A historic Perth city centre ceremony will take place on Sunday morning, for the last time until 2022.
The Kirkin’ O The Council procession has been an annual tradition in the Fair City for more than 400 years.
However, councillors recently voted to scale back the ceremony to save money. Some members also said they had difficulty attending the event each year.
Following this weekend, the ceremony will be held once every five years, after local government elections.
The move was described by SNP MP Pete Wishart as “historic and cultural vandalism” and a petition set up by author Roger Ward, calling for the council to reverse its decision, has attracted nearly 200 signatures.
Mr Ward, 82, who has been a member of the Society of High Constables for nearly 50 years, said: “A parade to bless the work of all leading citizens only once every five years is a travesty of tradition.”
Provost Dennis Melloy has now spoken out about the ceremony, and rejected perceptions that the decision was taken by the Tory-led administration.
“I contacted all elected members by email to ascertain their views, following a proposal from council officers to reduce the frequency of the event due to budgetary constraints within the council,” he said.
“The reason for seeking elected members’ opinions on this matter was also due to the fact that council numbers attending the event had fallen due to their other commitments.”
He said councillors voted “narrowly” to reduce the event to once-every-five-years.