Councillor John Caldwell believes if you throw enough mud it will stick.

Unfortunately, he cannot hide from the scathing Investors in People report which lays bare his inadequacies and lack of leadership at Musselburgh Racecourse.

His selective memory and misrepresentation of the facts as to how the racecourse finds itself in this horrendous situation are too numerous to address individually, but let me outline some key points.

IIP first raised serious concerns in October 2013 and gave the racecourse 12 months to rectify the situation. In October 2014 they concluded the situation had worsened and removed IIP. A debrief between IIP inspectors and the MJRC should have followed shortly after.

Repeated attempts by the Lothians Racing Syndicate and racecourse general manager Bill Farnsworth to get Councillor Caldwell and his three fellow councillors on MJRC to arrange a debrief came to nothing.

It is curious that in the last two weeks, and five months after the event, Councillor Caldwell, ELC council leader Willie Innes and chief executive Angela Leitch seem in a terrible rush to arrange this debrief, no doubt to give the impression they are indeed addressing the situation.

For two years, the LRS and Mr Farnsworth have made repeated calls for Councillor Caldwell to be replaced. They have absolutely no confidence in him and consider he is causing considerable damage to the racecourse, a sentiment endorsed in the IIP report.

Council leader Innes steadfastly refuses to remove him. Why? Could it be related to the fact that leading up to the 2012 local elections, the Labour Group feared they would not have sufficient councillors to form an administration?

With the promise of the chairmanship of the MJRC, independent Councillor Caldwell’s support was secured and helped Labour, along with the Conservatives, to form the administration.

The Labour Group may well need Caldwell’s assistance next time around and they continue to court him, ignoring the overwhelming evidence that he should be removed. In so doing, they put their desire for political power first and the best interests of the racecourse last. I am sure East Lothian residents will be shocked to discover what is actually happening at Musselburgh Racecourse.

The racecourse does not ‘belong’ to one political party or another and should be managed professionally, regardless of who happens to be in power. An MJRC position should never be used as an inducement to do the bidding of one political party.

It is time for a complete review of how MJRC operates. The appointment of an independent, non-political chairperson who works collaboratively with ELC and LRS appointees is a first step and a must for the future prosperity of the racecourse.

There are many examples of the shambolic handling of racecourse affairs by the MJRC chairman but, instead of acknowledging or even addressing these facts, Councillor Caldwell resorts to personal abuse.

His allegations of bullying against me not only demean his office as a councillor but display the complete lack of leadership qualities to which the IIP report refers.

These allegations are not only totally without foundation but wholly defamatory and if they are repeated I will not hesitate to take legal action.

John Prideaux Chairman Lothians Racing Syndicate