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 now it has resumed its former position as a city it can 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 driven by Dr John Hulbert, the previous 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 was 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 at this time, nor was the title 'Lord' Provost.