A new report on East Lothian Council has been published by the Accounts Commission. It indicates that good progress has been made, but there are challenging times ahead, in particular to meet the demands of a significant increase in the population. In particular:
1. Planning for a significant increase in population – the 0-16 year age group is expected to grow by almost a third and the over 75 year age group by almost 100% by 2039.
2. Tackling a £12.5 million budget gap over the next three years and possible further savings beyond this.
3. Continuing to improve education, including issues with teacher recruitment, staff sickness absence levels and the causes of a high level of pupil exclusions.
You can read the full report here: