By David Connolly and Hana Kdolska, BAJR Admins
Controversy, Accountability, and a Way Forward
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has found itself embroiled in a series of controversies over the past years, shaking public confidence in Scotland’s most important cultural body tasked with safeguarding the country’s archaeology, built and cultural heritage. The controversies are related both to the (mis)conduct of its senior management, with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) being recently suspended for an undisclosed reason; a senior manager gaining infamy for her ‘twerking’ skills; and a director of operations admitting to racist behaviour. To this can be added the much-lauded replacement of the online National Monument Record system (formerly Canmore), called ‘imaginatively’ Trove.scot, which can only be described as unmitigated disaster. Topping the list are the multiple crumbling properties ‘in care’, which have apparently received anything but over the last decades and are currently inaccessible to public, protected behind multiple Heras fencing barriers.
Without doubt, the challenges faced by HES are significant and wide-reaching, and the senior management should be held to account for these failings, however one should also extend sympathy and solidarity to the hundreds of hardworking staff, whether stonemasons, monuments inspectors, site surveyors or custodians to name but a few, who carry out the day-to-day tasks under the atmosphere of systemic bullying and fear if reports are to be believed. This is attended by what can only be described as continual grinding down of archaeology and history that once formed the core focus of the organisation in its various previous incarnations, indeed in the latest Properties and Collections Strategy draft -archaeology is mentioned only once, in passing. Put simply, what was once a loved combination of organisations, with strong focus on both scientific research and inclusive access to heritage, became essentially a middle-aged salesman, selling overpriced merchandise from overpriced properties, and the voices of the staff are ignored, with the public viewing the debacle at HES as representing the whole organisation, rather than the senior management who have let this happen. So, one might ask, where did it all go wrong?
Suspended Leadership Raises Questions
The recent suspension of the CEO Katerina Brown after her brief return following a sick leave is perhaps the most visible sign of trouble within HES, though she still won CEO of the Year at the 6th Scottish Women’s Awards in September this year. Though as of writing, she is now back at work with an interim chief operating officer also now appointed to provide “stability and clarity” to the organisation. While details remain limited due to an ongoing internal investigation, the lack of transparency has done nothing but fuel speculation and erode trust among HES staff, Scottish heritage practitioners, and indeed the wider public. In an organisation charged with safeguarding Scotland’s historical heritage, uncertainty at the top sends worrying signals about its governance and stability. Who leads the organisation at this time of crisis?
While both the staff and the wider public are kept in the dark, the activity on social platforms provides some further clues as to what may be going on. In a recent LinkedIn post, the then suspended CEO commented “Just a wee reminder ‘The story depends on who is telling it…” The likes and comments related to the post give hints that behind the scenes there may be a political power play happening at the top of our National Heritage Organisation, a charitable body at that. As one commentator expressed: “At length, the truth will out …”? Will it?
Leaving aside the question of whether or not the CEO deserved to be suspended, what are the other members of the HES executive leadership team up to? Surely, while the uncertainty of the leadership continues, they are ensuring that they do not cause further damage to the reputation of this much embattled organisation. Alas…
Professional Standards Under Scrutiny
There is now a growing (or some might say fully developed) storm in newspapers and on social media surrounding the inappropriate conduct of a number of HES Directors and Senior managers. This includes an unnamed senior female manager Twerking in front of Mathew Compston at a 2023 corporate event, hosted by Historic Environment Scotland at Edinburgh Castle, and calling Rod Stewarts wife a ‘dumb blond’. Meanwhile the Director of Marketing and Engagement, Stephen Duncan, was recently reprimanded for soliciting a cheeky cheap (£30) meal in the exclusive Queen Anne building in Edinburgh Castle for himself and his companion. Foie Gras anyone?
Worse still, the HES Director of Operations, Craig Mearns has admitted to having pointed at tourists at Edinburgh Castle and telling another staff member “look at those chocolates“. Amazingly, the affected staff member, who should be applauded, reported this and while Mr Mearns subsequently apologised for his comments in an all-staff video call, the other staff members were not able to express their views, as the commenting was turned off. The staff then also received the news that Mr Mearns was retaining his post. Mr Mearns, further admitted calling French tourists “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” following a probe into his conduct.
While the twerking faux pas may perhaps be excused by too much temptation of the ‘free’ bar, if the above Mr Duncan had anything to do with it (!?), the same cannot be said for what can only be described as shockingly casual racist behaviour. This seems to be engrained within the organisation as there are frequent reports from staff of racist comments, bullying and discrimination within HES in general, which further diminish its reputation and gravitas; not to mention the mental well-being of its employees, who are regularly exposed to such behaviour. In fact, The University of Glasgow has cut its ties with Historic Environment Scotland due to the racism dispute, with regards to an ongoing exhibition regarding slavery and colonialism.
There is simply no excuse for such conduct in any workplace, least of all within the publicly funded National Heritage body tasked with representing the diversity of Scotland’s past. Zero tolerance, does not mean an apology and business as usual.
Dodgy Decisions, Broken Promises and the TroveGate
In 2023, HES announced plans for a new collection centre, Archive House, to replace the National Collection, but this was subsequently suspended in 2024 due to rising costs. Meanwhile, the current archive and research building is to be closed in 2026. Indeed, the plan for the new centre was announced by the same Craig Mearns, then an Interim Chief Executive, proclaiming that: “our priority at this time is delivering an appropriate interim solution.” Auch! A solution it seems that has yet to materialise.
Heard of the Canmore? Did you ever use it? Did you like it? Well, we did almost on daily basis and so did the majority of our fellow professional and heritage practitioners, including HES archaeologists and staff who found it invaluable to do their job. Sure, it wasn’t perfect but what is? Certainly not what replaced it. Since its precipitous delivery, which was shockingly not preceded, as would be expected, by wider professional or public consultation, the new website ‘aptly’ called Trove.scot has been plagued by problems and complaints seriously questioning its suitability to the task. To deal with the mounting criticism, HES held User Research Panel (URP) online groups, where the disgruntled customers could express their views about the system and offer improvements. BAJR took time to attend, hoping for some resolutions, however it became painfully obvious that the meeting was really only about appearances. Heads were nodded vigorously and ideas dually written down, suitable amount of enthusiasm expressed for every suggestion. Some two and a half months later, here is the score: The map, oh so useful on Canmore, has been down for weeks. Even when it ‘worked’, it was virtually unusable for any serious research queries, such as site distributions and not forgetting the invaluable downloading of search results (for use with GIS), being no longer possible. Though, to be fair these are still in development, and these integral elements did not really need to work from the start did they!
Teething problems you say? Maybe, but after years in development and a sum believed to be over £2 million of taxpayers’ money spent on this flagship National Monument Record system, something does not add up. At the core of the problem seems to be the simple fact that the resource was instigated and developed without proper and considered consultation with the professional heritage practitioners, who, let’s be honest, form a large proportion of its target audience. From the archaeology students and researchers to the commercial archaeologists, this half-baked (generous estimate of its present usefulness) product has left Scottish archaeologists and heritage professionals without a proper resource to carry out our work. Our colleagues within HES are equally befuddled by this new funky purple resource and, yes, likewise did not seem to have any input in its development. All this could have been avoided by timely consultation with users of the preceding and now much missed Canmore, one not aimed at nodding heads and ticking boxes, but at listening and subsequently implementing suggestions. If there were any consultations, these were certainly not widely broadcasted and no, and those that were, seem – as far as we can ascertain, had all suggestions ignored. Worryingly, the priority seems to be on the monetising the system, rather than on its functionality. Certainly, any discussions that were had left the consultees frustrated, as suggestions were duly noted, then ignored. We also worry at the increased workload placed on council archaeologists, who are now the only point of contact for information. Our hearts go out to the HES staff who, like the rest of us, relied on Canmore for daily tasks and are now left with a dysfunctional system that is not fit for their purpose.
Other Recent Controversies and the Need for Change
Alongside these high-profile incidents, HES has faced criticism over budget decisions, site closures, and communication failures with stakeholders. While the list of issues goes on, and the organisation is clearly in serious crisis, it is strangely reassuring to known that the senior management at HES is not to suffer alongside their colleagues and crumbling monuments and has agreed to increase their salaries 19 – 21.5 per cent.
The merger of RCAHMS and HS has gradually led to archaeology being sidelined and eroded, with the once proactive heritage survey body now a shadow of its former self – though we see glimmers of hope, with HES minded to grant scheduled monument consent for two trenches at Burnswark fort. Most archaeology staff are demoralised but still carry on within the organisation riven by fear and controversy; with the senior management seemingly deluded or not caring about the health and well-being of the employees.
Those staff and employees who dedicate their working lives to safeguarding Scotland’s heritage, deserve better, deserve support and deserve a management that is not mired in controversy, racism and mounting scandals. We at BAJR stand by those at HES, whose work and well-being has been impacted by these systematic failures and can only hope they get the support they need, although it seems they won’t get it from their union, the one place where help would surely be expected. This certainly seems to be the implication from a leaked email from PROSPECT Union to its members within the organisation, which warns staff not to criticise HES in the media. The leaked email continues to say that “ workers [should] rely on the HES internal grievance process instead of leaking to journalists.” Though the email to members later admits that “Prospect believes that members and the organisation are suffering unwarranted disruption and stress as a result.” Hmmmm… When whistleblowing is the only action these individuals can take, it is imperative that these people can speak out when no other course is available, though PROSPECT do say that if caught leaking info to journalists, they could face investigations for misconduct or gross misconduct and therefore PROSPECT advised against this (so one could perhaps interpret this as an attempt at protecting workers).
Even World Heritage Sites (WHS) are not immune, where Rediscovering the Antonine Wall no longer has funding, and HES has not replaced the Antonine Wall WHS Coordinator when they left, leaving the monument without the key individual to connect the various stakeholders. Such a shame after what looks like another wasted opportunity from the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site Management Plan Development Consultation – Historic Environment Scotland. It is hoped that one of the other great archaeological (a word that should be on the lips of all senior management at HES) WHS sites in Scotland, Heart of Neolithic Orkney does not suffer the same fate. Starved of funding, sidelined and left to others to maintain.
Clearly, there are serious questions regarding at best the blatant incompetence and at worse deep-rooted corruption at HES high command. If HES is to continue as the foremost Heritage body in the country, then it needs thorough reorganisation: from smarter, more engaged and transparent leadership to a renewed focus on serving the public interest and above all the protection of the fragile and finite historic, archaeological and cultural heritage resources.
Accountability and Renewal
Scotland’s historic environment is our national treasure, deserving an organisation that is transparent, accountable, and genuinely inclusive. The past years’ controversies should serve as a wake-up call for HES to rebuild trust, modernise its culture, and deliver on the values it espouses. Only by facing up to these challenges openly can HES as an organisation restore its standing, provide a safe workplace for the dedicated employees and ensure it remains the custodian of Scotland’s heritage for generations to come.
Note: This is a very fluid and fast-moving situation, with the CEO now back in post, and a serious resolution is being sought, with an initial investigation by Audit Scotland. This will lead to understanding the issues and further independent investigations.
There has been as of the 30th October 2025 a Parliamentary Committee grilling of Sir Mark Jones, Chair and Andrew Davis, Board Member, Historic Environment Scotland. (see below). The hour-long session makes for uncomfortable watch/listen:
