Musselburgh Racecourse boss sues own board in £10,000 pay row

THE boss of Musselburgh Racecourse is to sue his own board claiming he was unjustly docked more than £10,000 in wages.

Bill Farnsworth is taking the Musselburgh Racing Associated Committee to a tribunal.

Chief executive Bill Farnsworth is set to haul the committee in front of an employment tribunal in the latest chapter of a long-running power struggle at the top venue.

The Evening News understands his claim relates to a decision taken last November to deduct money from him over claims he was overpaid between August 2013 and July 2014.

Mr Farnsworth said: “It would be inappropriate to comment at this stage and I await the details to be aired in an upcoming employment tribunal.”

A hearing was initially scheduled for last Friday but is understood to have been postponed to a new date, likely to be September.

The GMB union has confirmed its support of Mr Farnsworth in his grievance when a hearing at the tribunal takes place.

Troubleshooters are set to be brought in to run the crisis-hit course - in a bid to bring an end more than two years of turmoil at the venue.

The Evening News reported in 2017 how sport governing body the British Horseracing Authority only granted a temporary licence amid governance concerns.

A newly devised board confirmed last June that a third party will be brought in to run the course - which sits on Common Ground - on behalf of East Lothian Council.

Talks to find new runners are ongoing and cloaked in secrecy but the Evening News understands the board are targeting giants of the sport.

They hope to secure massive investment as part of any deal to turn the 200-year-old course into Scotland’s premier racing venue.

The board initially hoped to complete the procurement process by the end of last year with the new set-up in place for this year’s diary.

A working group unanimously recommended that the long term operation of Musselburgh Racecourse is carried out by a third party operator.

The group was made up of East Lothian councillors, partners the Lothians Racing Syndicate and Mr Farnsworth.

It followed an independent governance review by lawyers Pinsent Masons which floated future options for the popular facility which counts Ladies Day among its biggest events.

A spokeswoman for East Lothian Council said of Mr Farnsworth’s pay grievance: “Personnel matters are confidential and so are not appropriate for public comment.

And of the governance of the course, she added: “One of the decisions taken following a governance review in December 2017 regarding the future of Musselburgh Racecourse was to seek a third party operator to run the racecourse and a procurement process is currently underway for this.

“The Council is currently on track to appoint and have a new contractor in place later this year.”