in the area around November. This prompted us to run a survey in early 2026, asking whether residents would like us to apply for a Fireworks Control Zone. This is a zone within Glasgow where it is a criminal offence for a member of the public to set off any firework, other than a sparkler, for a designated period in November. Organised displays are still allowed.
We received 220 responses to our survey. Ninety-three per cent were in favour of a ban. So we tried to apply to Glasgow City Council for a ban to be applied in 2026 for our area. We did this ahead of what we understood to be the deadline of 11 April.
But we were then told that the deadline was in fact mid-March, and the 11 April date was from last year. However, the webpage for Fireworks Control Zones had not been updated, hence our mistake.
We take responsibility for not checking this more closely: but given that the council’s website had shown misleading information, and that we were only a day or two late, we asked if our application could still be considered.
We were told this wasn’t possible. We are frustrated about this, and several of our local councillors are fighting on our behalf to get this decision reversed.
To illustrate why we think this is so important, here are a few points from our survey:
- Many people talked of the extreme distress caused to their pets, describing animals trembling, hiding and refusing to go outside for weeks during November
- Some people had family members who’d either served in the military or had lived in a war zone, and found the sound of fireworks very upsetting
- Parents with autistic children spoke of the fear and confusion their children experienced at the frequent and unpredictable noises
Overall,
-113 people cited concerns about livestock and pets as a reason for a control zone
– 109 cited safety concerns
– 60 cited the environmental impact
– 23 cited preventing fire hazards.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill in our survey. We are sorry we have not yet managed to lodge an application, but we will keep trying to get the voices of our community heard.
