Chief Executive, Laurence Rockey

Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone who came along to celebrate the achievements of staff across the council at the Inspire Awards on 5 November. I had the pleasure of co-presenting the ceremony with the Provost at Haddington Corn Exchange and it proved to be a truly inspiring evening. It was an honour to play a part in recognising colleagues who have made an exceptional contribution, and my warmest congratulations go to the winners and to all those who received a well-deserved nomination. It was a fantastic event and a welcome opportunity to mark some of the amazing work the council does all year round.

It's been another exciting and busy month for me. I visited Penston House to meet a group of web editors from across the council to learn more about the planned move to our new website next year (pictured right). With our current website Content Management System (Jadu) reaching the end of its contract in August 2026, we’ll be moving the website onto a new system called LocalGov Drupal. This will allow us to modernise the digital experience for our customers by offering an efficient and accessible website which meets their needs. We’re making wonderful progress thanks to the collaboration of different teams on this project, and we can look forward to providing a significantly improved online service.

Dedication in their work

Our usual Business Week activities were extended this year to become East Lothian Business Month. It was a great success, and we’ve received glowing feedback from the businesses involved. We highlighted a number of local businesses on our Invest East Lothian website and our social media accounts, and the Economic Development team hosted events across the county including Women in Business: Spark and Scale, Travel Trade Workshop, and Drop-in and Connect. I was pleased to be given the opportunity to deliver a welcome speech at the Drop-in and Connect event held at the Marine North Berwick on 30 October. This was the finale for the month and more than 100 people met and networked with 25 exhibiting council services and partner organisations. There was a great atmosphere in the room and lots of valuable connections were made. I’ve been fortunate to visit a range of businesses across the county since coming into my post and learn more about their vital role in further growing our economy.

I also visited Musselburgh Grammar with Head of Education Nicola McDowell (pictured right) followed by Dunbar Grammar and Dunbar Primary as part of my programme of visits to every school in East Lothian. As always, it was a privilege to meet the teachers and headteachers who show such dedication in their work every day and especially the pupils who impress me every time with their energy and commitment to learning. I’ve now been to 16 of our schools and look forward to visiting the rest in the months ahead.

Finally, I’d like to encourage any colleagues interested in working at a polling place or at the count for the Scottish Parliament Elections on Thursday, 7 May 2026 to register a note of interest. It’s an important moment for East Lothian and critical we deliver a robust and efficient election. For the first time, I will be responsible for two constituencies (Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh & Tranent and East Lothian Coast & Lammermuirs) and I am looking for experienced and new staff to work on both polling day and the count the following day. It is brilliant to be part of an election, and I hope as many people as possible come forward to get involved.

You can look out for more updates in my next weekly vlog!