Scottish Parliament election 2026

East Lothian took to the polls on Thursday 7 May for the Scottish Parliament elections.

Our council co-ordinated voting and count arrangements across two new constituencies: Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent and East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs. This followed a review of electoral boundaries to take account of Scotland’s changing population and create constituencies that are roughly equal in size.

Paul McLennan (SNP) was elected to represent the East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs Constituency while Kate Campbell (SNP) was elected to represent Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent.

Both constituencies are part of the Edinburgh and Lothians East Region which is represented by:

• Kate Nevens - Scottish Green Party
• Angela Ross - Reform UK
• Irshad Ahmed - Scottish Labour Party
• Miles Briggs - Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
• Q Manivannan - Scottish Green Party
• Katherine Sangster - Scottish Labour Party
• Kayleigh Ferguson Kinross-O’Neill - Scottish Green Party

Constituency Depute Returning Officer Hayley Barnett paid tribute to everyone involved, saying: “Facilitating elections across two constituencies was an immense challenge. With a combined electorate of 120,488, over 25,000 postal votes were issued while 248 polling staff worked across 39 polling stations. I’d like to thank everyone who worked at and supported the election and especially our core Elections Team for their dedication and professionalism to ensure the efficient and accurate delivery of results.”

The ballot boxes were delivered to Meadowmill after polls closed at 10pm on 7 May and the pre-count verification process – where checks are carried out to make sure that all boxes have been returned and accompanying paperwork is complete – were undertaken. The boxes remained sealed and were held securely overnight. On Friday 8 May, nearly 200 people came together at East Lothian Indoor Bowling Centre and Meadowmill Sports Centre to count the ballot papers before the results were declared in the bowling centre in front of candidates and their teams.

In figures

Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent constituency

• electorate: 60,707
• total votes cast: 31,645
• turnout: 52.1%
• total number of rejected ballots: 172

East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs constituency

• electorate: 59,781
• total votes cast: 35,789
• turnout: 59.9%
• total number of rejected ballots: 137

Edinburgh and Lothians East Region

• electorate: 564,571
• total votes cast: 320,286
• turnout: 56.7%

Full results are available from our website.

Whitecraig Primary School finalist for design award

Whitecraig Primary School has been nominated for a prestigious design award.

The Scottish Design Awards celebrate Scotland’s most inspiring architecture, creativity and the talented people behind it. The judges consider the best projects across 34 categories to recognise and reward design excellence.

Whitecraig Primary School is a finalist in the ‘Education Building or Project’ category alongside four other projects. The building, which was designed by our in-house architect team, opened to pupils in January and draws on the village’s mining heritage with a modern twist through charcoal grey brick reminiscent of coal and industrial-inspired copper coloured cladding. Calm colours and textures within provide a soothing environment for learning while light-filled spaces and ample use of glass offers views throughout the school and outside.

The Scottish Design Awards take place on 24 June at the Double Tree Hotel in Glasgow.

Good luck to everyone involved in the project.

North Berwick parking scheme to go live on 1 June

The enforcement of measures to improve parking management in North Berwick town centre will begin on Monday, 1 June.

The measures include the introduction of three Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ), waiting restrictions and parking charges, and a permit system. Under the scheme, time limits and charges will vary across three zones to address different parking demands in the town with a recognition that many trips into the town centre are very short:

• charges across the zones is from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and Sundays 1pm to 4pm. Tantallon Terrace is 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 1pm to 6pm on Sundays.
• High Street and Kirk Ports car park offer free parking for up to 45 minutes. Parking for up to 75 minutes will cost £1 while there will be a £2 charge for parking up to a maximum of 90 minutes to help incentivise the turnover of parking spaces in these central locations
• in other locations within the town’s Controlled Parking Zones, including Imperial, Lodge, Glebe and Castle Hill car parks, parking will cost 50p for 30 minutes, with Glebe car park offering 15 minutes free parking before charges apply
• Sewage Works and The Haugh car parks are designated for cars, campervans and motorhomes and offer up to 60 minutes for 50p. It will then be 50p for each 30 minutes thereafter up to eight hours (or £15 for up to 24 hours)
• parking at the community centre and museum/library will be free of charge but restricted to their customers only with a tablet to sign-in on entry. Parking outwith the Controlled Parking Zones will remain free, including the car park at the Recreation Park
• Imperial, Glebe and Lodge car parks will continue to provide free parking from last Sunday of October to last Sunday of March

Parking permits

Parking permits are available to purchase online at www.eastlothian.gov.uk/NB-parking. Information on permits was shared directly with residents in the CPZs.

Permits are available for: 

• residents and their visitors
• Short-term lets
• Health and social care workers - employers can apply on behalf of their workers
• RNLI - the Station Manager can apply on behalf of volunteers and staff

All permits are linked to the car's registration. Parking attendants will use handheld devices to check for a valid permit or parking ticket. 

Full details of the scheme, its hours and parking options are available from the website: www.eastlothian.gov.uk/NB-parking 

Website replacement project: preparing for launch in June 2026

Our website is often the first point of contact residents have with us - whether they’re paying council tax, reporting an issue, booking a service, or simply looking for information. That’s why we’re excited to be preparing for the launch of our new website on Tuesday 16 June 2026.

The new site has been designed around resident needs, creating a modern digital gateway to council services that is clearer, easier to navigate and simpler to use.

Getting ready for ‘go-live’

Thanks to the significant work carried out across services, the majority of website content is now ready for review, testing and refinement ahead of launch.

Selected services are currently testing the new site to check:

• accuracy and consistency of information
• ease of navigation
• common customer journeys

We’ve also involved local library users in testing, helping us gather valuable feedback directly from residents and communities.

This milestone reflects the huge amount of work completed by our Web Editors and Web Team, whose dedication and ongoing support have helped bring the project to this stage. Thank you to everyone involved.

Helping us deliver a smooth launch

If you are aware of anything taking place around the launch date that could be affected by the website change - such as a council meeting, consultation launch or communications campaign -  please let the Web Team know as soon as possible by emailing webteam@eastlothian.gov.uk.

Similarly, if you manage or own a form (including Liberty Create forms) that contains links to council webpages, please contact the Web Team with details of the form and related links. Early visibility will help us put redirects in place and minimise disruption for users.

Sneak peek of the new website

Employees can now get a first look at the new website, with more walkthrough videos of the most popular user journeys to follow.

This preview introduces the new look, structure and user experience residents will soon see.

If you would like to view your service’s pages before launch, please speak to your departmental web editors about arranging a short demo at a team meeting.

What employees can expect

Ahead of launch:

• guidance will be shared on available support and how to raise feedback once the site goes live
• communications will be issued through partner networks and social media to help residents prepare for the change
• the website address will remain the same, with redirects in place to guide users to the correct pages

The new website has already been described as “clean, clear and calming”. While it will look different from the current site, it has been designed to feel intuitive and easy to use.

To help build familiarity and confidence, employees are encouraged to:

• explore the new website, particularly the service areas relevant to their role
• take a quick look after launch if they work in customer-facing roles, helping them confidently support residents and answer questions

Find out more

Our Website Replacement Intranet Site includes:

• project updates
• information on the benefits of the new website
• videos showcasing the new design and functionality

You can also find details of your departmental web editors on the intranet.

For any specific queries, please contact the Web Team directly at webteam@eastlothian.gov.uk.

Together, we’re opening a new digital front door for East Lothian - thank you to everyone who has helped us get here.

Get your free ticket! Young Carers Film Premiere

A new film created by young carers in East Lothian will premiere at the Fraser Centre Cinema on 11 June – and staff and partners across the community are invited to attend.

Produced by young carers aged 9 to 17, the film aims to help schools, services and the wider community better understand the vital role young carers play and how they can be supported.

The project was led by the Young Carers Advisory Group, which successfully secured funding through the East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership and the Youth Lead Fund.

Explaining their motivation for creating the film, members of the group said they wanted to ensure “everyone is aware of Young Carers”, adding that “everyone needs to know that we always care.” One young person also shared that the project “gave me the opportunity to work with some great people to make a great change.”

Raising awareness and understanding

The film features young carers speaking openly about the practical, emotional and medical support they provide for family members, as well as the challenges and opportunities they experience. It also highlights the impact caring responsibilities can have on education and shares what young carers would like schools and services to do to better support them.

Combining live interviews with original animations, the film was planned and created by the young people themselves, who also composed and recorded some of the background music.

The premiere will take place on Thursday 11 June 2026 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm at the Fraser Centre Cinema in Tranent. Four young carers will introduce the screening, followed by light refreshments and an opportunity to meet those involved in the project.

To reserve a place, email mprior1@eastlothian.gov.uk.

ICO helps parents to be switched on to children's privacy

The Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) has launched a new campaign to help parents keep their children safe online.

Switched on to privacy was developed to help parents and carers of 4- to 11-year-olds to talk about online privacy.

“Just as parents would talk with their children about road safety or speaking with strangers, online privacy is another life skill children need as they grow up. Small, regular conversations can help children understand what personal information is, how it’s used, and how to make safer choices online,” an ICO spokesperson explains.

Three steps for parents

The campaign is built around three steps:

• chat with your child about online privacy
• choose actively what personal information to share
• check the settings whenever your child uses a new device or app

Small conversations now can make a big difference as children grow up.

Open conversations

Our Infrastructure & Security Team Manager Graham Burke was part of the campaign’s launch. Although Graham and his wife have an ‘offline only’ policy for their primary-aged daughter’s tablet, the family has already started having open conversations about what to share and what not to share.

"I want her digital footprint to be as small as possible at the moment. I think it’s important to let it be her decision, so when she wants to do it, it’s her choice what to share,” says Graham.

“My advice to other parents is to be really open and honest, give your children the tools to evaluate what is appropriate to share, make their own decisions about what to post, and then trust them.”   

Find free tips, videos and conversation starters from ICO switched on to privacy website.

 

Sign-up window is open for garden waste collection permits

The registration window for the garden waste collection service opened on Monday, 11 May.

Permit applications can be made using a myeastlothian account on our website until the sign-up window closes at 4pm on Monday, 6 July.

The garden waste permit charge will increase to £40 this year after remaining at £35 since their introduction in 2024.

Around 24,000 householders registered to use the scheme last year.

Permit holders will benefit from fortnightly collections between 31 August 2026 and 27 August 2027.

Permit stickers will be delivered in August to every household which signs up showing the address and permit number for the registered property. Collection crews will only empty brown bins with a valid sticker clearly displayed and they will check the sticker details match the address. There is a strict limit of one brown bin per household. 

Residents will also receive a calendar with the permit pack displaying the day and week of their bin collection.

Email reminders were sent out to anyone who signed up online to last year’s service through a myeastlothian account.

I need a brown bin

If you do not have a brown bin at your property, register for a permit first then contact wasteservices@eastlothian.gov.uk to order a bin and we will arrange to have one delivered to your address.

Can I opt out?

Households do not have to use this service, and residents can dispose of garden waste free of charge at our recycling centres.

Garden waste including grass cuttings, leaves, bark, flowers, plants, hedge trimmings, weeds, twigs/small branches are all accepted materials in brown bins.

For flats with shared areas, it is the residents’ responsibility to organise registration and payment for the service. This may be done by splitting the cost but only one person should order the permit and pay the full amount.

Detailed design work set for Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme

Comprehensive design work will be undertaken on the proposed scheme to reduce flood risk in Musselburgh following a full Council meeting.

Elected members approved starting Stage 6 of the project (detailed design) early due to “continuing uncertainty” caused by a recently imposed funding cap on the national flood protection scheme programme and deadline changes.

In their report to the meeting held on 28 April, our officers recommended advancing to this stage to “help ensure the scheme’s delivery” if it receives consent from Scottish Ministers following an upcoming public local inquiry (PLI).

This work on the Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme (MFPS), which aims to reduce flood risk for up to 3,200 properties in the area, will now begin while the PLI is ongoing.

The report set out the legal requirement to advance the detailed design for the full scheme as approved by Council last September. This will enable us to satisfy the criteria for Scottish Government funding and also meet deadlines imposed by recommendations from COSLA (the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities).

The scheme’s funding cap of £35.6 million was announced in February 2026 by the Scottish Government and COSLA after a review of Cycle 1 flood protection projects across the country.

Following the PLI, Scottish Ministers are expected to make their final decision on whether the scheme progresses in late 2026 or early 2027.

Head of Infrastructure Tom Reid said: "We remain fully committed to delivering the scheme as notified to Council in January 2024 but given recent decisions by the Scottish Government and COSLA, a signed construction contract must be in place by around February 2028 to maintain its eligibility for national funding.

“By starting the detailed designs to proceed concurrently with the PLI and preparing for procurement, we can address these delivery challenges within the constraints of available funding and meet this deadline.

“That work can proceed while the PLI is giving anyone with an objection to the current proposals the opportunity to express their concerns before Ministers make an independent decision on its future.

“A phased construction approach and business case, which will be recommended to Council, should make it eligible for future national grant funding awards for flood protection programmes.”

Elected members voted unanimously to approve moving to Stage 6, detailed design, which is expected to begin around August and take 24 months to complete at an estimated cost of £6m.

Last September a preliminary decision was made to confirm the proposed MFPS without modifications during a special Council meeting. Ministers decided to ‘call in’ the scheme last December and subsequently appointed a Reporter to conduct the PLI.

Planning Committee seeks more detail on repowering of Crystal Rig windfarm

East Lothian Planning Committee met on Tuesday 5 May and heard two applications; the repowering of Crystal Rig windfarm, and details of a new home in Dirleton. 

Committee members debated an application from Fred Olsen Renewables Ltd for construction and operation of a repower of Crystal Rig One wind farm, consisting of up to 10 wind turbines including six turbines with a maximum overall height of up to 230 m and the remaining four turbines with a maximum overall height of up to 200 m, at the existing windfarm 10km south of Dunbar in the Lammermuir Hills. 

The application will be determined by the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit. East Lothian Council is a consultee on the application. The consultation was called off the Scheme of Delegation by Councillor Jardine due to the community interest. 

The proposed development refers to the existing Crystal Rig One site, which was established in 2003 as one of Scotland’s first onshore commercial-scale wind farms. Its operational life of 25 years ends in 2027. The site currently comprises 25 turbines which will be decommissioned to enable the construction of the proposed development, which will have an operational period of 35 years. 

Environmental Impact Assessment Report omits surveys

While the windfarm itself is mainly in the Scottish Borders, access roads for the transportation and construction work lie in East Lothian. Our Biodiversity Officer highlighted several omissions from the developer’s Environmental Impact Assessment Report including up to date ecological surveys for the entire route and an up to date tree survey. It was also a concern that the Outline Construction Environmental Management Plan provided did not specifically mention the access route within the East Lothian Council boundary.

Objection submitted

Following a debate, members voted unanimously to submit an objection to the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) at this stage. They also agreed that the our Chief Planning Officer be authorised to undertake discussions with the ECU to seek to resolve these objections and that conditions be agreed and attached to the consent if required. 

Members also voted unanimously to approve conditions for the erection of a house on land north of Speedwell House, Main Road, Dirleton, which had been approved at a previous Planning Committee meeting in March 2026.

You can read the full article on our website.