In 2017 Paisley ran a campaign to become the 2021 City of Culture and got to the final only to be beaten by Coventry. Future City Paisley believes had Renfrewshire Council not u-turned on our ambition and applied for city status during Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee our historical importance would have seen Paisley become Scotland's eighth city.
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about city status for Paisley.
There is so much that city status can add to a place. Whilst the individual benefits can be difficult to quantify, the overall ‘point’ of achieving city status is simple: to make Paisley better for everyone, for the future. You can read more about the benefits on our Key Benefits page.
Paisley has a rich history and has been at the heart of Scottish History for hundreds of years. A global industrial 20th century powerhouse and home to the Paisley Pattern we've seen economic decline over the past 50 years undermine the Paisley Buddies' sense of civic pride. - Paisley is growing once again and we want reinstate that sense of community and civic pride that we all have. - Paisley deserves to be a city.
When you see small and less important towns in the UK become city's the question should be why when Paisley is one of the most important places in Scotland is it not already a city. The benefits are clear, the funds and finance available to new cities could change our local economy, create local jobs and bring investment. City status wouldn’t make Paisley any less Paisley, it would create more opportunities to make the Paisley we love and are proud of even better.
There are no official fees to make a bid for city status. However, there will be running costs as we go forward including promotion and to create the application required for a successful bid. We have had offers of financial help from businesses who support our bid who believe city status is a must-have for Paisley and we are grateful. We will also arrange fund raisers plus other options are being considered and the core team will cover other Paisley City expenses.
Winning city status does not lead to increases in council tax or business rates.
Winning city status does not lead to increases in local prices; inflammatory price increases are down to the national and local economic climate.
Winning city status does not lead to increases in council tax or business rates.
Winning city status does not lead to increases in local prices; inflammatory price increases are down to the national and local economic climate.
For questions or comments, please use the form below.
We're asking Paisley Buddies everywhere to support this Community Power movement and send a clear message that the most historically important and largest town in Scotland "NO LONGER" wishes to sit in the Shadow of Glasgow!