Heritage chiefs clock up £58,000 in expenses

BOSSES at Historic Scotland have claimed almost £58,000 in expenses, including entry to castles, Christmas cards and a tourism "masterclass", it has been revealed.

More than half of the claims – 34,211 – were for travel expenses for senior managers and board members.

The Edinburgh-based organisation's chief executive, John Graham, put in the most claims over the past three years, totalling 18,800.

He claimed just over 10,000 in travel alone, while also racking up expenses of 4,600 in accommodation and food.

Mr Graham also claimed 24.90 for admission to castles not managed by Historic Scotland as well as 17.50 for Christmas cards and almost 100 for what is described as a "tourism masterclass".

Historic Scotland's director of properties, Peter Bromley, has the second highest expenses claim at 16,640, the majority of which was for travel.

The third highest claimant is the organisation's chief inspector, Malcolm Cooper, who claimed a total of 9,200 for everything from travel, accommodation and hospitality to attending an exhibition, training and a printer cartridge.

The only member of Historic Scotland's 14-strong board not to make any claims in the past three years was director of media and communications Patrick Connor.

The information was released to the Evening News under freedom of information legislation.

It follows the outcry over the millions of pounds claimed by MPs every year from the public purse.

The expenses scandal caused unprecedented anger from voters, inquiries by Westminster's sleaze watchdog and criminal investigations.

Since then, other public bodies have come under pressure to disclose their expenses.

Last month the BBC revealed the expenses of its top managers in response to freedom of information requests, which included leaving celebrations, business dinners and gifts for BBC stars.

But while many MPs and top BBC executives may struggle to defend their spending from the public purse, Historic Scotland says extensive travel – which accounts for the majority of its expenses – is essential for its senior management and board members.

The expenses include travel to Historic Scotland buildings across the country as well as travel to the six annual board meetings for non-executive members.

A spokeswoman said:

"We manage over 365 of Scotland's most important historic sites from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway, and deal with nearly 3000 consent applications for Scotland's 57,000 listed buildings and scheduled monuments.

"We grant aid numerous projects across the country and provide advice to all of Scotland's local authorities.

"We also work closely with other groups such as the National Trust for Scotland and the Historic Houses Association Scotland, particularly this year as part of the Homecoming celebrations, on joint marketing and sharing expertise.

"To do this effectively it is essential that our board members are able to see the work that is being done and how it compares to other similar attractions and organisations working in the heritage sector."