East Lothian Council Explained

East Lothian Council
Native Name:Comhairle Lodainn an Ear
Legislature:Full council election every 5 years.
Coa Pic:Coat of arms of East Lothian.svg
Coa Caption:Coat of arms
Logo Pic:East Lothian Council logo.svg
Preceded By:East Lothian District Council
House Type:Unitary authority
Leader1 Type:Provost
Leader1:John McMillan
Party1:
Labour
Election1:26 May 2017
Leader2 Type:Leader
Leader2:Norman Hampshire
Party2:
Labour
Election2:16 November 2021
Leader3 Type:Chief Executive
Leader3:Monica Patterson
Election3:2020
Seats:22
Structure1:United Kingdom East Lothian Council 2024.svg
Structure1 Res:280
Structure1 Alt:East Lothian Council composition
Political Groups1:
Administration
  • Labour (10)
    Other parties
  • SNP (6)
  • Conservatives (4)
  • Green Party (1)
  • Independent (1)
  • Voting System1:Single transferable vote
    Last Election1:5 May 2022
    Next Election1:2027
    Meeting Place:Council Chamber, Haddington Town House
    Session Room:Haddington town hall, East Lothian.jpg

    East Lothian Council (Scottish Gaelic: Comhairle Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 local government councils in Scotland covering the East Lothian area. Since the last boundary changes in 2017, 22 councillors have been elected from 6 wards.

    History

    East Lothian District Council had been created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, as one of four districts within the Lothian region (along with Edinburgh, Midlothian and West Lothian, each having some differences from the territory of their corresponding historic counties). All four districts of Lothian became single tier local authorities in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, when the council adopted its current name as East Lothian Council.[1]

    Political control

    The first election to the East Lothian District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the reforms which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1975 has been as follows:[2]

    East Lothian District Council

    East Lothian Council

    Party in controlYears
    1996–2007
    2007–

    Leadership

    The leaders of the council since 2007 have been:[3]

    Councillor Party From To
    2007 May 2012
    Willie Innes[4] 15 May 2012 24 Oct 2021
    Norman Hampshire 16 Nov 2021

    Elections

    Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[2]

    YearSeatsLabourSNPConservativeGreenLiberal DemocratsIndependent / OtherNotes
    18 15 0 3 0 0 0 Labour majority
    23 17 1 5 0 0 0 New ward boundaries.[5] Labour majority
    23 17 1 4 0 1 0 Labour majority
    23 7 7 2 0 6 0 New ward boundaries.[6] SNP / Lib Dem coalition
    23 10 9 3 0 0 1 Labour / Conservative coalition
    22 9 6 7 0 0 1 New ward boundaries.[7] Labour minority
    22 9 7 4 1 0 1Labour minority

    Premises

    The council is based at John Muir House, Haddington, which forms a modern extension to the County Buildings, Haddington, which had been the headquarters of the pre-1975 East Lothian County Council. Council meetings are held at Haddington Town House.[8] [9]

    Wards

    Ward
    number
    Ward nameLocationSeats
    1Musselburgh4
    2Preston, Seton and Gosford4
    3Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry4
    4North Berwick Coastal3
    5Haddington and Lammermuir4
    6Dunbar and East Linton3
    Total 22

    Notes and References

    1. See also Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website (OPSI home page)
    2. Web site: Compositions calculator . The Elections Centre . 22 December 2022.
    3. Web site: Council minutes . East Lothian Council . 22 December 2022.
    4. News: Death of Council Leader Councillor Willie Innes . 22 December 2022 . East Lothian Council . 25 October 2021.
    5. si. The East Lothian (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998. 1998. 2804. 22 December 2022.
    6. ssi. The East Lothian (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006. 2006. 359. 22 December 2022.
    7. ssi. The East Lothian (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2016. 2016. 273. 22 December 2022.
    8. News: £600,000 of work set to be carried out on Haddington Town House. 15 June 2021. East Lothian Courier. 9 July 2021.
    9. Web site: Council Meeting Agenda. 29 October 2019. East Lothian Council. 9 July 2021.