Shaping our future
When looking to the council's future, the focus remains on delivering essential services to our local communities. However, with projected financial savings required over the next five years amounting to nearly a quarter of our annual running costs, it's clear that we must adapt and innovate to continue deliver these services. Your skills, experience, and insight are critical in helping us navigate these challenges as we implement new ways of working and build a sustainable East Lothian Council for the future.
Earlier this year, elected members agreed three new short-term priorities to reflect the current financial challenges we face:
- Ensure the financial sustainability of the council through the delivery of approved savings and transforming the way we deliver services
- Target resources on statutory services and focus on the highest risks and those most in need
Deliver key infrastructure, economic development and environmentally sustainable projects within available council resources and maximising external funding.
You said, we did: putting your ideas to work
Your ideas are key to the council’s continuous improvement. At the start of 2024 we asked for your ideas, and we had a fantastic response with 761 suggestions submitted. Over 400 suggestions are being considered as part of continuous improvement within services.
Ideas with broader, strategic implications are being progressed as part of the portfolio of transformation projects, with many already underway and continuing into 2025. Significant projects include:
- Developing a strategy and roadmap for our core IT systems
- New systems for housing management and finance
- New council website
- Rolling out Microsoft 365
- Identifying and prioritising opportunities for using technology to support the automation, simplification and improvement of our business processes
- Sponsorship and advertising
- Parking strategy
- Assessing the potential for using council data to support decision-making
- Energy transformation
- Corporate and place-making asset reviews
- New lets and bookings system
You can read more about what we have been doing on the 'Shaping our Future' page on the intranet.
We want to hear from you!
Do you have an idea?
Your continued involvement is essential in ensuring that we not only meet today’s needs but also build a stronger, more resilient council for the years ahead. Following the success of the Shaping Our Future ideas drive we are opening up the suggestion box again. We are looking for fresh, creative, and impactful ideas that can help address the challenges we face and shape the future of East Lothian Council and the communities we serve.
Tell us about your idea on the Shaping Our Future contact form