THE threat hanging over Musselburgh Racecourse exploded into a political row last night as the Scottish Green Party’s two Lothian MSPs blasted the “secrecy” of how East Lothian Council controls the course.
Later today the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is expected to confirm its decision to strip Musselburgh of its temporary licence and thus force the cancellation of the fixture planned for the evening of Friday, July 14.
A last-minute plea by the Labour group and council leader Willie Innes for the BHA to hold off until he can convene a meeting of the Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee (MJRC) next Tuesday is set to fail, as the BHA must tell owners, trainers and jockeys at least seven days in advance that a meeting is going ahead.
Feelings are running high in Musselburgh over the likely cancellation as an evening meeting boosts the local economy by tens of thousands of pounds.
One local bookmaker told The National: “If the council can’t fix this by tomorrow, many of us will lose a lot of money, and so will pubs and guest houses – I know of people who will have to cancel stag and hen parties and lots of corporate hospitality and that will not be forgotten.” The BHA is insistent that there be an independent review into the governance of Musselburgh which is the only racecourse in Britain which is directly run by councillors – four of them, including two new councillors who were only elected on May 4, sit on the MJRC with three members of the Lothians Racing Syndicate, the trio being long-term racing professionals.
It is the long-running dispute between councillors and the syndicate which has led the BHA to call for an independent review, not least because East Lothian Council refuses to act on the findings of two such previous reviews.
Now Alison Johnstone and Andy Wightman, Green MSPs for Lothian, have intervened.
Johnstone said: “This is a major local employer and the secretive way it is run has put its future in jeopardy.”
Andy Wightman, Land Reform spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said: “Musselburgh racecourse uses common good land and should be run transparently in the interests of the community but instead its management is shrouded in secrecy.
“East Lothian Council’s leadership have stuck their heads in the sand in response to very serious allegations about governance and votes of no confidence in management. The racecourse needs to be opened up to public scrutiny if it is to have a future.”
The BHA sated: “As has already been made clear to the licence holder, MJRC, the BHA is minded to grant a renewal of Musselburgh’s racecourse licence subject to the agreement of the MJRC to an independent governance review and implementation of any recommendations by December 31, 2017.
“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.”
Innes did not return The National’s calls but in a statement issued by the council he said: “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 therefore proposing to convene a meeting of the MJRC next week, in which all members, including councillors and representatives of the Lothian Racing Syndicate, can consider the proposal.
“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.”
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