A DIRECTOR at Scotland’s top heritage body was allowed to remain in post despite a complaint about “racist” language being upheld, the Sunday National has learned.
Craig Mearns, the director of operations at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), admitted to having pointed out tourists at Edinburgh Castle by telling another senior member of staff to “look at those chocolates” in July 2024, documentation seen by this paper states. At the time, Mearns was serving as HES's interim chief executive.
It is understood that a mitigating argument in his defence was that the phrase is commonly used in the Navy to refer to people of colour. Mearns’s biography on the HES website states that he was in the Navy for more than 30 years, ending up as captain of the Faslane nuclear base.
As HES director of operations, Mearns oversees some 800 staff at the government agency. One employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said that news of Mearns’s language had recently begun circulating amongst staff.
They said: “As a proud Scot from an ethnic background, I am very proud to work for HES. To discover that a director is guilty of making racist remarks is astonishing.
“Even worse is the decision of the chief executive [Katerina Brown] not to sack him in line with our very clear policies. She is effectively condoning his actions.”
Brown, who is understood to be on leave, became chief executive of HES in September 2024. This was after Mearns made the remarks, but before the probe into the complaint about the language concluded, according to dates on documents seen by the Sunday National.
According to HES’s most recent annual report for 2023-24, Mearns is paid between £115,000 and 120,000 per year, including pension benefits. Earlier this month, Holyrood’s Culture Committee was told that HES directors received a pay rise of between 16 and 18% in April 2025.
A HES spokesperson did not deny that a complaint had been upheld against Mearns over the language.
They said: “We do not comment on individual personnel matters.
“Historic Environment Scotland is committed to maintaining a respectful, inclusive, and safe working environment for all staff and visitors.
“We take any concerns raised seriously and have robust policies and procedures in place to ensure they are appropriately addressed.”
HES leadership ultimately answers to Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson. Asked if the Government was aware of Mearns’s case, a spokesperson said: “There is no place in Scotland for hatred of any kind, and each of us has a responsibility to confront racism.
“We are aware of issues that have been raised regarding the leadership and governance of Historic Environment Scotland.
“We are working closely with the organisation to resolve these and avoid disruption to its operational activity."
It is understood that Audit Scotland, the agency which audits HES’s governance and finances, has been made aware of the remarks.
An Audit Scotland spokesperson said: "The external auditor's annual audit of Historic Environment Scotland is ongoing.
"The Auditor General will consider the auditor's findings before deciding if any further reporting is appropriate."
Last week, HES announced the appointment of Mark Jones – a former director of National Museums of Scotland and the Victoria and Albert Museum – as its new chair.
It came amid turbulence at the top of the government agency, with the Daily Record reporting in June that staff had raised concerns of a “toxic” work environment, as well as that “at least two” senior figures were under investigation for governance issues.
In April, documents released under Freedom of Information laws and reported in the Daily Express showed that Mearns had accused HES of neglecting investment in Edinburgh Castle, “but has continued for many years to milk it as a cash cow”.
Last week, the paper reported that staff had been sent a memo ordering them to delete all messaging after one month, which was alleged to be a method to avoid disclosing internal communications under Freedom of Information legislation.
A source told the Daily Express: “Is it a coincidence that journalists put HES under the spotlight and we react by putting out an email to silence us and inform us that we will be destroying evidence that could be used in FOIs.
“There is a culture of fear in this organisation right now, fuelled by directors."
Earlier this month, The Telegraph reported that the Scottish Government was investigating claims that Stephen Duncan, HES marketing and engagement director, had paid just £25 for a private dinner in Edinburgh Castle during the military tattoo in a space which usually costs thousands to hire out.
