Exclusive:Pressure mounts for Government inquiry into 'internal civil war' at crisis-hit Historic Environment Scotland

In a strongly-worded letter exclusively seen by The Scotsman, Tory MSP Stephen Kerr makes plain his concerns about an “internal civil war” tearing the SNP quango in two.

Mr Kerr, who has been pushing for increased involvement in the heritage body by Culture Secretary Angus Robertson, has written to Holyrood’s culture committee demanding action.

HES has been riven by repeated scandals over the past few months, including allegations of racism, sexual harassment and misuse of funds against senior staff.

Mr Kerr wrote to committee convenor Clare Adamson following two exclusive stories in The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday. These revealed the alleged reasons for the suspension of HES chief executive Katerina Brown and the sudden departure of former chair Hugh Hall.

In his letter, Mr Kerr said: “These articles make plain that the situation inside HES is going from bad to worse. What began as whistleblowing in the public interest by concerned staff members has now escalated out of control.

“From what is now on the public record, there are clearly at least two entrenched camps within the organisation, engaged in briefing wars, leaking disputes, exchanging accusations and attempting to shape public perception to advance their own side of what has become an internal civil war.”

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Documents obtained by Scotland on Sunday showed Dr Hall was under investigation for misuse of HES equipment and public funds. Among several allegations included the charge he used HES equipment to print off 6,300 individual scans or copies of documents and claimed mileage to the office to do so.

Ms Brown was subject to a collective grievance submitted by seven directors at HES.

Mr Kerr’s letter added: “It is now an open conflict within one of Scotland’s most important national bodies, playing out through the press because internal governance has all but collapsed.”

A spokesperson for HES said the agency “does not comment on speculation regarding internal matters”.

Mr Kerr calls for Mr Robertson to return to the committee and give further evidence about his interventions in the HES situation. The culture secretary has now instead provided additional information to the committee by letter.

Mr Kerr also says the committee must formally urge the Scottish Government to establish a fully independent external investigation into HES.

The heritage quango should, he adds, be conducted by individuals entirely unconnected to the organisation or its current leadership and must “produce a comprehensive set of recommendations on governance, culture, leadership structures and ministerial oversight”.

In his letter, Mr Robertson says that when he appeared before the committee on November 6, he stated he had not been invited to board meetings at HES. He adds that senior officials confirmed to him after the committee meeting that former HES chair, Dr Hall, had requested to officials he attend meetings with the board.

Mr Robertson said: “The invitations were not passed to me because of a number of issues running concurrently at HES, which would have made a ministerial meeting with the board inappropriate at that time.”

In response, Mr Kerr said it “strained credibility” that Mr Robertson would not have known about three separate invitations to join a board meeting. He added: “This is not a one-off mistake. It reflects a deeper problem in how Angus Robertson is overseeing our national cultural bodies.

“What our cultural institutions need is clarity, accountability and proper ministerial leadership.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Culture Secretary has been clear on the need to address leadership issues at Historic Environment Scotland. When Audit Scotland’s Section 22 report is published the Minister will work with the new Chair Mark Jones to address the issues raised. “The Culture Secretary will respond to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee in due course.”

The HES spokesperson added: “We remain focused on delivering our statutory responsibilities and supporting Scotland’s historic environment. Our priority is to work constructively with the Scottish Government to provide any information they require and to ensure transparency in all our activities.

“We have also been engaging with Audit Scotland as part of a wider review.”