East Lothian groups honoured at Beautiful Scotland awards

Macmillan Coffee Morning update

The Children Services Team at JMH would like to thank all those who came along and made their recent Macmillan Coffee Morning event such a great success. Workers from across Children's Wellbeing and Action for Children contributed items they had baked, and brought in donations for the raffle.  

A grand total of £540 was raised, which will go towards helping to support people and their families through cancer.  

A massive thank you to all the staff helpers on the day making this a very enjoyable and fun event.

Lights, camera, action! Feature film starts shooting in East Lothian

Parts of Haddington and surrounding villages will be returning to the 1970s as scenes for a new feature film are shot in the area.

Borges and Me is described as a classic road movie set in the 1970s and based on the true events featured in Jay Parini’s ‘novelised memoir’ of his time as a graduate student in St Andrews during the period. In frantic flight from the Vietnam War, Parini leaves the United States for Scotland. There, through unlikely circumstances, he meets famed Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges. The pair embark on a trip to the Scottish Highlands, and on the way the charmingly garrulous Borges takes Parini on a grand tour of western literature and ideas while promising to teach him about love and poetry.

The cast includes Fionn Whitehead, who previously appeared in Dunkirk and Black Mirror, Alan Cummings and Peter Mullan, Frasier and Desperate Housewives' Harriet Sansom Harris and Chilean-Italian actor Luis Gnecco.

Gifford, Garvald and Haddington 

The production team began filming internal and external scenes at the Tweeddale Arms Hotel in Gifford at the start of October with another property on the High Street featuring (see picture below). Towards the end of the month they will be filming at the Garvald Inn, then moving to Haddington High Street which will double as Market Street in St Andrews.

The team behind the production has been working closely with council departments, particularly roads services, and Film Edinburgh on their arrangements. Film Edinburgh is the council’s film office, based in Edinburgh Council but working with East Lothian Council for over 20 years.

East Lothian on screen

In total, East Lothian has appeared in nearly 600 films and TV shows over the past 25 years. Eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted Tyninghame as a backdrop for Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy which aired on BBC One last Christmas. Recently, a new production of Frankenstein was filmed at Gosford and Seacliff Beach, as did The Buccaneers and Outlander.

Outlander has also filmed at The Mart in East Linton, Preston Mill, Newhailes House, Tyninghame Woods, Belhaven Bay, Ravensheugh Beach – in fact most of the coastline between North Berwick and Dunbar! And of course Haddington and Yellowcraig beach appears in a Hallmark romantic drama called A Scottish Love Scheme while Yellowcraig beach and Cockenzie were locations that will appear in a feature film called The Fall of Sir Douglas Wetherford, filmed last winter with assistance from council teams.

Find out more about East Lothian on Screen from the Visit East Lothian website.

Reporting accidents and incidents at work - it's easy

Our work activities can sometimes put us and others at risk of harm through injury or ill health.  Harm can be physical and/or mental. Reporting incidents that happen at work which cause harm or have the potential to cause harm, is essential for preventing future harm.

All work accidents and incidents of work-related ill health should be reported, no matter how minor. Incidents of verbal abuse and physical assault should be reported too.

Reporting means managers are made aware and can take some action to stop such incidents from happening again, which could lead to more serious consequences next time. Near misses – where people have narrowly avoided injury after something went wrong – should be reported too, as they can be investigated, and solutions found to reduce the likelihood of injury or ill health happening in the future.

Imagine if you found discarded needles on a work visit to a property, and you narrowly missed a needlestick injury.  Reporting it rather than ignoring it means that others are alerted to the problem and precautions put in place, so you and your colleagues are prepared and protected if any future visits necessary. Precautions could include training, safety shoes, addition of the property to the Client Risk Register, or future communication by phone call where possible.

Reporting incidents can also show where there is a wider problem if similar incidents are happening frequently, whether it is a local problem or also happening in other departments.

How to Report

You should report an incident immediately to your line manager.

The incident should also be reported via Sphera incident reporting portal, either by:

• Selecting ‘Health & Safety – Report Incident’ icon in your drop-down list of Favourites (East Lothian Council folder) on your internet browser.

Or

 

• Selecting the ‘Report an incident’ button at the top of the Health and Safety webpage.

 

 Any employee with East Lothian Council computer access can do this.

There are several types of report forms – select the one you want to use after reading the descriptions next to the link. The forms are designed to be straightforward to complete.  Help is available from the health and safety team if you need it.

Important things to remember:

• Take a note of the Incident Number – you (or your manager) might need it later to add further details to your report.
• Press ‘Save details’ button at the bottom to ensure your report is logged.

Once recorded, the incident report will be allocated to the person in your work area who is responsible for investigating the incident and in charge of follow up action, such risk assessment reviews and updating control measures designed to protect you, your colleagues and others affected by the work.

Check with your line manager what the arrangements are if you don’t have access to a computer.

We need your help! If you don’t report, there is no record of the incident happening, and it’s less likely something will be done about it.

Further help on reporting incidents can be obtained from:

• doing the short LearnPro course ‘ELC: Incident Reporting’ within LearnPro Essentials - for all employees

the Corporate Health and Safety Team. Email: Healthandsafety@eastlothian.gov.uk

Planning Committee approves skate park at Hallhill, Dunbar

East Lothian Planning Committee met on Tuesday 1 October and approved an application for a skate park and pump track at Hallhill, Dunbar.

The application for a pump track, skate park, basketball court, café and changing room building on land south of Hallhill Sports Centre, Kellie Road, Dunbar, had been called off the Scheme of Delegation by Councillors McIntosh and Jardine due to the significant amount of interest and comment within the local community.

The skate park, basketball court, changing rooms and café will be delivered through the Dunbar Community Development and Heritage Trust, who will also manage the day-to-day operation of the facilities through an agreement with another community organisation. The land and the facilities will continue to be owned by the council but managed by DCDHT through a Service Level Agreement. The café and toilet facilities are expected to be open between 10am and 10pm every day. An agreement has been made to fence off Dunbar Primary School car park and use it in the evenings  and weekends when the school is closed. The council will create a new park entrance from the access road to the school at Hallhill Sports Centre.

A total of 76 representations had been received, of which 55 objected to the application, 20 supported the application and one made comment. Reasons for objection included that the location is an area of green space used by local wildlife and it is in a secluded area where young people congregate and the proposals would exacerbate anti-social behaviour. Reasons for support included that there is little for children to do in Dunbar and thus the addition of a pump track and skate park near the school and sports centre would be hugely popular and would provide outdoor facilities for new families who move into the area.

Council officers had recommended that consent be granted and, following a debate, committee members voted unanimously to approve this recommendation.

Members also voted eight votes to three (with one abstention) to remove a condition attached to planning consent for Dandara East Scotland Ltd, who are building 125 homes, business units, allotments and a play area on land on the south side of Tantallon Road, North Berwick. The condition stated that a footpath should be constructed between the northernmost part of the site to the Tesco supermarket. Dandara applied to have the condition removed as they had built the path up to their site boundary but the land beyond that belonged to Tesco so they were unable to comply with the condition.

An application to build a three storey house to the east of St Andrew’s House, St Andrew Street, North Berwick, was unanimously refused. The application had been called off the Scheme of Delegation by  Councillor Allan, who felt that the development appeared to be a sympathetic and efficient use of a gap area in North Berwick town centre. Ten letters of objection were received, stating various reasons including loss of privacy to neighbouring properties and gardens, loss of daylight to neighbouring properties and that the design was not in keeping with the Conservation Area.

Permission was unanimously granted for alterations to Romanes Pharmacy in Dunbar High Street, to fit a pharmacy dispensing machine. Planners had originally recommended refusal of the application but, following discussions with the applicant, an amended version of the proposal, featuring a smaller dispenser unit, was recommended for approval. The original application was called off the Scheme of Delegation List by Councillor Collins, who believed it would be of benefit to the town.

An application for change of use of agricultural land for the formation of a battery energy storage system on land to the north of Dunbar Grid Substation, was unanimously approved, in agreement with planners’ recommendation.

Applicant FRV TH Powertek had previously submitted a Proposal of Application Notice and, as part of this, had carried out public consultation events. The application site lies 2.5km south west of Dunbar, 850 metres from Pitcox hamlet. The facility will store and supply energy for export to the grid as and when required, typically at points of peak demand. One letter of objection was received, concerned about the potential loss of prime agricultural land, fire, pollution and potential visual impact.

An application for the installation of solar panels at Staggs bar, North High Street, Musselburgh, was unanimously approved. The application had been called off the Scheme of Delegation by Councillors McIntosh and Forrest due to local interest in the local community.

Staggs bar is a two-storey, end-terrace Category C listed building to the north of the Brunton Hall. 

Applicant Nigel Finlay applied for permission to instal 27 solar panels, measuring 1.7 by 1.1 metres each, on the principal (south) roof plane of the building. Separate Listed Building Consent was also sought for the installation. One written objection was received from the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland. Planners had recommended refusal as the panels would detract from the character and appearance of the listed building. Following a debate, committee members voted to grant permission for the panels.

The relevant application numbers are; Dunbar (skate park) 24/00126/P, North Berwick (removal of condition) 24/00117/PM and 15/00670/PPM, North Berwick (erection of one house) 24/00527/P, Dunbar (pharmacy dispenser) 24/00605/P, Dunbar (battery storage) 23/01519/PM, Musselburgh  24/00267/P and 24/00264/LBC.

Changes to PVG: essential information

The way PVG checks are being carried out is changing from April 2025 onwards. The Provisions of the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 are gradually being rolled out by Disclosure Scotland and it is vital that East Lothian Council is prepared and ready for these changes.

The Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 aims to:

• focus on protecting the public, while balancing the need for people to move on from offending
• simplify the process for disclosing criminal history information.

The Scottish Government consulted with stakeholders in developing the Act. It had three rounds of scrutiny at the Scottish Parliament and became law in July 2020. Disclosure Scotland will make the changes required by the Act from 1 April 2025.

The Act will lead to:

• changes to disclosure checks
• changes to Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme membership
• new powers for Disclosure Scotland
• new powers for councils and integration boards

Changes to disclosure checks

For disclosure checks:

• 'Level 1' and 'Level 2' checks will replace the current basic, standard, enhanced and PVG disclosure levels
• individuals will be able to ask for an independent review of some disclosure content
• individuals will be able to explain the context for certain spent or childhood convictions before they're disclosed

Changes to PVG scheme memberships

From 1 April 2025, PVG membership will become mandatory for all regulated roles with children and protected adults

From 1 April 2026, lifetime PVG scheme membership will end. This will be replaced this with a time limited membership that will last five years before it needs to be renewed

New powers for Disclosure Scotland

Disclosure Scotland can bar people from working with children and protected adults after an investigation. The Act gives the body new powers to impose conditions on people while it investigates. The conditions end when we reach a decision to bar them or not.

New powers for councils and integration boards

The Act gives local councils and integration boards new powers to make referrals to Disclosure Scotland. This is to better safeguard people who have set up their own care and support arrangements, such as self-directed support or employing people directly.

Updated guidance has been created for all East Lothian Council managers and is available from the Intranet ( ). Please refer to it and contact the council's Disclosure Team if you have any questions.

New website for EMPPC

East and Midlothian Public Protection Committee is about to launch a new website developed for it by the communications team in Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration. 

The new site is easy to navigate with accessibility and translation tools. It brings together general and specific information and guidance on all areas of the public protection landscape as well as the contacts that give you one-to-one guidance where required and links to local and national procedures.

The site goes live on Monday 7 October and will be linked through the council's website too. Find it at www.emppc.co.uk

New assessment to consider Children's Rights

New Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments have been introduced to make sure the council is meeting its responsibilities towards children’s rights. This applies to all services.

To support, embed and extend children’s rights in Scotland, the Scottish Government introduced the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act, which received Royal assent in January 2024.

The Act sets out an expectation of a Scotland where children’s human rights are embedded in all aspects of society, empowered to give their views and be included in conversations on matters that affect them.

Policy, law and decision-making must take account of these rights. In doing so, it makes it unlawful for a public authority “to act, or fail to act, in connection with a relevant function in a way which is incompatible with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) requirements.”

In bringing in the Act, listed public bodies are required to recognise, respect and promote children’s rights in what they do. To work towards facilitating these rights within East Lothian, and to ‘not act incompatibly’ with the Act, East Lothian Council has committed to completing Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments (CRWIA).

A CRWIA is a tool which enables us to understand how what we do, be it a proposed policy, decision or action, might affect a child’s human rights. It helps to test that what we do, or propose to do, is not incompatible with those rights.

It should be applied to all new policy and practice and includes a screening tool to check for relevance which is applicable to all services.

Visit the dedicated pages on our intranet for more on UNCRC and Children’s Rights. Search U in the A-Z of services.

For more information on Children’s Rights Wellbeing Assessments please contact Policy Officer Linda Alexander.

Specialist personal trainer wins Young Entrepreneur Award

A personal trainer from Tranent has scooped the East Lothian Investments Ltd Young Entrepreneur Award. 24-year-old Sam Stevenson of SS Coaching won the £1500 prize, which he says has moved his new business on six months faster than planned.

The award was open to 16–25-year-olds and was set up to encourage and celebrate young entrepreneurship in East Lothian’s young people.

SS Coaching started trading on 1 January 2023 and Sam was encouraged to apply for the award by Business Gateway Adviser Irene Ramsay. SS Coaching provides personal training and strength & conditioning coaching to those looking to improve their sports performance from individuals to members of local sports teams right up to professional athletes. Sam, along with his business partner Jake Beveridge who runs East Lothian Barbell, have joined forces in a new venture based at their premises at East Fortune, to offer bespoke programming and individualised one-to-one performance coaching. They have used the funding to buy equipment for the gym facility, helping them leap forward with their business six months earlier than in their business plan.

Sam said: “The prize massively helped with the start-up of the gym. We were awaiting planning permission on our new unit when I applied for the competition, therefore the timing was perfect, as we knew the start-up costs of opening our own gym for the first time were going to be significant. Due to the little capital that we had to start up our business and given the fact that we had a deposit to pay on the unit, alongside the high price that comes with buying gym equipment, winning the prize made all of this far more achievable, and took the stress off the coming months. This has now allowed us to begin planning forward, looking at potential pathways to grow the business ahead of our business plan timeline.”

East Lothian Investments Ltd (ELI) is an arm’s length company of East Lothian Council. The fund is managed by employees of the council but governed by a Board of Directors. The board comprises two East Lothian Councillors and three private sector business people who provide their time free of charge to the company and who take the decisions to award or decline loan applications.

Loans can be applied for up to £25,000 and are interest free with an arrangement fee of up to 7.5%. ELI is open to businesses at all stages and all sectors, including start up.

Rodney Shearer, Chair of East Lothian Investments Ltd, said: “We are delighted to offer this prize to encourage entrepreneurship in young people. Sam very much deserves this accolade and I’m sure he and Jake will do a fantastic job to promote wealth and wellbeing across the community.”

Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian Council spokesperson for Environment, Economic Development and Tourism, said: “Sam is a very worthy winner of this award and I’m delighted that it has allowed him and Jake to drive their business forward by six months and to start planning for the future. They have demonstrated a commitment to providing very high quality fitness and health promotion to everyone from children to professional athletes and have obviously used the very latest research and training to provide the very best service they can, and it’s accessible too. I was also impressed by Sam’s systematic approach to business, using the excellent business support services, including our own Business Gateway in East Lothian. I wish Sam, Jake and SS Coaching the absolute best for a very bright future.”

As well as personal training for sports, SS Coaching also features unique equipment for less able or injured clients. They have also been working with groups of children (between 11 and 15) through their summer camp, which promotes health, fitness, confidence and safe strength training. Sam and Jake are passionate about equal opportunities and are eager to work with more young people and low income households in the future. They are also looking at developing an app for online coaching.

Anyone interested in finding out more can contact Sam or Jake via email or Instagram: @ss_coaching_ and @east_lothian_barbell

Works progressing at former Cockenzie power station site

Planning consent for groundworks on the site of Cockenzie power station was granted in June this year and works are now progressing to prepare the site for future development.

From Monday 14 October, the first trucks begun transferring bund material from the Cockenzie Coal Store Site to the former power station site to upfill that area to allow eventual future redevelopment.

Work up to this point has focused on creating the infrastructure needed for this movement of material, including: 

• erecting security fencing
• laying out the temporary haul road and setting up diversionary footpaths
• strengthening of the Edinburgh Road to allow trucks to cross

First trucks on the move

Those works have now been completed and the first trucks will be travelling from the coal store to the power station site, via the reinforced Edinburgh Road crossing. The truck crossing will be manned and light controlled to ensure pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle safety. An Ecological Clerk of Works is attached to the project to oversee vegetation removal and compliance with ecological conditions.

It is estimated the bund material transfer stage of the works will be completed by mid-Spring 2025. Remaining bund works will continue to the end of 2025. These works are 90 per cent funded by the UK Government.

New Link Road

Works to a new link road will also be underway soon and that is due to be completed by end summer 2025. The new road will link the Alder Road junction on the B6371 approach to Cockenzie with the existing B1348 road. Much of the route will follow an existing service road to the former coal plant and be complemented by a lane, largely set back from the main roadway, to encourage safe walking and cycling.

Hub South East is the council’s Development Partner on this project and they have appointed Balfour Beatty, who are carrying out the works on site.

More details and regular updates on the project are available on the council website.

Work continues at pace at the site of a new replacement Whitecraig Primary School

External timber panel walls on the ground floor have been installed along with window frames. Scaffolding around the perimeter is progressing up to roof level, and work on the stairwells is underway. Activity to erect external panels on the first floor will shortly start moving towards the roof, with works to create a flat roof in a separate part of the building to begin. 

A replacement primary school is needed in Whitecraig in response to a growing school population from ongoing and planned housebuilding in the area. The project will see the current 1959 building replaced to increase capacity by a new building suited to modern learning. Built on land adjacent to the current school, the new building combines eight classrooms with an integrated early learning facility behind a facade of charcoal grey brick and copper cladding panels and accents, including on some window surrounds. It was designed by the council’s in-house Architect and is being build by Morrison Construction. The school, which is expected to open during academic session 25/26, has received funding from phase one of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme administered by Scottish Future’s Trust. 

Once complete, the existing building will be safely demolished and the cleared spaces will be landscaped.