East Lothian sees a funding boost, yet remains low in per-person allocation compared to other Scottish regions.
East Lothian and Midlothian will get six percent more cash. East Lothian gets £252 million and Midlothian gets £233 million.
They had the biggest funding boost in ten years, but their populations grew a lot, so the per person amount stays low. East Lothian gets £2,224 per person. Only Edinburgh and Aberdeen get less, while Shetland gets £5,079 per person.
Scotland’s average is £2,732 per person. Midlothian is near the bottom too, getting £2,373 per person. Island areas get more money per person.
Edinburgh and Aberdeen get the least, and they collect more council tax than average. The report doesn’t explain East Lothian’s low funding, though both areas have the fastest growing populations.
East Lothian council will likely raise council tax, with the increase likely to be ten percent, as they need to balance their budget. Midlothian Council hasn’t announced any tax changes yet. Marie Sharp is the Local Democracy Reporter for the area.