The total cost of the investigations into racism in Scottish cricket spiralled to over £800,000 – although no charges have ever being brought against any individual.

Mail Sport can reveal the sum after we made an FOI (Freedom of Information request) to sportscotland, Scotland’s national agency for sport.

The costs covered the Changing the Boundaries report, which found Cricket Scotland to be institutionally racist, and the independent referrals investigation that followed.

In total, sportscotland paid £189,000 for the Changing the Boundaries report that was conducted by equality and diversity experts, Plan4Sport.

A total of £647,849, meanwhile, was paid to legal firms Harper Macleod, Bishop Lloyd & Jackson Solicitors, and to race equality support group Sporting Equals for the independent referrals probe, which was set up to look into referrals by the initial report.

Eighty-seven referrals were generated in relation to 53 allegations of racism against 31 different people, two clubs and two regional associations.

According to sportscotland, the investigations team reinforced the original findings of the Changing the Boundaries report – and reports with recommendations were then passed to the board of Cricket Scotland to determine what action could and should be taken.

The Changing the Boundaries report which shocked Scottish cricket was released in 2022 

Louise Tideswell, from Plan4Sport, explains the Changing the Boundaries report

Louise Tideswell, from Plan4Sport, explains the Changing the Boundaries report

Stewart Harris, then chief executive of sportscotland, with the report into Cricket Scotland

Thirteen cases were put to the Conduct in Sport manager for consideration, but no charges were ever brought against individuals alleged to have carried out offences.

Those cases that did not progress to the disciplinary stage were adjudged not to have met the criteria required for further action.

This included not having sufficient evidence of a breach of rules, not having clarity on what that rule was or whether it was in place at the time, and Cricket Scotland not having the jurisdictional remit (or authority) to be able to take formal action and proceed to put the matter before a committee for a further hearing.

The cost of the investigation is now likely to raise eyebrows.

Mail Sport understands that some of those accused of racism feel aggrieved at the whole referrals process – as do some of the complainants.

Brian Whittle, Scottish Conservative shadow minister for sport, told Mail Sport it was ‘entirely right that Sportscotland thoroughly investigate allegations of racism in cricket, or indeed any sport’.

But he questioned the amount of money spent on the subsequent referrals process that had taken 18 months to complete.

He said: ‘When budgets are being squeezed by SNP cuts to sports funding, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on an investigation that takes years and doesn’t appear to have delivered a particularly clear outcome, seems hard to justify.’

The cost is likely to raise questions from within sport, particularly when belts are being tightened across councils and governing bodies.

Voluntary redundancies are actively being considered within sportscotland itself.

Sportscotland’s HQ at Caledonia House in Edinburgh was sold off last year, leaving several sports governing bodies temporarily ‘homeless’.

Forbes Dunlop, CEO of sportscotland, said the body recognised ‘a significant amount of public money has been spent on Changing the Boundaries and the subsequent referrals process’, but he said that sportscotland had learned lessons as a result.

He told Mail Sport: ‘The Changing the Boundaries report was launched when Cricket Scotland reached out to sportscotland in 2021 to ask for help establishing an independent review into racism in Scottish cricket. 

‘This was in response to multiple people sharing experiences of racism in public and in private and was a very difficult time for everyone involved in the sport.

‘In response, sportscotland appointed Plan4Sport to conduct a comprehensive review. In addition to giving contributors a safe and anonymous place to have their voices heard, the review also looked at existing Cricket Scotland policies and procedures against equality, diversity and inclusion best practice to ensure lessons were learned and change was delivered.

‘Cricket Scotland has made progress, and we will continue to work with them, under enhanced supervision, to ensure that progress continues.

‘We recognise that a significant amount of public money has been spent on Changing the Boundaries and the subsequent referrals process. Sportscotland has learned lessons from this process, and for sport more broadly. 

‘As a result, we have ensured additional support for Scottish governing bodies has been put in place to strengthen policies and procedures around discrimination in all its forms.

‘There is no doubt that people have had some terrible experiences, and we are grateful to the whistleblowers and everyone who shared their experiences which enabled us to challenge ourselves and to drive change in our sector. 

‘It is our collective responsibility to ensure that sport is about positive experiences and we are clear and consistent that there is no place for racism.

‘Our work to tackle racism in Scottish sport did not begin with the cricket review, and it will not end with the cricket review.’

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