Sir Mark Jones has resigned as chairman of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) after less than a year in the role, stepping down just nine months into a four-year tenure. The public body, which manages hundreds of historic properties including Edinburgh Castle, has been plagued by a series of controversies in recent years.
Controversies and leadership instability
Last year, it was reported that a senior leader at HES was sanctioned for allegedly “twerking” in front of actor Martin Compston. The Press Association approached the actor for comment at the time, but he declined to respond. The organisation also faced allegations of corruption and an internal racism row.
A report by the auditor general in 2025 found “unacceptable weaknesses” in leadership, stating that HES lacked “sufficiently robust policies” to mitigate fraud risks. The controversies led to the replacement of both its chairman and chief executive in 2025. Sir Mark was brought in to address these issues but has now resigned prematurely.
Response from HES and political reaction
HES confirmed that Sir Mark will remain in post until a successor is appointed to ensure a smooth transition. A spokesperson said: “Sir Mark Jones remains chair of Historic Environment Scotland and will continue in the role until a successor is appointed to ensure a smooth handover. We are grateful for Sir Mark’s leadership and commitment to HES during a challenging period for the organisation.”
Sir Mark had previously acknowledged the problems, stating he accepted the “serious governance issues and cultural problems identified” in the Audit Scotland report. He also noted the “impact of recent leadership instability,” including the fact that the organisation operated without an accountable officer for almost six months between May 2 and October 20 last year, when chief executive Katerina Brown returned to work.
Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative culture spokesman, criticised the SNP government, saying: “The chairman’s premature resignation is further evidence of the SNP’s chronic mismanagement of this toxic quango. Historic Environment Scotland has spent years mired in scandal and crisis while the former culture secretary, Angus Robertson, was asleep at the wheel, failing to engage with the board and misleading parliament about his supervision of the organisation. Now the man brought in by the SNP to sort out the bullying and grotesque misuse of funds has thrown in the towel after barely a year in the post. Sir Mark Jones has a distinguished record but he has clearly not received the support from ministers that the SNP government promised. HES receives more than £70million worth of taxpayers’ money every year, so nationalist ministers must sort out this mess immediately.”
Culture Secretary Màiri McAllan responded: “The Scottish Government is grateful to Sir Mark for his service. During a period of significant scrutiny and change, he has provided strong leadership. We appreciate his commitment and the valuable contribution he has made.”
