December and January pay dates and deadlines

December 2026 and January 2027 salaries and wages will be paid earlier than usual.

While every effort will be made to ensure payment, employees and managers should ensure that all claim forms are submitted by the dates below. Claims which arrive after these dates cannot be guaranteed for payment given the reduced working days.

Date of submission	Timesheets required	Payment date
8/12/26	Actual hours for week ending 6/12/2026	17/12/2026
15/12/2026	Actual hours for week ending 13/12/2026	7/01/2027
5/01/2027	Actual hours for week ending 20/12/2026   Plus amendments only for w/e 27/12/2026 & 03/01/2027.	14/01/2027

 Note – any overtime worked over New Year will be included in your pay on 14/01/2027.

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4 weekly pay

Pay date Thursday 26 November 2026 - normal payment, no amendment required

Next pay date due Thursday 24 December 2026 will be paid early on Tuesday 22 December 2026.

To ensure an accurate payment all relevant information must be with Payroll Section on or before Wednesday 2 December 2026.

Next pay date: Thursday 21 January 2027.

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Monthly salary (including Permanent Teachers/casual and supply claims)

Pay dates Tuesday 22 December 2026 and Wednesday 27 January 2027.

To ensure accurate payment all relevant information must be with Payroll Section on or before Wednesday 2 December 2026 and Tuesday 5 January 2027 respectively.

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Please email hr@eastlothian.gov.uk if you have any queries about these deadlines.

Christmas 2026 - last posting dates for UK and international services

Royal Mail Customer Services has confirmed the last posting dates for this Christmas.

Last posting dates for inland services

Date	Service
Friday, 18 December	2nd Class 2nd Class Signed For
Saturday, 19 December	Royal Mail Tracked 48®*
Monday, 21 December	1st Class 1st Class Signed For
Monday, 21 December	Royal Mail Tracked 24®
Wednesday, 23 December	Special Delivery Guaranteed®

Last posting dates are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change by Royal Mail.

International delivery

You can find a list of Royal Mail's published delivery aims in its Country Sending Guide. If you are sending gifts or goods to the USA, please note, that recent changes to customs procedures may affect delivery times. For more details about these changes and how they may affect items you send to the USA, visit the dedicated web page.

To see all the last posting dates please visit Royal Mail's Get ready for Christmas page.

WIN! Two tickets to Peter Pans, the Brunton's panto 2026

If you're looking for the perfect way to kick off the festive season, the Brunton has an exclusive competition to get you in the Christmas mood.

You can win two tickets to Peter Pans at 7pm on Friday 4 or Saturday 5 December at the Brunton Corn Exchange, Haddington.

Join the cast of professional actors and a talented chorus of young local performers for a swashbuckling adventure packed with laughter, favourite songs and magical panto mischief!

To WIN simply complete this phrase to tell us how to get to Neverland:

"Second star to the right, and...."

Send your answer to Inform mailbox (inform@eastlothian.gov.uk) by 5pm on Friday 27 November.

A winning entry from all correct answers received will be selected at random and the winner will be notified by email; their details will be passed to The Brunton marketing team to make necessary arrangements. The winner will be able to choose which performance they wish to attend either 7pm on Friday 4 or Saturday 5 December 2026. The tickets are not transferrable to any other dates and there is no cash alternative.

Armistice Day: two-minute silence at 11am on 11 November

On Wednesday 11 November at 11am, colleagues will join people across the country in observing the traditional two-minute silence, a moment to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made in the past and the importance of peace in the present.

A ceremony will also be held that morning for veterans and those with connections to the armed forces within our council.

Our Armed Forces Champion, Provost John McMillan said: “Each year, Remembrance gives us an opportunity to come together to honour all those who have served and sacrificed, and to reflect on the impact of conflict, both past and present.

“Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day are important moments for communities across East Lothian to come together and reflect on the sacrifices that have been made.

"The two-minute silence is a simple but powerful act of remembrance, connecting generations and reminding us of the importance of working to build a peaceful world. I would encourage everyone to take part wherever they may be at 11am on 11th November.”

Remembrance parades

Communities across East Lothian came together at a series of remembrance parades and services which took place on Sunday, 8 November to honour the service and sacrifice of those who gave their lives in conflict.

Events were held in Pencaitland, Tranent, Elphinstone, Haddington, Ormiston, Prestonpans, North Berwick, Cockenzie and Port Seton, Wallyford, Longniddry, Musselburgh and Inveresk, offering residents the opportunity to reflect and pay tribute to the men and women who have served in the armed forces.

Armed Forces Network

Colleagues who are veterans or who have a connection to the armed forces and have not yet received an invitation can find out more about the special reception on 11 November by emailing armedforcesemployeenetwork@eastlothian.gov.uk

Council-wide collection for East Lothian foodbank

Thanks to everyone who responded to our appeal for volunteers to support a council-wide collection for East Lothian Foodbank in last month's Inform.

Collection points will operate between Monday 23 November to Friday 4 December in the following locations:

• Blindwells Primary School
• George Johnston Centre
• John Muir House - ground floor (revenues), first floor, second floor (PA Hub and Children's Services)
• Penston House - ground floor (reception), first floor (roads and Contact Centre)

The East Lothian Foodbank has suggested the following items for any donations, which will be gratefully received by them and the people they work with:

• tinned soup
• long-life milk or fruit juice
• tinned fruit and vegetables
• tinned meat or fish
• pasta and pasta sauces
• baked beans
• rice
• cereals
• rice pudding or custard
• tea or coffee
• basic toiletries

Look out for posters appearing soon around workplaces soon. 

Could you coordinate a donation point in your area?

We're keen to reach as far as we can across our council. Contact inform@eastlothian.gov.uk and we'll continue to update this list.

Community engagement review, proposed visitor levy and planning decisions: committee round-up

Recent meetings have focused on our council's response to Public Sector Reform proposals, an independent review of community engagement, a proposed visitor levy and to make planning decisions. Papers are available to read online and recording of all public meetings can be found on our public-i system. 

East Lothian Council – 27 October

Independent review of community engagement

The findings of an independent review of our council's approach to community engagement, carried out by Professor Donna Hall CBE, were recently presented to elected members.

The review recognises many of the strengths already in place across East Lothian, including strong community spirit, dedicated council employees, positive partnership working and the important contribution made through structures such as Area Partnerships, community councils and locality planning.

The report also identifies opportunities to strengthen how we work with communities in the future. Key themes include building stronger relationships, supporting greater community influence in decision-making, strengthening partnership working and embedding community engagement more consistently across the organisation.

At the recent full council meeting, elected members noted the review findings and agreed that further work will be undertaken to consider the recommendations, their implications and potential next steps.

This work will involve engagement with council services, elected members, community representatives and partners, and will help inform future discussions on how community engagement continues to develop across the organisation.

A further report setting out proposed responses and recommendations will be brought to a future Council meeting.

East Lothian Visitor Levy

Councillors approved the next phase of work on a potential East Lothian Visitor Levy.

Members voted unanimously to agree to further research and an assessment of all options (including not introducing a Visitor Levy) plus an independent review of evidence and additional economic analysis. 

A draft Visitor Levy Scheme for East Lothian was agreed in June 2026 and a 12-week period of consultation and engagement followed. 

A Visitor Levy offers the potential to generate significant additional investment in the infrastructure, facilities and services that support tourism, enhance the visitor experience and benefit our local communities.  

A further report will be presented to Council at a later date, consolidating the independent review and the council’s assessment work, together with scheme options, recommendations and any further consultation requirements. 

The full report is on our website.

You can read the news article here. 

Planning committee – 3 November

An application for a multi-use community, leisure and entertainment space at Dunbar was approved by East Lothian Planning Committee on Tuesday 3 November.

TheSpace Scotland Community Interest Company applied for the facility on land West of Broxburn, Dunbar – a triangular piece of agricultural land between the A1 and the East Coast mainline, known as Dunbear Point.

Committee members voted unanimously to approve the application with additional conditions including around transport planning, a walking and cycling route and drainage solutions all to be agreed at December Planning Committee. 

The second application was from Harbour Business Centres Ltd for a student residence building at Harbour Point, Newhailes Road, Musselburgh. Planning permission was sought for the demolition of the existing office building and the construction of purpose-built student accommodation. The proposed C-shaped building would be between five and six storeys in height, stepping down to four storeys on the north boundary, with 270 student studios with kitchens and en-suites.

Committee members voted five votes to three to refuse the application. The grounds for refusal were that the scale and design were not in keeping with the area, there was inadequate parking provision, inadequate amenity space and there was noise impact for potential student residents of the development from surrounding uses. 

You can read the full article on our website. 

Housing news: rent consultation begins and Landlord report published

Consultation with tenants ongoing as our landlord report is published.

Landlord report to tenants published

Our latest landlord report to tenants has been published.

Covering 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 the report provides an insight into the work of our housing teams during that period.

Positives include the delivery of 71 new build properties, good performance on emergency and non-emergency repairs and a high level of tenant satisfaction.

New policies and strategies to reduce the number of empty properties and reduce the re-let turnaround times are showing improvements and we will continue this positive work.

Homelessness remains a challenge as we continue to find ourselves in a housing emergency, however the team will continue to do their best to reduce the time people spend in temporary accommodation. 

Read the full report online and the news release here.

Rent consultation process

Council tenants are being asked for their views on a proposed minimum 6.5% increase in rents during 2027/28 as part of our rent consultation for the next financial year. This equates to an average of £6.09 per week and is below last year’s 7% increase.

The resulting investment would allow us to continue to provide housing services and invest in our existing and new council housing. Our rents remain some of the lowest in Scotland for council housing.

All council tenants have been sent a letter or email explaining the proposals for a rent increase for 2027-28 and asking for their feedback. 

The views of tenants and the East Lothian Tenants and Residents Panel (ELTRP) will be considered and a report then taken to the special council meeting in February 2027, when councillors will take a decision on the wider council budget – with the rent increase forming part of that process. 

The consultation runs until Sunday 15 November.

Read the full story on our website. 

 

Seasonal parking charge suspension in three North Berwick car parks

Parking charges are suspended at three car parks in North Berwick as part of seasonal parking management arrangements.

Charging at the Glebe, Imperial and Lodge car parks was suspended on Sunday, 25 October and will not resume until Monday, 29 March 2027.

Under the Traffic Regulation Order, these car parks are free to use during the winter period with charges not applying between the last Sunday in October and the last Sunday in March.

The remaining parking restrictions and charging arrangements introduced in the town on 1 June will continue to operate as normal.

The seasonal charging suspensions at the Glebe, Imperial and Lodge car parks form part of the parking management scheme in North Berwick approved by Council. 

Our officers arranged for the payment machines at these car parks to be switched off and covered until 29 March.

Any impact resulting from this seasonal change, including any effect on parking patterns and displacement, will be monitored.

More information can be found on our North Berwick parking scheme page.