Hansard

It is a pleasure to open the debate on behalf of the Labour Party and speak in support of Paisley’s bid for UK city of culture 2021 and Dundee’s bid for European capital of culture in 2023. Both are important titles and the process of bidding will, as the motion sets out, promote Scotland’s cultural and creative talent and showcase its inspiring building design and places to UK and European partners.

I was born in Paisley, live in Paisley and I represent the town, so it will not surprise members to hear that my contribution today will focus mainly on Paisley’s 2021 bid.

Paisley is a proud town with a proud past. A small market town, it was transformed by the industrial revolution and it became a world-leading producer of textiles. The weavers and thread mills, and the world-renowned Paisley pattern shaped our history, economy, culture and heritage. It is part of the town’s social tapestry.

Anyone who visits Paisley will see that its built heritage represents one of the most impressive townscapes in Scotland. The town centre has more than 100 listed buildings, which is second only to Edinburgh. The 850-year-old abbey that stands in the centre of the town links modern Paisley with pre-industrial Paisley. It is not just a historic building; it is a living and active building, with tours, concerts and services all year round. It is the jewel in the crown in our townscape.

We in Paisley are proud of our buildings and our people. Paisley has given the world great actors, poets, artists, musicians and sportspeople: David Tennant, Gerard Butler, Robert Tannahill, John Byrne, Archie Gemmell and Gerry Rafferty to name but a few. Paolo Nutini himself will be backing the bid at a special one-off concert at Paisley abbey in October as part of the Spree festival. I encourage members to come along and enjoy the Spree festival.

We should also recognise the organisations in Paisley that have supported and nurtured young Paisley talent for many years. There are organisations such as Loud ’n’ Proud and the PACE theatre company, which is the UK’s largest independent theatre company. If anyone has not seen the stop-motion video by another young talent, Morgan Spence, I recommend it highly. Many faces that have already been mentioned, and others such as the broadcaster Andrew Neil, feature in a Lego celebration of Paisley 2021.

The bid is not just about celebrating Paisley; it is about making a difference. Winning the city of culture title would provide a major economic boost to Paisley and Renfrewshire. It is estimated that 1.7 million people will visit in 2021 and that more than 4,500 jobs could be created over a 10-year period. As city of culture, we could host more highlights from Britain’s cultural calendar such as art and music festivals, performances, concerts, awards and shows.

A successful bid would help every child in Renfrewshire to access new activities as we break down barriers to inclusion and make arts and culture more accessible. The bid could transform Paisley. We are already seeing it as an opportunity to build a new sense of civic pride in Paisley and a real appreciation of where the town has come from and where it is going.

I congratulate all those who have made Paisley’s 2021 city of culture bid a reality. I pay tribute to the local partnership that has been driving the bid, the bid team, the council and the wider community, all of whom are working together. It is also important to recognise that we would not be debating the bid at all if it were not for the leadership of Mark Macmillan, the former leader of Renfrewshire Council, as well as a number of other elected members who have been supportive, the bid director, Jean Cameron, and every team member who is working on the bid.

I pay tribute to all the people and organisations in the community that are right behind the bid. Many of them joined us at a reception that I co-hosted in the Parliament last year and I can tell members that their enthusiasm was—and still is—infectious. There is a real sense that the momentum is with Paisley and is growing.

Just to be shortlisted for the UK city of culture is a huge achievement, but Paisley is in it to win it. That means that we have to impress a judging panel that is considering the merits of not just Paisley’s case, but the cases of four other candidate cities across the UK. Paisley’s bid is Scotland’s bid, of course, but to win, it has to be much more than that. It has to be recognised UK-wide as the best bid in Britain and win out over Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Swansea. I think that it is the best bid across the UK.

All supporters of the bid, including the Scottish Government, need to get behind Paisley 2021 to make Paisley’s case across the UK over the coming months. With that in mind, I was extremely encouraged to see the members of the All For One Choir from the current host city, Hull, come to Paisley to perform, build links with the town and show their support. One of the most interesting of the contributions that have been inspired by the bid was that of Warrington man, Dan Warren. After his hometown failed to make the shortlist, he designed a London tube-style map of Renfrewshire to try to get Paisley noticed.

Cross-party support for the bid has been remarkable. I am delighted that there is a consensus in the Parliament today and I welcome the Government funding commitment that was announced by the cabinet secretary the other day. I also want to thank Kezia Dugdale for the support that she has shown for Paisley. Even when another candidate city from Scotland was still in the competition, she recognised that Paisley 2021 was important to the renewal of the town and gave us her backing, becoming the first political leader to do so. I also welcome the cross-party support of Scotland’s MPs, who have now met the bid team in London. Locally, there is cross-party support, too. As the cabinet secretary said, the bid was conceived under the previous Labour administration, and it is now up to the SNP administration to take the bid forward, and it has the full support of Labour in doing so. It is important that Renfrewshire Council continues to provide leadership, practical support and resources to keep the momentum going and take the case for Paisley far and wide.

The reasons for backing Paisley’s bid are similar to the reasons why I believe that we should back Dundee’s bid for European capital of culture, as they involve using culture and heritage to transform a place and provide more opportunities for those who live there. In some ways, that transformation has already begun in Dundee. The city is not just known for jute, jam and journalism any more; it is now the UK’s first UNESCO city of design and is recognised globally for its contribution to medical research, comics and video games. The V&A will open next year—