Pinsent Masons appointed to review governance of Musselburgh

The independent review into the governance of Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee, the body that runs Musselburgh racecourse, will be carried out by legal firm Pinsent Masons.

The course's future was threatened in July after civil war broke out between the four East Lothian council representatives and the three members of the Lothian Racing Syndicate who form the seven-person committee.

However, the BHA issued a last-minute reprieve in the form of a temporary licence, which was provided on the condition that an independent governance review would be undertaken.

The appointment of Pinsent Masons, one of the UK’s largest law firms, was welcomed by the Lothian Racing Syndicate and East Lothian Council.

Working with the LRS

LRS chairman John Prideaux said: “Pinsent Masons has a strong record in sport-related and common good issues and we're pleased they have been appointed, after competitive tender, to conduct this important review.

"We look forward to contributing to the report and to a timely conclusion and implementation of the recommendations as required by the BHA.”

An East Lothian Council spokesperson added: “We're pleased that, following a procurement exercise, Pinsent Masons has been appointed to conduct the independent governance review.

"We're working together with the LRS and look forward to seeing the review progress, as well as the continuation of a successful racecourse facility.”

Musselburgh's temporary licence expires at the end of December this year but can be extended if the BHA sees demonstrable progress with the review and the implementation of all reasonable recommendations.

Earlier in the summer it had seemed likely that fixtures would be lost after the failure of the MJRC to agree a budget led to the BHA giving Musselburgh only a temporary licence.

That licence was initially not renewed after the MJRC failed to meet a BHA deadline for agreeing to an independent governance review.

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