Leadership Crisis Deepens at Historic Environment Scotland as Senior Executives Exit
Pressure is mounting on the Scottish Government to intervene as a wave of high-profile resignations and ongoing investigations continue to destabilize Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
The future of Scotland’s premier heritage agency has been thrown into further uncertainty following the departure of another senior manager. Craig Mearns, the organisation’s Director of Operations, has stepped down amid allegations of racism. His departure follows the bombshell news earlier this week that Chief Executive Katerina Brown has resigned after less than two years at the helm.
These exits represent the latest chapter in a turbulent period for the quango, which is responsible for safeguarding the nation’s most iconic cultural sites. The organization has been mired in scandal for over a year, with reports ranging from allegations of a “toxic workplace culture” to the misuse of company resources and hospitality tickets.
A Series of Scandals
The catalogue of controversies plaguing HES continues to grow. Last month, a senior manager departed the agency following reports of inappropriate conduct at a corporate event at Edinburgh Castle, where she was alleged to have twerked in front of actor Martin Compston. She also faced separate allegations of sexually harassing a junior staff member.
Meanwhile, commercial director Stephen Duncan remains suspended, marking 11 months since an investigation into procurement irregularities began. The leadership crisis has also seen the departure of former chair Hugh Hall, who stepped down while under a Scottish Government investigation.
Commenting on the state of the organization, Richard Hardy, national secretary of the union Prospect, criticized the toll the instability has taken on staff and the public purse. “What HES needed was the space and time to build on its new staffing strategy,” Hardy stated. “What it got was an absentee CEO, political interference, negative press coverage, and key staff tied up dealing with the fallout.”
Political Pressure Mounts
The ongoing crisis-hit quango is now a major point of contention at Holyrood. Although the SNP’s election manifesto included a pledge to “review the structures” of HES, the latest Programme for Government offered only a vague commitment to “simplify the management of our national cultural assets,” stopping short of a formal overhaul.
Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr has slammed the government’s lack of urgency, noting that HES receives over £70 million in taxpayer funding annually. “It is far too important to constantly lurch from one crisis to another with ministers seemingly content to sit on their hands,” Kerr said. “The SNP must stop ducking responsibility and urgently set out how they intend to restore proper leadership, governance and public confidence.”
Government Response
The situation has become so dire that First Minister John Swinney was forced to intervene, urging civil servants to “move with urgency” to address the organization’s governance failures, which were previously highlighted by Auditor General Stephen Boyle as having “unacceptable weaknesses.”
Despite the calls for a clear strategy, a Scottish Government spokesperson offered only a standard reply: “We will continue to support the HES chair and board as they take this work forward.”
A spokesperson for HES stated that the agency does not comment on individual personnel matters, adding: “Our focus is on implementing the recommendations of the recently commissioned independent ‘Organisational and Cultural Review’ and continuing to strengthen the organisation. We remain focused on delivering our core purpose of investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland’s historic environment.”
