Interim Chief Executive Lesley Brown

I would like to thank colleagues across the council for their support since becoming Interim Chief Executive on 17 February.

Although much of the work I’m involved with is familiar from my role as Executive Director, it has been a very interesting and busy couple of weeks.
I look forward to working closely with the CMT and other colleagues ahead of Laurence Rockey joining us as Chief Executive on 22 April.

On my second day in the role, elected members met to agree the council’s budget for 2025/26. Cross-party budget proposals had been developed in the context of significant cost pressures arising from growing demand for services and wider economic challenges.

In recent years, the gap between available funding and the council’s expenditure requirements has continued to grow. Although difficult choices had to be made including the decision to increase council tax, the agreed budget will enable the council to continue investing in significant priority areas such as adult social care, children’s services and education.

We know that the financial environment in which we operate will continue to be challenging and that, in the years ahead, further work will be required in terms of continuing to embrace transformation and innovation and building on the great work we’ve done to deliver services as efficiently as possible.

My thanks to all council services, particularly Finance colleagues, for their hard work in supporting the budget development process for the year ahead.

Aside from the budget-setting process, February saw the new gym area at the Aubigny Sports Centre in Haddington handed over to enjoyleisure.
The council has delivered this £1.1 million project, funded through developer contributions from new housing developments, and we look forward to hearing feedback on the modern facility from users.

We also saw the council join forces with Police Scotland to participate in a new initiative. Stickers attached to selected vehicles and equipment in the council fleet will encourage police officers on patrols to pull the vehicle over to verify ownership, if they are being driven outside routine hours of use. This is a very good example of partnership working which will hopefully address some of the challenges associated with rural crime.

March is always a month in which we start to feel the benefits from lighter mornings, longer afternoons and – hopefully – some better weather. It is also a busy time of year, including in our schools with many students busy preparing for their exams in the spring.

I hope you enjoy this month’s edition of Inform and find it interesting. If there is anything which you would like to see covered in a future edition, please get in contact by emailing inform@eastlothian.gov.uk

Lesley Brown

Interim Chief Executive