A north-east councillor has branded Historic Scotland chiefs “a bunch of toffs” who have failed miserably in their management of a historic visitor attraction.
John Cox criticised the government agency after it emerged Banff’s Duff House had failed to hit its visitor targets for more than a year.
And he said he had serious concerns about the way the property had been run since responsibility switched from Aberdeenshire Council to Historic Scotland.
But last night supporters of the Georgian mansion rushed to the defence of the staff and volunteers looking after it, and said they were making “genuine efforts” to overcome difficulties and cement its place at the heart of the local tourism economy.
Mr Cox said he was running out of patience with bosses at Historic Scotland after performance indicators for the museum – which was given to the people of Banff and Macduff by the Duke of Fife, Alexander Duff, after his death in 1912 – revealed it had not hit its visitor number targets in each of the last five quarters.
Attendances are also falling year on year – figures from 2013-2014 showed 17,944 people visited the house, 12% short of projections.
New figures for the 2014-2015 period showed Historic Scotland and its partners – including Aberdeenshire Council and the National Galleries – are 18% short of hitting their targets.
Councillor Cox said: “For years we’ve been raising the issues of Duff House.
“I’ve had no positive feedback that changing (the management) made any positive impact. The attitude coming back from Edinburgh is that they know best.
“I’m not going to listen to a bunch of toffs from Edinburgh who think they know best – I’m not prepared to put up with that any more. They have failed miserably.”
A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland defended its running of the property and said the organisation would be happy to discuss issues in more detail.
She said: “Management of the day-to-day operations moved to Historic Scotland in 2012 following agreement with partners – including Aberdeenshire Council – and is operated by a team based at the house, as well as drawing on our wider network of expertise.”
Despite the disappointing visitor numbers, others in the community said the future was bright for Duff House.
Banffshire Coast Tourism Partnership chairman, Roger Goodyear, said: “All we can comment on is the local people, not the so-called toffs in Edinburgh.
“We would say that the local team at Duff House certainly recognises the importance of tourism to the area and their part in it.
“Everybody recognises Duff House is not performing as it could or should, but we’re conscious of genuine efforts to change that.
“Duff House is very important to tourism here – if it can improve its appeal, that can only be a good thing.”
The grand estate is supported by registered charity Friends of Duff House.
Member Ian Williams also rejected the councillor’s remarks.
Mr Williams said: “Duff House are very keen to change the situation. They are working with us and others to make changes, and some of that will be seen this year.
“John Cox hasn’t inquired with the Friends of Duff House. We would have said Historic Scotland has gone through difficult times because Duff House is unique in their portfolio in that it is filled with artworks from the National Galleries.
“They don’t have control of all the exhibitions and they couldn’t develop it from scratch, like they did say at Stirling Castle.”
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said the local authority was keen to ensure its continued input in the activities hosted at Duff House.
He said: “We will continue to work in partnership with Historic Scotland and National Galleries Scotland to make sure Duff House remains a valuable resource for visitors and the local community alike.”