POLICE and fire services in East Lothian will face more scrutiny after East Lothian Council agreed to set up a new committee to look into their performance.

The Police, Fire and Community Safety Scrutiny Committee will receive quarterly reports from the emergency services and monitor how they are meeting their local plans.

The full council will still retain approval of the Police Scotland and Scottish Fire & Rescue plans but the monitoring role will be devolved to the new committee.

Nine councillors will sit on the committee, which will hold its first meeting in November.

The committee will meet every three months to receive the performance reports, along with any other reports deemed relevant to the scrutiny of these services within remit of the committee. Council leader Willie Innes said: “I am very pleased the new Community Safety Committee is being established.

“We already have strong partnerships with the police and the fire and rescue service – for example, each year, the council pays the police £500,000 for additional police officers.

“The new committee will enable us to be more consistent and robust in scrutinising services that affect each and every one of us in East Lothian.

“It will also help us to shape delivery of national and local strategies. This is a big step forward in effective partnership working in East Lothian.”