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PERTH’S CITY OF CULTURE BID HEARD AT WESTMINSTER

The countdown is on for Perth’s bid to become the UK’s city of culture as the shortlist is expected to be announced in the next couple of weeks. In the run up to the announcement Perth and North Perthshire MP, Pete Wishart, lead a House of Commons debate on Perth’s bid which was heard by the Ministers responsible for the drawing up of the shortlist in the Department of Culture Media and Sport.

Pete Wishart’s Common’s debate took place on Wednesday 5^th July.

 During the debate Mr Wishart said;

“At the heart of our bid is our determination to tackle the quiet crisis faced by Perth and the 30 million people in the UK living outside big cities.

“A bid that speaks for the small cities and large towns where so many of our fellow citizens live. A bid which recognize their issues, challenges and agendas. Where rural beauty masks rural poverty and social isolation.

“These small cities where the lack of high value jobs drives talent elsewhere. This is where culture could really make a real difference in connecting people and places.

“Our bid will also help focus on the contribution of small cities and large towns to the UK economy alongside the large-scale cultural regeneration programmes transforming our big cities.

“Different approaches are needed which unlock the potential of places like Perth – and tackle the quiet crisis which they face.

“We will use UK City of Culture to make real step changes against using culture as a transformative tool and raise the bar for great small cities with joy, wonder, emotion and surprise”.

Speaking afterwards Pete said;

“I was really pleased with how the debate went and with the response from Ministers. We are a serious contender for UK City of Culture and I look forward to hearing the outcome of the shortlist in the next few weeks.

“The team behind the bid have worked so incredibly hard on this project and I would like to thank them for all their extra hours in getting the bid to this stage.”

• Culture