The last 12 months has been a year of wrangles, disputes, conflict between the council and the UK Government and disbelief at the chaos engulfing Westminster.

Equal Pay dominated the agenda at the City Chambers in a controversy that spanned the year. It was all looking good when Susan Aitken pledged to bring to an end the long running court battle to prevent paying out hundreds of millions of pounds to women underpaid for years.

She set up talks with the unions and lawyers to reach a negotiated settlement.

But it all turned sour and unions fed up with waiting staged a strike and the issue will now rumble on well into 2019.

The council also locked horns with the Home office.

Recorded drug deaths in Glasgow hit a ten year high of 170.

A plan exists to help prevent overdoses, reduce Hepatitis C and HIV infections and cut down of dirty needles left lying around in closes and back courts.

It involves a Safe Drug Consumption Facility where addicts bring heroin and they inject it in a controlled and supervised environment.

But the UK Government wouldn’t let the council and health board set it up.

The Home Office even wrote to the council admitting they accepted all the benefits it would have but refused to amend drug laws to allow it to be opened.

And still the death toll rises.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Leader came to Glasgow and to Possilpark where he met with some asylum seeker families and those offering them help and support.

He met the Baksh family and I also met the two sons on a couple more occasions. They were bright, polite and ambitious boys who deserve the chance to build a life in Glasgow, the only home they have known.

Universal Credit full service came to Glasgow. It was introduced first in the Govan area in September before finally reaching Castlemilk and Drumchapel in December, four weeks before Christmas with a five week wait for payments for anyone who was unlucky enough to make a claim on that day.

Happy Christmas from the Department of Work and Pensions.

We told readers what they needed to know to get prepared and in association with GHA we highlighted the help that is available for tenants.

In the course of that series we heard from people left with no cash for months relying on organisations like GHA to help when the DWP wouldn’t.

The council sparked anger with a plan to double nursery fees.

Evening times Stories led to a parent campaign and the council decided to think again and came back with a much lower increase.

This year we revealed the council was gifted a luxury Rolls Royce for the Lord Provost to use, not a bad present to get.

But it caused controversy as it was an anonymous donation and with budget cuts and austerity it was deemed inappropriate.

The hunt for the mystery donor led to the door of teacake tycoon Boyd Tunnock who just wanted to do a good deed for the city.

The Evening Times, always want ting to do good for the city, campaigned to save Hampden as the home of Scottish Football.

We highlighted the history of the stadium but also the economic benefits it brings to the city.

After the SFA ruled out using Ibrox and Celtic Park it came down to a straightforward choice of Hampden v Murrayfield. Football v Rugby, Glasgow v Edinburgh. We knew which side we were on.

Finally, with the help of Glasgow businessman, Lord Willie Haughey, Hampden was saved and we can look forward to more marvellous memories being created at the stadium.

He paid £2m to help the SFA buy it from Queen’s Park. He said “I did it for Glasgow”

Victory for the Evening Times and for Glasgow.

In the summer an incident took place that would cause ripples for the rest of the year and brought the ugly spectre of sectarianism to the fore.

A priest alleged he was spat on and lunged at by a man wielding a baton outside his church as the city’s big July 12th Boyne Parade passed by.

It led to many marches being re-routed as police were concerned there would be protests and public disorder.

In 2019 in the course of bringing the news to the people of Glasgow. I have been privileged to meet and hear people’s stories.

From speaking to Scotland fans outside Hampden in the pouring rain, Equal pay campaigners in George Square, a Chinese Autumn festival in Possilpark, a couple at a food bank in Cardonald, left with no cash by the DWP or to MPs, MSPs and councillors, it has been another year where, with my colleagues, I have enjoyed the privilege of bringing the news to our readers across Glasgow.

Happy Christmas Everyone. And here’s to more in 2019