Meeting of the Parliament 15 December 2015
I congratulate Liz Smith on securing today’s debate on Perth’s bid to be the city of culture in 2021. Liz Smith has expertly detailed the strengths of the Perth bid and it is fantastic to see that level of ambition from a city in my region. Perth is a beautifully located city that is investing in its arts infrastructure.
We increasingly recognise the cultural and social value of arts festivals across Scotland. Our arts and culture are hugely important for tourism, with visitors increasingly looking for an experience and engagement with a country’s cultural programme when they visit.
The Perth festival of the arts was founded in 1972 and is now in its 45th year. It is one of the oldest continuous arts festivals in Scotland and has grown in strength in recent years with a much broader programme. The investment in the Perth theatre development and the Mill Street regeneration demonstrates a commitment to cultural investment by the city, building an identity for the arts and a commitment to a home for Scotland’s talent. The redevelopment of the Perth museum and art gallery also gives improved opportunities to showcase their collection in the best possible way and builds on Perth’s reputation as a cultural city.
Of course, Perth’s cultural programme serves many more people than those in Perth alone and it acts as a hub for the surrounding area, so a successful bid would bring wider benefits to the Perthshire economy. This is a significant undertaking for Perth and Kinross Council and I wish it well in developing its bid proposal. As a member for Mid Scotland and Fife, I would be delighted to see Perth win the award and I offer my support for the bid.
The city of culture programme was launched in July 2009 by the Labour United Kingdom Government. It built on the success of Liverpool as the European city of culture in 2008 and demonstrated how a cultural award and focused investment bring cultural, economic and social benefits. Culture can be really transformative for an area, bringing rewards particularly for areas that have been hit by economic and industrial decline.
In the first year, 14 cities applied and Derry/Londonderry became the first city of culture in 2013. The title is held for a year with an award made every four years. The most recent winner was Hull, although Dundee was considered in the final four. It is interesting to consider what television producer Phil Redmond, chair of the city of culture panel, said. He said that Hull was the unanimous choice because it put forward
“the most compelling case based on its theme as ‘a city coming out of the shadows’.”
That demonstrates an important aspect of the competition, which is that it supports regeneration of a city and looks for transformational change when awarding the title.
There are other Scottish bids. I recently visited Paisley at the invitation of Neil Bibby MSP and met Mark Macmillan, the council leader, to talk about Paisley’s bid and its aim to combine Paisley’s heritage with a cultural vision for the future. There might be other bids from Scottish cities still to come. The cabinet secretary will know that the last time the award was bid for, Dundee and Aberdeen entered the competition. Although Dundee was considered in the final four, there is debate about whether Scotland should support one bid that could gather support from the Scottish Government. It would obviously not be a Government bid—the competition is for city authorities—but support from the Government might give more weight to a bid and lead to a successful Scottish bid.
I wish Perth well in its campaign. It has a significant base to build on, it has shown commitment to investing in its cultural capital and it would be fantastic to see the city being awarded this status.
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