The city centre in Glasgow is going through a “transition” and “disruption “which is needed for it to be improved for the future Suan Aitken has said.

The leader of the city council defended the council on investment and cleansing.

Opponents, however, said she was "complacent" and "lacking vision".

Speaking to STV’s Scotland Tonight show, Aitken, said: “If we want to get to a better and improved city centre there's going to be some disruption and that’s what we have to work through.

READ NEXT: Call for governments to pay bill for bus franchising

“There’s no going back to before the pandemic or before online shopping was invented.”

She said: “We have invested more than we have ever invested in street cleaning”, adding, teams were out at night and seven days a week,

The council leader, when asked about “the state of the city centre” said: “It’s not for the want of trying on the part of the council. We are investing a huge amount.

“There has been a change in behaviour since the pandemic, there’s no doubt about it.

“So, we have seen a big increase in graffiti for example.

 “There's much more in Glasgow than we used to have. We’re now a bit more like European cities.

She added it was “partly” down to the number of empty shops.

READ NEXT: McGill's boss fires warning to SPT over bus franchising

Aitken said: “I think there is that issue about empty units.

“We don’t own the empty units. We don’t have control over the empty units as a council.

“The city is in a period of transition right now and there's disruption as part of that transition. It’s inevitable.”

George Redmond, Labour group leader, said: "It's abundantly clear from Councillor Aitken's appearance that the SNP's complacency and lack of responsibility are hindering Glasgow's progress in driving Glasgow's economy. 

''There's no concrete plan to breathe life into our struggling high streets, no coherent strategy to tackle the city's cleanliness issues, and no comprehensive vision for a modern, 21st-century transport system.

''After enduring seven years of SNP mismanagement at the City Chambers, supported by the Glasgow Greens, Glasgow is left paying the price."

Thomas Kerr, Conservative councillor, said: The SNP/Greens have been in charge of Glasgow for seven years.

“In those years our city centre has deteriorated with our nighttime economy and hospitality struggling to stay alive.”