Historic changes

Published on Monday 13 February 2012 00:00

IN RESPONSE to your recent reports, in particular Tim Cornwell (10 February), as a non-executive director of Historic Scotland I believe the agency is much more “fit for purpose” than it was in 2007, when I joined the board.

The 2007 agency was a series of silos with no sense of being a corporate body or of political reality. It was dominated by a few individuals who saw the agency in terms of a personal fiefdom, rather than as a corporate public body. And it was not even doing critical parts of its job well – for example the maintenance of the properties in its care, since the conservation group – both the professionals and the site staff – were ignored. Conservation was not at the heart of the agency.

Historic Scotland had developed a reputation for saying “no” first and then perhaps discussing a pragmatic approach to conservation. The legislation was not seen as enabling an intelligent protection and conservation of our heritage. That has now changed. The corporate plan that will be published shortly clearly sets out the legislative basis of the agency’s work, and has the support of the vast majority of those who responded to the consultation.

The change process may not have been to everyone’s liking, particularly those who have lost their fiefdom. One of the major benefits of the restructuring has been to empower a whole group of highly skilled professionals who have been somewhat overlooked in the past.

I have worked alongside the chief executive, Ruth Parsons, for about three years. I find her management style supportive and engaging and she is very well regarded in the sector. She has the support of many current and former employees and the criticisms of her are not only very unfair but also an attack on the approach developed by the agency, with the support of the board, to identify a strategic and affordable approach to the conservation of our built heritage.

The historic environment provides a strong foundation for building a successful future for Scotland – including sustainable economic development. The two are not incompatible. The historic environment is a key to our tourist industry, and an independent assessment says that it supports 60,000 jobs in Scotland. I am convinced that Historic Scotland will continue to protect the past so that our historic environment properly plays its part in the telling of Scotland’s story.

Raymond Young CBE

Upper Granco Street

Dunning, Perthshire

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