NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Use 4 January 2010 PERTH 800: THE KEY EVENT OF 2010 MSP Murdo Fraser as named the Perth 800 celebrations and the bid for Perth to gain legal city status as one of the key events during 2010. In a supplement for Holyrood magazine, Murdo Fraser was asked to outline one of the main events in the Mid-Scotland & Fife Region in 2010. Holyrood magazine is Scotland's leading political and current affairs magazine. The magazine is read by the country's key legislators and is distributed to all Scottish parliamentarians, civil servants, Scottish Government agencies, political parties, all 32 local authority chief executives as well as individual departments within the councils, trade unions, health boards and trusts, educational organisations, voluntary organisations and non-governmental bodies. In his article, Murdo wrote the following: "I have been a Conservative MSP for the Mid-Scotland & Fife Region since 2003 and it is an honour to serve this exceptional and diverse part of Scotland. "There are a number of issues that will be a challenge for the Region next year. The building of a new Forth Road Bridge is essential as the economy and road network of the Region depends on it. The Forth Road Bridge will be the biggest construction project in Scotland in a lifetime and it is important that this moves forward for the good of the Region. Other issues such as better flood prevention schemes, improved health service in rural areas, improvements to the roads - as some like the A9 have the highest fatality rates in Scotland - need to be tackled in 2010 as a priority. "One event that will be important for one particular part of the Region will be the year long celebrations planned to mark the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Burgh of Perth in 1210. 2010 will be a monumental year for Perth and I am sure that the 800th anniversary celebrations will allow the city and the surrounding area to showcase to the rest of Scotland that it is an excellent place to live, visit and do business in. "It was the Scottish Conservatives who launched the "Setting up the City" campaign in 2004 for Perth to gain legal city status. The campaign acknowledged that, despite Perth being a historic city, it did not have legal city status on a par with Scotland's other six cities Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling. "It is clear to me that Perth needs official city status as Perth and the surrounding area is a distinctive area and we need our own City-Region. Perth is its own city in its own right. If Perth gains city status, we will see more funds for Perth and the surrounding region, with better infrastructure and investment. The whole of Perth & Kinross will see benefits if Perth gets city status." ENDS   back to top of page