Royal visit‘tarting up’row

PERTH AND Kinross Council has been accused of “tarting up” Crieff ahead of this week’s royal visit, despite neglecting some areas for years.

A town resident said the local authority was putting more effort into preparing for the one-day tour than it has into improving the town for locals and regular tourists.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn in Scotland, are set to visit the region on Thursday.

Work, including the painting of lampposts in the town centre, has already begun to spruce up the town ahead of the tour.

However, a council spokeswoman said previously planned work had merely been moved forward.

The resident, who did not want to be named, said some areas of the town were a “disgrace” and had been for a number of years but council staff had recently been working in earnest.

“There’s a lot of work happening in Crieff,” he said.

“Up the main street they’ve put in new lampposts and been doing a lot of painting to tidy it up.

“They are also doing up MacRosty Park, where the royal couple will be next week.

“Crieff has been a disgrace for ages — the council has neglected it for years.

“There’s nothing being done for the sake of the locals or the normal tourists but here’s the royals coming for a two or three hour visit and suddenly they (the council) are spending quite a lot of money.

“It seems like they are pandering to the royals by tarting up the town. It’s all for the benefit of people who aren’t going to spend much time here.

“I feel they should be doing far more for the locals. Nothing is being done for the residents — it’s all for the royal visit and the Ryder Cup.”

A council spokeswoman said: “Much of the work taking place in Crieff has been driven by community groups working alongside the council.

“These enhancements in greenspaces have been developing for some time and have been brought forward to ensure that the town is prepared for a summer of high profile events in the area, including the Queen’s Baton Relay, the Ryder Cup and the Junior Ryder Cup. These events will not only bring an immediate economic boost to the area but will continue to generate economic benefits in the future.

“This is the same approach the council has taken across Perth and Kinross.”

Pictures: Steve MacDougall/Getty Images. A Crieff resident has complained that the council is making improvements in the town after “years of neglect” just for the brief visit of the Earl and Countess of Strathearn, below.