Tory demands probe into ‘serious allegation of misconduct’ after castle dinner

Culture secretary Angus Robertson is being challenged to investigate claims that a director of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) enjoyed a private dinner at a “prestigious” part of Edinburgh Castle.

Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said a “number of people” had brought to his attention that an unnamed director and a companion had dinner in the historic castle’s Queen Anne Building, which he said could cost up to £12,000 to hire.

The dinner, which Kerr described as being “very, very irregular”, is said to have taken place on August 11 – when the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo was taking place.

The Tory insisted it was a “serious allegation of misconduct”, adding it was “essential” that both HES and the culture secretary now “investigate it thoroughly”.

Kerr said: “HES receives £74 million of taxpayers’ money. It must be fully accountable for how it operates and its senior executives must be beyond reproach.”

His comments came after he raised reports of a “toxic” culture at the HES – the body which is responsible for more than 300 buildings and monuments of national importance across Scotland.

Kerr noted that the chief executive of the organisation is currently off with long-term illness, and added that the chair had left “before his time is due”.

He pressed Alison Turnbull, the director of external relations and partnerships at HES, over this matter when she appeared before MSPs on Holyrood’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.

Kerr told her that press reports regarding HES “suggest that there seems to be some form of crisis in the organisation”, with the Conservative adding that “toxic working environments have been mentioned”.

The MSP went on to raise concerns over “internal control and the directors’ attitude towards managing the public finance”.

He said allegations had been made that HES directors “walk around like they own the castles”.

Kerr said: “It has been brought to my attention by a number of people that on August 11 one of the directors of HES had a dinner with a companion in the Queen Anne Building, this is in Edinburgh Castle.”

Describing the facility there as being a “very prestigious room” and a “very expensive room”, the MSP continued: “Two people, a director and a companion, dined in that space alone, which apparently, this is very very irregular.”

Kerr said he now plans to make a Freedom of Information request to “discover that the circumstance of this event were in the Queen Anne Building”.

He told the committee: “I think I might discover they paid a token amount – instead of £12,000, did they pay £50? £100? Or maybe they paid nothing at all?”

Turnbull told him she was “not aware of this specific instance around this”.

She told the committee: “All I can do, I can take it back and look into it and respond.”

However, she rejected claims of a “toxic” culture at HES, saying evidence from staff surveys showed “quite high marks” for areas such as employee experience and pride in the organisation.

She accepted it has been a “difficult time” for the body, saying the Scottish Government had interviewed for a new chair

Turnbull also made clear: “In terms of HES and delivering business as usual, we are going ahead with that.”

A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said: “We are aware of the comments made at the Culture Committee today. To clarify, on August 11, a member of our Executive Leadership Team was an invited guest of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and attended the performance that evening following a pre-show dinner at Edinburgh Castle.

“The dinner took place in the Queen Anne Building, which was being used throughout the Tattoo period for hospitality packages. On arrival, the employee and their guest, who permanently uses a wheelchair, were accommodated at a table in the bar area at the entrance to the building, by the catering provider, to ensure accessibility and comfort.

“This area is not normally hired out separately during the Tattoo and does not carry a booking fee. They dined from the set menu and the guest’s meal was paid for by the HES employee. At no point was the main dining room hired for exclusive use, nor was it used by a single individual and their guest.”