EAST Lothian Council has received praise for improving its performance significantly over the last 11 years after being scrutinised by the public spending watchdog.

The local authority received its first Best Value report since 2007 from the Accounts Commission, in which it was commended for the way it delivered services during a time when the county’s population increased by nearly 20 per cent.

But while the report into the work of the council was commended as “very positive”, council leader Councillor Willie Innes expressed disappointment in some of the comments the watchdog made.

Mr Innes described a number of the commission’s findings as “begrudging”.

He said: “It is a little disappointing. The findings all highlight positive things but are followed on a number of occasions by ‘however’ comments.

“We should be celebrating our success and it feels as if the commission begrudges it.”

It is understood that his views will be made clear to representatives of the commission when they have a follow-up meeting with senior council members later this month.

The report – which was carried out by Audit Scotland, which reports back to the commission – praised the council for being “self-aware” and  having strong community links.

Audit Scotland spent weeks visiting East Lothian between March and June, interviewing local groups and services including Police Scotland, STRiVE and Queen Margaret University, and attending community partnership meetings and observing council staff at work.

The report said the council had “significantly improved since our last Best Value report in 2007”.

It highlighted improvements in its governance, leadership and scrutiny and added: “The council’s performance compares favourably to other councils in most service areas.”

It includes a number of recommendations which refer to continuing work which has already been started by the council.

Angela Leitch, East Lothian Council chief executive, said: “The commission’s finding reinforce our own assessment of performance, recognising that we are well under way in implementing the changes and improvements identified.”

The report also acknowledges the growth in population in East Lothian over the last 20 years, describing it as the highest percentage change in Scotland, with an increase of 19.5 per cent (Scotland’s overall population rose by 6.7 per cent over the same period).

The council expects a further population increase of 18 percent by the year 2039.

It also acknowledges that the number of young people is expected to increase by three times the Scottish average over the next decade, as well as people over 65.

Mr Innes said that this growth was down to East Lothian’s appeal as a place to live.

He said: “People want to raise their children in East Lothian and also want to retire here.”

The report praised the council’s vision for its future and its performance.

It called on the council to “better demonstrate its progress in delivering its priorities” while acknowledging work which is being done to improve performance indicators.

The commission’s findings, which were published alongside the report, endorsed the recommendations from Audit Scotland.

They said: “We are pleased to note a significant improvement in how the council is now demonstrating Best Value.

“We also note, however, that some improvement actions are at an early stage and will require continued momentum to achieve the expected outcomes.”

And while it praised the council’s self-awareness of what could be improved and the challenges of a growing population, it added: “We note, however, the substantial risks and challenges faced by the council in dealing with the demands of a rapidly growing population.”