Appendix 1 - Expression of Interest Form
Perth and Kinross Council · 25 March 2026
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 25 March 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Appendix 1 UK Town of Culture 2028 Competition Expression of Interest (EOI) Thank you for your interest in the UK Town of Culture 2028. Please ensure you have read the “UK Town of Culture 2028 Expression of Interest: Guidance for bidders” document before applying. All EOIs must be submitted using this standard template. The form comprises four sections which each require a statement response. You are provided with a series of prompts to use as a guide. You do not need to answer each prompt individually but your responses should address all prompts. The prompts draw from the competition criteria and bidding places should refer back to the criteria when completing the form to show the potential of their programme to make a contribution to the aims of the UK Town of Culture programme. The form has set formatting (e.g., font size and line spacing) which should be adhered to. Please note that the EOI form is strictly word limited and we do not expect at this stage detailed economic data, research or in depth fundraising or delivery plans. Responses should also only include text. The application deadline is 31 March 2026. Applications received after this date will not be considered. If a large number of applications are received, an initial sift will be conducted on the section, 'Section 2: Your Story', only. Contact: uktownofculture2028-competition@dcms.gov.uk
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SECTION 1: BID INFORMATION In this section, we ask for information relating to your bidding team and place. The information will not be scored but will be used to confirm your eligibility. 1.1 Contact Information Please provide contact information for the single point of contact for your bidding team. Name, Position, Team / Organisation, Telephone Number, Email Address. 1.2 The Bidder Please provide information for the bidder. With reference to the definitions of the Accountable Body and Delivery Body in “UK Town of Culture 2028 Expression of Interest: Guidance for bidders”. You should include information on who the lead bidder is and who the key partners are. 1.3 The Geographical Area Please specify the geographical area that you are bidding for, with reference to the relevant geographical boundary designations. You may want to note the town categories set out in the “UK Town of Culture 2028 Expression of Interest: Guidance for bidders”. We will use your geographical area’s population size to categorise your bid.
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SECTION 2: YOUR STORY In this section, we want to understand the unique story and culture of your town. [Maximum 400 words for each section] 2.1 Vision Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● What is the story of your town (e.g., places and landscapes, people, communities, culture and heritage) and what is special about it (e.g., including, how it has contributed to a local identity - and, if relevant, how it has contributed to the national story)? ● How will your programme celebrate the story of your town, and what themes will be explored in your programme? ● How will your programme help to build knowledge of your town (e.g., improving, celebrating, raising the profile)? 2.2 Local Needs Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● What local challenges and issues does your town face that your bid can help to address? What priorities, needs, groups and demographics will your programme target and why? ● How does your bid align with any other local and / or regional plans to tackle local needs? 2.3 Empowerment Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● How have you developed the ideas within this bid? To what extent have you already consulted your local community and community groups (i.e., residents, businesses, institutions, creative providers, and cultural organisations) on your interest in UK Town of Culture? ● How will your local community and community groups be involved in developing and delivering the full application, programme and its legacy? How will you hold yourself accountable to community groups and members when making decisions about the programme?
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SECTION 3: CULTURE FOR EVERYONE In this section, we want to understand how you will design a cultural programme for all which will provide visible, accessible culture that boosts the profile of your town. [Maximum 400 words for each section] 3.1 Quality and Innovation Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● What is your cultural and heritage infrastructure, and how will you use it and build upon them in your programme? If your infrastructure is more limited, how could you leverage UK Town of Culture to develop your infrastructure on a permanent or temporary basis? ● What type of activities will your programme deliver, and how will they work together? Please refer to proposed lead artists / creatives, if they are known. You may refer to creating and / or promoting existing events that could become a returning event using the leverage generated by UK Town of Culture investment 3.2 Opportunity Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● How will you ensure the initiatives and opportunities (e.g., learning and skills- building, career awareness, bringing different communities together) you are planning are genuinely aligned with your community's needs and interests, especially for younger members of the community? ● What social and community impacts will these help you to achieve in your area, and why are these important to your town? 3.3 Accessible Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● How will you embed accessibility across the design and content of your programme? ● How would you aim to reach the widest possible audience? 3.4 Communication Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● How will you build a communication plan that utilises a breadth of media formats and reaches different types of audiences?
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SECTION 4: MAKING IT HAPPEN In this section, we want to understand how you will deliver a successful programme. [Maximum 400 words for each section] 4.1 Partnerships Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● How will you secure and work with additional external partners (e.g., artists and creatives, cultural and heritage organisations, funders, institutions, businesses, voluntary sector and civic society partners, and residents) to deliver the programme? ● How will you ensure your partners are representative of your town population? 4.2 Programme Management Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● How will the programme be managed throughout the year, including leadership structure and delivery model? ● How will you provide clear roles and responsibilities, and ensure the team has the skills and capacity to deliver? ● What are the key risks associated with your proposed programme (i.e., risk, mitigating action, RAG rating)? 4.3 Financial Management Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● If shortlisted, how would you use a £60,000 grant to strengthen your full application? ● How much do you expect it will cost to deliver your programme? ● How much additional funding will you need to raise to deliver the programme, and where will you get that additional funding (e.g., existing / reallocated budgets, income from charitable trusts and foundations, income from public funding bodies, business investment / sponsorship, crowdfunding, cultural partnership cash contributions / joint funding applications, in-kind support)? 4.4 Monitoring, Evaluation and Legacy Please use the following prompts to guide your response: ● What outcomes of your programme can be monitored and evaluated? Please refer to outcomes referenced throughout your bid, including those referenced in "Local Needs" and "Opportunity". ● How are you currently monitoring the impact of any culture and heritage programme(s) and how could these methods be adapted and used to evaluate UK Town of Culture? ● What baseline information is available to help assess the impact of your programme?