City to bounce back from culture bid

Perth and Kinross Council offered its sympathies to Paisley on losing its bid to be crowned UK City of Culture 2021.

The Renfrewshire town was pipped to the title by Coventry in the final round of the competition, making it a stage further in the process than Perth.

Council leader Ian Campbell said: “We are sorry to hear that Paisley has not been named the first Scottish UK City of Culture and offer our congratulations to Coventry.

“I’d like to say a very big well done to the Paisley bid team, who have all worked extremely hard to pull together their excellent bid.”

He added: “What we have found from taking part in the process is that it has been a very worthwhile step to help push forward the ambitions of the region to improve our cultural ambitions and put Perth on the map as a place where culture is for everyone.

“We are continuing to look at how we can boost our offering and have a number of exciting developments that continue to move forward.

“Perth Theatre has officially reopened after a £16.6 million transformation, we have submitted our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund to support the rebirth of Perth City Hall, we are continuing to see cultural participation rise through our Creative Communities Fund, discussions are ongoing in the hope bringing the Stone of Destiny to Perth and we are eagerly awaiting to outcome of the Tay Cities Deal.”