Perth 2021 could mean £60m for local economy

The Courier is supporting the Fair City’s campaign to win UK City of Culture title

A City of Culture win for Perth could bring in a million visitors, generate jobs, pump £60 million into the economy and help to beat a “quiet crisis” of social isolation and low wages.

The transformational impact of a successful 2021 campaign has been set out in the Fair City’s all-important bid to UK ministers.

Starting today, The Courier is officially backing the Perth campaign. Over the coming week, we will explore the bid application in detail and look at what it means for Perth’s future.

Bid leaders believe £15 million will need to be invested in the city’s year of culture, it has emerged. But a strong line-up could bring in a fourfold return.

It’s now five years since Perth led a successful battle to reclaim its city status.

Scotland’s ancient capital fought off tough competition from 26 towns up and down the country to secure official recognition from the Queen, as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Since then, the Fair City’s confidence has grown from strength to strength thanks to a series of extraordinary events including the Ryder Cup and the burgeoning Winter Festival.

Now Perth is ready for a new fight – to become the first Scottish UK City of Culture in 2021.

Perth may already have proved it is more than capable of hosting large-scale events, bringing in thousands upon thousands of people from across the world. But the real challenge for the team behind the Perth2021 campaign is proving that the region also needs the City of Culture crown.

The judging panel must be satisfied that Perth can use its status not just to throw a great, year-long party, but also to bring in huge, lasting benefits to the area and its people.

Today, The Courier is throwing its weight behind Perth’s campaign and over the coming days, we will explore the bid in detail and look at how it could shape the region’s future.

Council bosses say it will cost at least £15 million to host the 2021 programme. The local authority has pledged £3m of public money, with the rest expected to come from partners, businesses and other funding avenues.

In comparison, 2017 City of Culture Hull set a target of £18m, but ended up making about £32m from private firms and donations.

Perth’s £15m investment may sound like a lot, but a successful 2021 programme would easily make that money back – and then some.

Experts say that for every £1 invested in culture, there will be a £4 return.

Hull has estimated its 2017 line-up will bring in about £60m, and – if successful – Perth stands to make a similar splash.

Fiona Robertson, who is leading the 2021 bid, said: “If we win, we would expect the programme to attract just over a million additional visitors.

“We are looking at ‘stop the city’ and once-in-a-lifetime events.”

As part of its application, the team of about six people had to face up to some uncomfortable truths and shine a light on areas where the bid could make real, life-changing improvements.

The bid talks about a “quiet crisis” where many people in the region feel alienated, where areas of rural beauty mask pockets of poverty and social isolation.

The big challenges facing the area include a dependency on tourism, hospitality and agriculture which means low wages, some 9% below the Scottish average.

Ms Robertson said: “One of the most important things that Perth and Kinross could achieve is a sense of collective identity and belonging.

“One of the issues we uncovered as part of our bid is that people who live outside the city don’t really feel connected to Perth.

“We know from our research that nearly half the people living in the wider hinterland don’t really come to the city at night. They don’t really come to take advantage of some of the amazing things that are going on here.

“To create that sense of being part of something really big, something unique to Perth and Kinross, that would be one of the biggest benefits that winning would deliver for us.”

She said one of the main aims was to support local creative industries and stop them moving outside the area, to the central belt or further afield.

Pictures: Phil Hannah/Kris Miller. An aerial view of Perth, top, and, above, Fiona Robertson, who is leading the Perth2021 campaign, outside Perth Museum and Art Gallery.