Star date: 21st January 2010

HOUGH ENDS IT ALL – ALMOST!

Nice to see that folks at the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA) have been reading about their MARY BURNS AWARDS.

Days after the NWDA won three gongs in the `He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother' category, the interests of its Chairman, Robert Hough, were, er, updated showing how he'd ended his bucketful of directorships with Peel Holdings…well, almost…

Full story here…

Salford Star readers may recall how we drew attention to the links between public funding body NWDA and Peel Holdings - owners of MediaCityUK, the Trafford Centre, the Manchester Ship Canal and all that's green in Salford - via three awards in the `He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother' category of the Mary Burns Awards this month. 

To prove the point, we highlighted the numerous Peel directorships of Robert Hough, Chairman of NWDA and ex Deputy Chairman of Peel Holdings, as seen on the NWDA website.

Days after the Mary Burns Awards were announced however, Hough's register of interests was suddenly `updated' showing that in August 2009 he gave up his directorships in lots of Peel companies - just to underline that there's absolutely no conflict of interest at work in the mind and actions of the ex Peel Holdings Deputy Chairman who is now the NWDA Chairman.

The directorships that Hough `disposed' included…

Peel's Barton Airport in Salford, now known as City Airport Manchester Ltd
Manchester Ship Canal Developments Ltd, Peel Holdings Management Ltd (Chairman), Peel Holdings (Airports) Ltd, Peel Airports Ltd, Liverpool Airport Development Ltd, Liverpool Airport Investments Ltd, Liverpool Airport plc, Peel Airports (Liverpool) Ltd, Peel Airports Holdings Ltd and Peel Airports Leasing Ltd.

Hough is, however, still a paid director of Peel Holdings Management Ltd, and declares a positive interest in the company…

So that's ok then…

• Robert Hough is also getting paid as a director of North West Business Link and as a board member of the Learning and Skills Council, has unpaid board roles in Business in the Community North West Advisory Board and New East Manchester Ltd, and is a member of the powerful Northern Way Steering Group. 

• Robert Hough also `disposed' of four other Peel airport directorships

• Robert Hough is still a director of PJ Kennedy Investments Ltd, PJKl Ltd, Provident Financial plc, Styles and Wood Group, and Turley Associates Ltd, as well as being a governor of the University of Manchester

See NWDA Mary Burns Awards here, and here, and here...