Our People

Contact Centre's Cath retires after 48 years

Cath Cummings retirement profile pic Preparing to retire on 29 August after 48 years with the council feels “surreal”, admits Contact Centre Supervisor Cath Cummings.

Cath started with the then East Lothian District Council in August 1977 straight from Ross High School on a youth opportunity programme. Originally based within the planning department and attending college on a day release scheme, after six months she secured a permanent role in property maintenance. She remained with the service for 28 years, inadvertently paving the way to her current role in the Contact Centre.

“I was based in Brewery Park dealing with invoices when I first started in property maintenance,” explains Cath. “All the invoices would come over from the stores department then I would process them and take them over to finance. We took turns on reception desk dealing with suppliers when they came in, and then I started doing the tradesmen's timesheets, manually processing them and passing them to finance before answering any queries.”

Improving customers' experiences

Cath’s first steps into what has become the council’s contact centre began in a temporary unit in Macmerry dealing with housing repairs calls. The potential to develop the service more widely became clear and it has since grown into one of our primary channels of customer communication. Over 50 people work in the contact centre at Penston House, handling more than 500,000 calls every year including our community alarm service which offers vital support for vulnerable residents in their own homes.

“It’s funny as I was trained on the switchboard when I first joined the council at 17. It had wires that you had to plug and unplug to direct calls. It sounds like it was 100 years ago but it wasn’t!,” laughs Cath. Eventually the switchboard function also moved from Haddington to the contact centre and the team continues to find new ways to improve customers’ experiences, most recently launching an online chat function on the website.

“There’s always something new to learn at the contact centre,” says Cath. “I get excited with any new systems that we introduce. Anything that improves customer interaction or customer service: that makes our customers’ lives easier. I loved speaking to my customers on the phone and really missed that.”

"I'm going to miss it all"

As someone who thrives on being busy, Cath admits that retirement is going to be a change but it’s something she’s ready to embrace. With a close-knit family, including her daughter Kendal and granddaughter Mae, and plans to join a health club, there’s no doubt that she will quickly find a new routine. However she is going to miss the role, her colleagues and contact centre teams. “I like being busy and there's nowhere else in the council that I would have wanted to work,” she says.

“I've done customer services all my life and I love it. You’ll never be bored! The thing I’ve liked about the contact centre is that there’s so much change and we learn something new every day. It’s a great place to work with a really good team – the staff do an amazing job. I’m going to miss it all.”

Thank you! Celebrating staff compliments

Individuals, teams and departments across the council regularly receive compliments from residents, visitors, staff and businesses. Here's a selection:

Comment from supplier: Thank you so much for your help. I would like to say you are the most efficient county council I have ever dealt with. Everyone I have had dealings with have been efficient and professional, from planning to council tax, and I would like to pass on my thanks to you all.

Local resident: Waste Services. I Just wanted to say a quick thank you to the refuse collectors who collected our brown bin today. My daughter was having a bit of a meltdown so we distracted her by letting her watch the bin lorry, one of the staff gave her a cheery wave and it’s made her day. She’s gone off to nursery wanting to be a bin man! Thanks so much to whoever it was that waved, you made our morning much less chaotic!

Visitor comment: Amenity Services. I have recently visited Dunbar and just want to say what a stunning park and playground is in Dunbar, well done - the flowers were amazing. I loved the town and area as well, can't wait to come back.

Local resident: Planning. I wish to bring to your attention the excellent ongoing professionalism and extremely kind support I have recently received from Mr Neil Millar, a member of staff within East Lothian's Planning Department. I am currently in the process of seeking planning permission for a woodland hut within Bothwell wood and my planning consultant, suddenly became unwell near the end of June 2025 and was admitted to hospital.

As you can imagine I was floundering, thankfully, Mr Millar very kindly guided me through the remainder of the process and he couldn't have been more helpful, kind or quietly professional. He is a terrific credit to you team.

These days, people are very quick to criticise, but rarely praise, especially when it comes to council planning decisions. Mr Millar's guidance and attention to detail has allowed me to appreciate the extremely difficult, but vital job planning officers do and he thoroughly deserves to be commended in the highest terms to yourself and East Lothian Council.

Local resident: Musselburgh East Community Learning Centre. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your kindness and help when my mum had a fall outside the centre. You were so caring and professional and it made a very stressful situation for me so much easier. She got home from accident and emergency with five staples in her head and is doing fine.

Family of local resident: Community Response Team. The team came out yesterday to promptly fit a new digital community alarm. Thank goodness, as mum left a pot on the hob this morning and the smoke alarm was triggered so the Community Response Team were able to speak with her through the alarm and call the fire brigade. She hadn’t noticed the smell so was in a bit of a panic when the alarm sounded and couldn’t understand what was going on until she went into the kitchen which was filled with smoke. So really grateful that you arranged the new digital box and pendant.

Local resident: Waste Services. Yet again, I am impressed that the recycling containers are neatly stacked rather than just being strewn where they might have landed after emptying. The garden waste and landfill bins are always similarly left – in a neat row. There is never any evidence of spills being left on the road. All of the collection crews have tough all-weather and often unpleasant jobs and receive little explicit appreciation for their work. Perhaps therefore a few words of recognition and thanks would not come amiss – as where would we be without their activities?

Meet Keith Dingwall: Head of Development

With a career spanning over 20 years in local government, our new Head of Development Keith Dingwall brings a wealth of experience and insight to East Lothian’s growth and sustainability. After graduating with a degree in Town Planning in 1998, he joined the authority as a Planning Enforcement Officer, an early role he fondly describes as “the planning police”, investigating unauthorised developments and gaining a deep understanding of planning legislation.

Keith’s career progressed, he was most recently Service Manager for Planning and Chief Planning Officer, before he was appointed our new Head of Development in May.

In his new role, Keith oversees not only the planning service but also economic development, tourism and major strategic projects including the creation of a new town at Blindwells, the development of the former Cockenzie power station site and the Innovation Park at Queen Margaret University.

Keith is passionate about fostering sustainable economic growth – places where people can live, work and play, saying: “In recent decades, there's been unprecedented levels of new housing in East Lothian which is helping to address the national housing crisis. However, growth brings challenges. It's important we're very careful that we ensure that we don't just get the housing, but we also get the necessary infrastructure because that's what makes truly sustainable communities.”