James Grundy MP: A review of football governance

Despite what the name may suggest, the summer recess is not a break for MPs, rather it provides MPs with a chance to return to their constituencies for a longer period of time and in order to keep up to date with local concerns and the views of their constituents.

Unfortunately, my ability to meet face-to-face with my constituents was somewhat limited, given that we had a series of Covid-19 measures enforced across Greater Manchester.

Instead of holding the coffee shop surgeries I had arranged to take place in August, I held a series of digital surgeries, meetings, and Covid-19 Q&As instead.

During recess, my team and I carried on regularly monitoring emails, my social media and letters sent to my office, and continued to reply directly to local people’s concerns.

An issue that several constituents contacted me about most was the decision to place Wigan Athletic into administration, just days after new buyers took over the club. It may come as a surprise to some, however there are Wigan Athletic supporters within the Leigh constituency, despite the otherwise long-standing but friendly rivalry between the two areas.

This isn’t the first time that clubs in the surrounding area have been failed by their owners, the likes of Bolton and Bury have too experienced similar problems, which begs the question; is the fit and proper persons’ test really fit for purpose?

Upon learning of the news of Wigan Athletic’s administration, I wrote to both the English Football League and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, The Right Honourable Oliver Dowden MP, to ask why this situation, as previously seen at Bolton and Bury, has been allowed to happen yet again, despite fans raising clear and reasonable concerns about the recent Wigan Athletic takeover.

I also echoed the calls of other MPs, whose local football clubs have also experienced similar issues, for a review of the fit and proper persons test, an enquiry into the situation at Wigan Athletic, and the launch of an independent football regulator, to ensure situations like those seen at Wigan can be avoided before such problems cause significant damage to teams which are often at the heart of many local communities.

I’m pleased to say that since I made my enquiries, the Government has responded to confirm that they have committed to a fan-led review of football governance, which will include consideration of the Owners’ and Directors’ test, and that the scope and structure of this review will be announced shortly. I will, of course, continue to monitor this matter closely.

As many of you know, another big issue locally over the summer recess period was the Wigan borough’s inclusion within the Greater Manchester wide lockdown measures, and during my last column, I outlined my reasons for fighting the decision for our area to be included given our low infection rates.

Once we were brought out of the local lockdown, I resumed my plans for public meetings across the Leigh constituency, hosting two well attended surgeries at both the Spinning Gate Shopping Centre and Parsonage Retail Park.

Although I am now back down in Parliament and summer recess has now come to an end, I will continue to endeavour to hold such events at my constituency office, local coffee shops, cafes, and local shopping centres, to ensure that local people continue to have an opportunity to raise their concerns directly with me.

As always, details of such events will be available on my social media platforms and should you ever need my assistance or want me to address an issue or concern you have, please do not hesitate to get in touch, and I will do what I can to help.

My email address is [email protected] and you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/james4leigh