Public local inquiry for proposed Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme

A public local inquiry (PLI) will be held into a scheme to reduce flood risk in Musselburgh after Scottish Ministers wrote to us confirming they would ‘call in’ the proposals.

A preliminary decision was made to confirm the proposed Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme without modifications during a special meeting of Council on 30 September 2025.

During that meeting, councillors also approved a separate amendment asking Scottish Ministers to consider the proposals and establish a PLI. The final decision on the scheme progressing would then be made by Ministers independently.

Fresh consideration

In their letter confirming the decision last month, Ministers stated a public local inquiry would “provide an opportunity for fresh consideration of the proposed scheme through an external, independent process”.

The scheme will now be referred to the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division in the Scottish Government who will appoint a Reporter to hold the inquiry. Once a Reporter is appointed, it's understood an update on the process will be possible and that they will contact all relevant objectors.

Musselburgh’s flood history

The proposed scheme, which aims to reduce flood risk for up to 3,200 properties in the Musselburgh area, moved to the next stage of development following September’s Council meeting. That preliminary decision was taken after our officers presented a report setting out the history of flooding in Musselburgh and the increasing threat it poses from the river, the coast, and the impacts of climate change. In addition, the report detailed the engagement carried out with the local community to help develop the proposals.

Councillors further agreed that the project team, working in consultation with the planning authority, should seek to deliver 54 changes to the proposed scheme.

The proposed scheme has been developed to bring about a major reduction to the flood risk to Musselburgh, preventing flood water spilling onto the natural flood plains on which the town was built over the centuries.

New Year, new school for Whitecraig Primary

Whitecraig Primary colleagues and pupils have started the New Year in a new school.

Staff were on hand last Wednesday to welcome children to their new school which has been developed on land adjacent to the previous building.

Designed in-house

Designed by our in-house team in the Strategic Asset and Capital Plan Management service, the new school provides a striking landmark at the village’s western edge with its charcoal grey brick exterior, copper-coloured cladding and accents and sawtooth-shaped roof.

The building has eight classrooms and an Early Years centre to meet demand from a growing school population in the area.

A new signalised junction with Whitecraig Road was included as part of the project to create a safer route for cyclists and pedestrians.

Calming and nurturing spaces

Inside our interiors team has chosen colours, textures and finishes to create calming and nurturing spaces that reflect the area’s local history and landscape with ample references to the natural world. A palette of gentle greens echoes the fields around the village offset by soft blues and blush pink with timber dividers and light maple doors.

Flashes of mustard mirror the school’s yellow badge while charcoal and slate-coloured wall and flooring finishes link to Whitecraig’s mining heritage.

The project received funding from phase one of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme, administered by Scottish Future’s Trust. Morrison Construction was awarded the £18.5m contact in February 2024 following a competitive tender process. 

'New possibilities'

Whitecraig Primary School Head Teacher Viv Short said: “Opening the doors of our new building at Whitecraig Primary School is a truly special moment for us all. It represents not just new walls and classrooms, but new possibilities for our children - spaces  where curiosity can flourish, confidence can grow and every young person can be supported to be the best they can be.

“Whitecraig Primary School has always been at the heart of its community, and our new building strengthens that connection, providing a welcoming place for families, partners and neighbours to come together. We are immensely proud of this next chapter and deeply thankful to everyone who has helped make it possible.”

Work has now begun to disconnect and safely demolish the old school building before the ground is landscaped.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this project.

Vision for East Lothian's young people published

A new strategy has been introduced to make sure young people are safe, heard and included in our area. 

The East Lothian Youth Vision is our Strategy for Youth Work over the three years from 2026 to 2029. 

Our Vision is that, through youth work, young people in East Lothian are safe, heard and included.

Developed by young people

The document was developed by young people, youth work organisations, our council and key partners across East Lothian.

This plan sets out our goals for 2026-2029. It outlines how we will deliver positive impacts for young people, focusing on three core goals:

• children and young people feel safer in their communities
• children and young people’s ideas and experiences will be heard, listened to and acted upon
• children and young people feel included in their communities

Working collaboratively

To make this happen, we’ll work collaboratively and track progress through an oversight group. Each year, we’ll publish an Impact Report to celebrate achievements, share stories, achievements and reflect on challenges.

One of our first priorities in 2026 will be to work with a group of young people to produce a young person-friendly version for the Youth Vision.

Young people have already shared their experiences on the importance of youth work, highlighting how it helps them to gain independence and new skills. One commented “since it is getting dark in the evenings my mum lets me stay out later because i am in youth club,” while another added “To feel included we need options... we want the same opportunities as other people get.”

Find out more

Read the East Lothian Youth Vision on our website and, to find out more please, email Connected Communities East Lothian. 

Learn more about two of our fabulous Specialist Youth Workers, Vanda and Janet, in this month's Inform.

Safe, secure and suitable for everyone

All colleagues are being reminded of the importance of their role to secure information, buildings and keep shared working spaces fit for everyone.

Information security and clean desk policy

Our offices hold large amounts of information about the people and organisations we work with. Much of this is sensitive, personal data and we have a responsibility to keep this secure.

• keep your laptop locked when away from your desk (ctrl+alt+del) and securely stored in your locker if away for a longer period of time
• tidy any paper files away appropriately and in secure locations in line with your service arrangements to make sure the information it contains remains confidential
• avoid 'informal meetings' in corridor and communal areas or taking phone calls when private and/or confidential matters may be overheard by others. Instead plan ahead and use pods or meeting spaces for confidential discussions

Building security

• always wear your ID when in the office don’t allow anyone you don’t know into the building
• make sure that doors fully shut behind you when entering or leaving the buildings and, if you see anything suspicious, speak to reception team
• if you are expecting a visitor please make sure they are met and escorted to the meeting place and also escorted back to the public areas afterwards

Shared spaces

Our offices are shared spaces that all colleagues can use. To keep them suitable and to support our facilities management team, please:

• tidy away any personal effects in shared spaces and use sanitising wipes provided to clean the keyboard, mouse and any surfaces
• please clean your own mugs, cutlery and plates and help to keep the communal kitchen areas tidy
• if you have a meeting and provide refreshments to attendees, please clear everything up after your event and leave kitchens clean and tidy
• take a turn at exchanging full recycling containers for an empty one

Thank you for playing your part to keep our information and building safe and secure and our shared spaces tidy.

East Lothian Reads

What are you reading?

Something big is coming in January 2026. We want everyone in our communities to be talking about what they’re reading.

And we’re not just talking about traditional books - it can be everything from comics, magazines and graphic novels to newspapers real or virtual, blogs and audio books.

Our library service has secured £16,000 funding from the Scottish Government’s Public Libraries Improvement Fund for this year-long reading for pleasure project.

While libraries will be at the heart of this new project, we’re focusing on our communities and looking for individuals to join us as ambassadors and for community groups to get involved.

What’s it called?

East Lothian Reads. Nice and simple and we hope you will be seeing our logo all over East Lothian next year.

Why are we doing this?

We want everyone to know that there are so many benefits to reading for pleasure. Lots of studies have shown that it not only helps our young people with their learning and attainment, it can also reduce stress levels for people of all ages. Compared to non-readers, regular readers are 86% more likely to report feeling a sense of belonging to their community, 58% are more likely to report feeling generally happy, 51% are more likely to report finding it easy to relax and 45% are more likely to report sleeping well. They are also 35% more likely to say they don’t feel lonely and 32% more likely say they don’t feel anxious or depressed.

Families understand how important it is for their children to learn to read but with less time and fewer resources, supporting them to do so can feel like something else to add to the long list of parenting activities to feel guilty about not having time to do. It takes a village to raise a child and we’re asking the whole East Lothian community to get behind us in supporting our children and young people discover the benefits of reading for pleasure and those participating will also reap the benefits. Reading regularly can improve wellbeing, increase empathy, reduce loneliness, and tackle poverty. Just 10 minutes a day can make a difference!

More detail

We’ll be making an official announcement at the end of this month but to give you a preview, we’ll be holding events in communities for adults, children and young people, in each of the area partnership localities. These events where possible will not take place in libraries - this campaign is designed to appeal to those who are less likely to be engaged in reading already.

A panel will choose three collections of books across the year with multiple copies of each book available for loan in libraries and through our eBook and eAudiobook platforms.

We’ll be supporting interested services, groups and organisations to get involved with resources available if required. We’ll be inviting members of the public and partners to join us at a couple of events learning how we choose the books available for loan in our libraries and involving them in the process to help ensure our stock reflects our local communities. We’ll be working with school classes to involve them in redesigning library class visits.

Our ask of you

We have a number of working groups led by members of our libraries team and would like to invite anyone who would be interested in bringing your knowledge and experience to join us either in a working group or as a participant in the project. The groups will meet on Teams, attendance is not required at each meeting, but any input would be very much valued.

• planning and organising events - our experience is in appealing to readers, your perspective would support us to think more widely about what might appeal to your communities and clients
• selecting books for the collections - we want these collections to have as wide an appeal as possible, and potentially be available outside of libraries - could you help with this?
• engaging with partners - you know your communities and clients well and could help us engage with those less likely to use libraries to find out how we can best support them
• designing toolkit activities - we’d love your ideas on how to ensure our toolkit activities are simple to use and have the potential to engage as wide an audience as possible - are there ways we can support you with resources to participate in your own spaces or with your clients? Can you help us evaluate them?
• promoting the campaign - with your knowledge of your local community and clients, could you be reading ambassadors or identify others to do this, helping spread the word, encourage reading conversations and get East Lothian reading

We’re working with the literacy strategy leadership group to evaluate whether the project has influenced attainment and will be measuring community involvement through qualitative and quantitative measures looking at levels of interest and engagement at the beginning, end and throughout the campaign.

Our aim is that you’ll see the East Lothian Reads logo across the county over the coming year from our launch towards the end of January onwards. If you’re interested in the project and would like to get involved in any capacity then please contact us at libraries@eastlothian.gov.uk or speak to a member of staff in your local library.

Help us create beautiful music together: musical instrument lending library seeks donations

Our Arts and Library Services are asking the public to consider donating any unwanted musical instruments to help in the creation of a new Instrument Lending Library for East Lothian.

The Library Service are adding musical instruments to their lending collections, creating an Instrument Library - where people can borrow an instrument for six weeks at a time, at no cost.

To enable this to happen, they are asking for donations of unused/unwanted instruments which will then be given a service before being added to the library catalogue.

People can drop off donations at Musselburgh, Prestonpans, Tranent, Haddington, Dunbar or North Berwick Libraries, or Library HQ at Dunbar Road, Haddington, during opening hours.

Community Music Development Officer Charlotte McMillan, said: “We need donations of instruments to get started. From clarinets to violins, cornets to mandolins, anything goes! We are also looking for donations of digital equipment for either music production or DJ-ing. If you have any items sitting around unused that need a new lease of life, please consider letting us care for them. We will maintain them and make sure they are put to good use.”

People may wish to borrow an instrument to find out if they would like to learn to play it, to relearn an old skill, to take part in a workshop, or just to have some fun. This project allows our libraries to breathe new life into old instruments, allowing all ages the chance to make music. Along with instruments, borrowers will be issued with a guide to help them start playing and basic instrument care instructions.

This is a fantastic opportunity to re-use instruments and to spread the joy of music. All donations are welcome, but for large instruments such as tubas, cellos and drumkits, or if donating more than a couple of instruments, donors are asked to fill in a form first on our website www.eastlothian.gov.uk/arts or email hannah.mccooke@mepgscotland.org .

This new initiative from our Arts and Libraries Services, is in partnership with We Make Music initiative from the Music Education Partnership Group (MEPG). Founded in 2015, MEPG is a network of music-based organisations with a Scottish focus. It was set up to promote and celebrate the life-long benefits of a music education and to advocate that the transformative potential of music should be experienced by everyone in Scotland. 

The project is funded by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative through MEPG, with support from East Lothian Council’s Arts Service and Library Service.

 

Step Count Challenge 2025 update

30 Teams walk their way to success

In November 2025, 30 teams from across our services took part in Walking Scotland’s Step Count Challenge - and the results were incredible!

Over four weeks, colleagues logged their daily steps, supported each other and embraced the benefits of staying active. Thanks to the efforts of our Healthy Working Lives group, every team was able to participate free of charge, ensuring no barriers to getting involved.

The numbers speak for themselves:

Total steps logged: 34,403,484

Top-performing teams:

1. 1. Roadrunners (17^th overall) 2,239,560 steps
   2. Tranent Trailblazers (19^th overall) 2,214,928 steps
   3. Planning Pacemakers (44^th overall) 1,996,155 steps

Beyond the impressive stats, participants reported feeling more energised, focused and connected with colleagues. Many discovered new walking routes and enjoyed the chance to get outdoors during the darker months.

The Step Count Challenge will return later this year, and we’d love to see even more teams join in! Start thinking about who you’ll team up with and keep an eye out for more details soon.

Museums highlights from 2025

Throughout 2025, our museums hosted a diverse range of exhibitions celebrating local heritage, creativity, and stories. Displays explored the rich history of Dunbar Town House, showcased treasures from the council art collection, and paid tribute to local D-Day veteran Charlie Horne.

We were proud to exhibit works by Ukrainian artists, displays from Martha Ellis, Kenneth Wilson, Fisherrow-born artist and musician James Burnet Munro (1925–1990) and his family, NorthLight Arts, and the European Land Art Festival. Young people across East Lothian inspired us with climate-action-themed artworks, while another exhibition delved into the fascinating history of Dunbar High Street shop fronts. A particular highlight was an extraordinary collection of Scottish artworks generously loaned by a local collector.

Many of these exhibitions were researched and developed by local individuals and groups, with our team providing support every step of the way.

Alongside our vibrant exhibition programme, we delivered events as part of Doors Open Day, the East Lothian Walking Festival, Dunbar Art Route, and Archaeology and Local History Fortnight. We celebrated local industries with Brick Day and Pottery Day and even hosted an Escape Room designed by S2 pupils from Dunbar Grammar School - a real crowd-pleaser!

2025 at a glance:

Visitors: 29,235 in total (23,973 adults and 5,262 children/young people), including 39 school and learner groups

Loan boxes: 33 boxes used, reaching around 250 adults and 840 children

Events: 31 for children, young people, and families; 27 for adults

Collections: 68 new objects accessioned

Exhibitions: 17 exhibitions, 10 of which were community-led - each the result of countless hours of collaboration

Volunteering: Over 900 volunteer hours supporting front-of-house, research, collections work, and more

Visitor feedback:

• 84% rated John Muir’s Birthplace as “very good”
• Around 60% said their visit to John Muir’s Birthplace inspired lifestyle changes in response to the climate emergency
• 94% rated Prestongrange Museum as “very good” or “good”

We’re excited for a busy and fun 2026, but for now, we hope you enjoy this snapshot of a great year!

Scottish Parliament Election: Poll and count staff needed

Our Election Team are looking for staff to work at polling places on Thursday 7 May and at the count, taking place during the day, on Friday 8 May. A fee will be paid for all election roles.

Training is mandatory for all poll staff; online training to be completed at a time convenient to you and a briefing session via Teams will take place on Tuesday 21 April, 6pm to 7pm.  Additional in-person training will be available for new poll staff.

The count will take place, during the day, on Friday 8 May, therefore, with your manager’s approval, it will be possible to work on both polling day and the count. Staff will require their manager’s authorisation to release them for the day(s).

You are not required to take annual leave or flexi to work on polling day and the count.

You must be 18 or over.

If interested, please complete the application form and return to the Election Team elections@eastlothian.gov.uk by Friday 6 February.

Download and complete the application form available through the homepage of the intranet.

External staff also have the opportunity to apply to work on polling day, further details available here

For further details please contact elections@eastlothian.gov.uk

Planning Committee approves plans for glamping pods near Pencaitland

At a meeting of East Lothian Planning Committee yesterday (13 January), members approved plans for four glamping pods on land east of 23A Boggs Holdings. 

The application was first heard at committee in August 2025 but was continued to allow the applicant the opportunity to address some of the points raised during the debate, which included the size of the development, location of parking, management arrangements and the impact on neighbouring properties, the local road and animals in the adjoining field. The proposal was then revised and re-submitted by the applicant. 

Changes included; the number of glamping pods reduced from six to four, the location eight metres further away from the closest neighbouring property, a remote parking area, an increase in proposed planting and landscaping, additional new fencing, fire beater stations and changes to the management plan and audio monitoring system.   

A total of 15 objections were received, mainly citing the potential impact on neighbouring properties. 

Following a debate, there were five votes in favour of upholding the officer’s recommendation to approve the plans, with two additional conditions, and five votes to refuse permission. Convener Norman Hampshire’s casting vote meant the plans were approved. The additional conditions are that details of external lighting and fencing be submitted and approved by the Planning Authority in advance of development. 

The relevant application number is 24/01122/P.

Employee consultations go live

Our HR team has two employee consultations going live tomorrow. 

Employees are invited to review and feedback on the council’s draft Prevention of Sexual Harassment policy and refreshed Redundancy policy. Consultation opens Thursday 15 January and will be available via the links below. The consultation will close on Thursday 5 February 2026 and all feedback is welcomed.

Review and comment on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment policy 

Review and comment on the Redundancy policy