SPENDING on frontline services such as schools and social care will be protected after councillors agreed the East Lothian Council budget for the coming year.
A special meeting took place this morning (Tuesday), with members unanimously approving the budget, which will also see a council tax increase of three per cent and a freeze on council house rents.
Despite significant financial challenges, including increased National Insurance rates and uncertainties over continued external Covid-19 recovery funding and wider external cost pressures, East Lothian Council has announced that spending on schools and social care will be protected in its 2022/2023 budget.
An additional £5.7m has been allocated to education and children’s services, with spending on education increased across the board with an additional £2.64m to primary schools and £3.37m to secondary schools.
A further increase of £4.8m to adult wellbeing, as part of East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, was also approved.
Investment in council housing will see an additional £12m for modernisations and extensions programme and the introduction of £2.5m of funding this year and repeated over the next five years for energy efficiencies.
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