The question before us is this: which party has its finger on pulse of the people of East Lothian and which party is just guessing? Which party looks at opportunities and resources, and which dies a little more each year as it dreads the battle that never comes. And in the continuing dialogue within this Chamber for the last year – which party lives to protect its under spends and which lives to protect the budget which we set for the good, for the good of the people of East Lothian?

From this side of the Chamber today you see a budget that is cautious in its demands upon the hard working families of our county. 1% increase for this year, 2% next year and 3% in the third year. Within this scenario I still have the huge pleasure in seeing right across the county, schools in some of our most pressured communities benefiting directly from the Pupil Equity Fund. In my own ward I see Prestonpans Infant School receiving directly from the Scottish Government the massive sum of £106,000 extra to stimulate attainment. Listen, we will use reserves for the good of the people of East Lothian. The money is there to be used. Our message to Labour is – ‘if you are not going to use the money hand it back. Hand it back to the hard working people of East Lothian’.

So we take pride in our partnership with both the Scottish Government and with the people of East Lothian. We relish the thought of money going to Head Teachers right across our county for the good of our children.

As I look at the Labour/Conservative budget I do see some strange things. So good to see extra money going to Children’s Wellbeing this year – but only to come out – and more – over the next 2 years. When I look further up the columns to the hand maiden of Children’s Wellbeing – to additional support for learning – with the best part of ½ million pounds disappearing from their budget over the next 3 years. A strange world to live in. Welcome to the world of Labour/Conservative East Lothian – a strange construct from the start and dying of its own fear and timidity right to the end.

I commend to colleagues a new vision for fostering within the county – with investment to build capacity in the challenging process of foster care recruitment and retention and I commend to you the extra investment in curriculum development. We will make a start in investing in dedicated training time, away from the class, for the important process of curriculum development in our schools.

Lastly, I commend to you all our vision for the infrastructure and built environment for our county. We will take delight in building right across the county over the next 3 years. Many of these projects will feed directly into our vision of an equipped young workforce. Equipped through the academies which we started back in 2006. These projects are for communities, for recreation and for a greener East Lothian. Over the 3 years we plan to spend 5½ million more than the parties opposite. Building for a new future, building for a new Scotland, building for a better East Lothian.