City Status - Our Bid
Perth is a city of the past and a city for the future.
The 2012 Diamond Jubilee competition gave towns across the
UK the opportunity to seek the rare and prestigious honour of
receiving City Status.
Perth has been known as The Fair City since the publication of
Sir Walter Scott's novel, the Fair Maid of Perth in 1828.
In
1396, when the action in the book takes place, Perth was Scotland's
capital, seat and crowning place of the Scottish Kings, and the
home of the Scottish Court.
In more recent times, Perth's business, artistic, educational,
cultural and sporting aspects have flowered and residents have
continued to embrace the title of The Fair City.
What features does a town need to become a city?
To become a "city", a town must be of significant size, and be
the regional centre for administration, commerce, education,
culture and health care, and it ought to be a legal centre with
District and Sheriff courts. It should be prosperous, with an
expanding population, and a well-run council capable of providing
leadership for the inhabitants of a large area. Perth is all of
these things and more, and is now ready to resume its former
position as a city and help shape the development of a modern
forward-looking Scotland.
Who led Perth's bid to restore its city status?
The campaign to restore City Status was being driven by Dr
John Hulbert, the Provost of Perth and Kinross,
however, it was a bid for Perth by the people of Perth,
through a partnership between the local community, business
representatives, politicians and celebrities and
it received cross-party support from throughout the Council.
The City Status Steering Group also included representatives from
various different organisations, such as the
Lord Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross, Perthshire Chamber
of Commerce and Perth College.
What was the Diamond Jubilee Competition?
The competition was launched in late 2010 to
celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It
is open to all towns throughout the United Kingdom and provided an
opportunity to put Perth forward to reclaim its place among the
existing 'official' cities in Scotland.
Hasn't Perth always been a City?
The epithet 'City' has never been granted to Perth. Like
Edinburgh and Glasgow, Perth's status as a "City" with "Lord"
Provost had developed from ancient times without any formal
acknowledgement. Centuries of tradition were its
justification. However, in 1975, local government re-organisation
saw this status removed. In 1996, the full range of powers was
restored to Perth, which is now a regional capital of significance
in the heart of Scotland. However city status was not
restored, nor was the title 'Lord' Provost.
