Lord Mandelson has recently announced that amongst other events, a City competition will be held as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Speaking after this announcement Gordon Banks MP for Ochil and South Perthshire said;

“This is excellent news as many people have been pressing for City status to be returned to Perth and this provides a great opportunity to argue the strong case for Perth .

“Perthshire and Kinross-shire are vital contributors to the vibrancy of Perth itself and I will be arguing strongly that the impact of these areas is taken into account and forms an appropriate part of any subsequent bid.”

“At a recent meeting between Scotland Office Minister, Ann McKechin, Provost Hulbert, Peter Wishart MP, organised by me, we were all able to argue strongly the position of Perth , Perthshire and Kinross-shire.”

“I look forward to working with others as we go forward developing a strong bid for Perth .”