WANDER around Scotland on any given day and it easy to see there are quite a number of very old buildings.

Some of them are even in a habitable state and add much to the rich tapestry of the nation and see hundreds of thousands of tourists arrive every year to marvel.

For Americans in particular, any old pile of rubble that dates back to the 14th century guarantees open-mouthed wonderment as they realise that Philadelphia is not actually the oldest place in the planet.

But soon, the big-spending Americans may have rather less to gawp at, after the country’s heritage body Historic Environment Scotland revealed that many will now be left to the elements due to the difficulties with upkeep.

HES, of course, only has one job and that is the upkeep of Scotland’s heritage sites, so this is up there with Gerald Ratner admitting his jewellery was crap.

If other public bodies decided their main reason of their existence was pointless, then where would they be?

Can you imagine if Transport Scotland decided one day that keeping the country moving was becoming too difficult so they’d stop doing it, or if the Scottish Qualifications Authority scrapped all exams because they couldn’t be bothered marking them any more?

There would be total chaos and almost certainly a couple of ministerial resignations.

HES, predictably, blames climate change for the decision, saying that future extreme weather means it is no longer able to keep buildings safe for visitors.

The buildings may have stood on the same sites for hundreds of years and withstood everything the elements have thrown at them ... but now they can’t.

But, of course, the real reason for the decision is money – or a lack of it – and it is time for a national debate on whether we value our heritage enough to keep spending millions of pounds every year to preserve it.

Scotland has had a long and often bloody history over the centuries and the legacy can be found in virtually every field across the country.

The question now is: should many just be left to rot while ploughing money into big-ticket sites such as Arbroath Abbey or Linlithgow Palace – or should we let them just disappear too?

While we’re at it, should we also look at all of Scotland’s public bodies and quangos and see if they, like the ancient ruins, are fit for purpose in the 21st century?

Scotland is not short of them, after all, and it is becoming increasingly unclear what many of them actually do to justify their multi-million pound budgets.

Every year, the official public spending watchdog Audit Scotland carries out forensic examinations of their workings to see if they provide good value to the taxpayer.

And every year, the watchdog always concludes that no, they are not and must be reformed.

The minister in charge then shuffles uneasily in their chair, looking at their shoes, and promises that the suggested reforms will be implemented.

But they never really are and many of the bodies and quangos simply roll along, offering job security for thousands of people without seeming to actually do very much.

There is absolutely no doubt that many are failing and must be either scrapped or radically reformed.

Take Skills Development Scotland as an example – a body whose sole purpose is to provide workers with suitable skills to meet demands of employers.

Yet, last month, Audit Scotland accused ministers of not providing enough leadership in ensuring the nation’s workforce has the skills it needs.

The concerns arise from from a 2017 project originating from an Enterprise and Skills review, led by the First Minister, and which has led to the discovery of a skills gaps in social care and a demand for new skills in digital and responding to the climate emergency.

That involved the main public bodies that are responsible for providing access to post-school skills and knowledge, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), working together on skills planning and provision.

But according to Audit Scotland, together they spend over £2 billion each year on training and post-school education – but they could not find a way to work effectively due to a lack of clear guidance.

There are similar stories in other public bodies which are allowed to just plod on regardless.

It’s not ancient buildings that need to be left to rot, it’s the public bodies in charge of much of Scotland that do – and the sooner the better.