A FORMER leader of East Lothian Council has been suspended for three months after breaching the Councillors' Code of Conduct.

Dunbar and East Linton ward councillor Paul McLennan, an SNP list candidate for next year's Holyrood elections, was at a Standards Commission hearing in Haddington today (Friday), after an investigation was carried out by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards for Public Life over claims he had breached the rules regarding expenses and declarations of interest.

At the hearing, it was ruled that Mr McLennan had failed to register and regularly review his financial and non-financial interests, while it was also found he had breached the Councillors' Code of Conduct with regard to a claim for mileage from June 2013.

In his mitigation, Mr McLennan accepted that he hadn't "taken the due care and attention" he should have done with regards to registering his interests and added: "I have learned my lesson and apologise."

Passing sanction on Mr McLennan, Ian Gordon, chairman of the panel, told Mr McLennan: "Your chronic failure to register your interests demonstrated a lack of understanding of the code of conduct. Your failure to register removes the opportunity for openness and transparency."

Mr McLennan's suspension takes effect on November 20.