Musselburgh on the brink of losing meeting as row intensifies

Troubled Musselburgh looks odds-on to lose its next meeting after it emerged the governing committee would not consider the BHA's demands to submit to an independent review until after the deadline to act.

The latest twist in an ongoing row between two factions of the Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee, which runs the course, led to the local councillor who sits as chairman being accused of "playing with people's livelihoods".

The track's temporary licence expired last week after the MJRC failed to give undertakings to the BHA to hold a governance review, meaning the racecourse is not permitted to stage racing.

A new licence will be granted for the next fixture, scheduled for a week on Friday, only if the MJRC agrees to a review by 5pm on Thursday.

East Lothian council leader Willie Innes, one of four councillors on the seven-seat MJRC and chairman of the course, has said he will convene a meeting to consider the ultimatum next Tuesday – five days after the deadline, almost certainly meaning the loss of the meeting.

Innes stressed he was acting "to secure the future of racing at Musselburgh" and said in a statement: "Since the last meeting of the MJRC, the BHA has proposed a conditional, temporary extension to the racecourse’s licence.

"It is only right and proper that the MJRC meets collectively to consider and respond to this proposal – and I cannot make a unilateral decision as chair.

'I am calling on the BHA'

"Having responded to the BHA timeously and committed to convening this meeting so the issue can be considered quickly and in the proper way, I am now calling on the BHA to put in place the necessary mechanism to allow the upcoming race meetings to go ahead."

Innes also said the council could not allow the BHA to dictate what happens at Musselburgh. "The BHA has asked for a commitment to putting review recommendations into place – regardless of what they are," he said.

"It is vital, however, that there is a full and proper opportunity to consider the recommendations of any review. The racecourse buildings are, of course, owned by the council – and therefore elected members are accountable to the people of East Lothian for these."

In a sharply-worded press release, the Lothian Racing Syndicate, which fills the other three positions on the MJRC, accused Innes of "sacrificing" the meeting to the cost of staff members and the local economy.

John Prideaux, one of the syndicate members, said: "By delaying this meeting to next week Councillor Innes is as good as saying Musselburgh won’t race on July 14 and he fails to grasp this will cause immense damage to the racecourse.

'The council cannot allows the BHA to dictate what happens at Musselburgh' - council leader Willie InnesCredit: JOHN GROSSICK (racingpost.com/photos)

"He is playing with people’s livelihoods, many whom will be out of pocket if this fixture does not go ahead, not to mention damaging a local economy that needs all the help it can get."

Musselburgh employs 15 full-time staff and up to 250 support staff would have been expected to be on duty at the next meeting.

"This is an appalling state of affairs brought on solely by the intransigence of Councillor Innes and his colleagues who have refused to engage with the BHA regarding their concerns about how the racecourse is governed," Prideaux added.

"The BHA first raised concerns in December and it took MJRC three months to arrange a meeting with the BHA, which one of the councillors didn’t even bother to attend.

"This didn’t suddenly flare up last week and this head-in-the-sand approach led to the BHA finally losing patience and not renewing our licence to race."

Prideaux continued: "Councillor Innes must put the welfare of those employed by Musselburgh and local businesses first and resolve this situation immediately.

"This is not only damaging to Musselburgh racecourse but it has a wider impact on the reputation of Scottish racing and the many people employed in horseracing throughout the country.”

Robin Mounsey: 'The matter is entirely in the hands of the MJRC'Credit: Dan Abraham

The BHA's position was reiterated by its head of media Robin Mounsey, who said a licence was subject to an independent governance review and implementation of any recommendations by December 31.

He added: "The matter is entirely in the hands of the MJRC and we look forward to receiving such an undertaking from the MJRC by the end of Thursday, July 6, so that the planned fixture on July 14 can continue. The BHA is not in a position to confirm that fixture will go ahead without such a commitment."

A Scottish Government spokesperson urged the council to consider the track's future and said: "This is primarily a matter for the BHA and the MJRC.

"But given the direct involvement by East Lothian Council in this committee, we would encourage them to take immediate action to safeguard the future of this national asset, which is held in high regard by people around the world and brings direct economic benefit to Scotland and the local economy.”