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Council tax in East Lothian
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Council tax in East Lothian for 2026-27 is £1,698 a year for a Band D home, £1,132 for Band A and £4,159 for the top band. That is £44 above the Scotland average of £1,653. It ranks 11 of 32 billing areas in Scotland. Figures are the council's own set rates.
Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: Scottish Government.
Key figures
- £1,698Band D a year, 2026-27 up on a year earlier: +£118 (+7.5%) vs 2025-26
- £1,132Band A, the lowest
- +£44Band D against the Scotland average of £1,653 Above average
- 11 of 32Rank in Scotland, highest first
Source: Scottish Government.
What is the bill for each band?
| Band | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
Band ADetails for Band A | £1,131.75 | £94.31 |
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Band BDetails for Band B | £1,320.37 | £110.03 |
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Band CDetails for Band C | £1,509.00 | £125.75 |
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Band DDetails for Band D | £1,697.62 | £141.47 |
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Band EDetails for Band E | £2,230.48 | £185.87 |
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Band FDetails for Band F | £2,758.63 | £229.89 |
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Band GDetails for Band G | £3,324.51 | £277.04 |
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Band HDetails for Band H | £4,159.17 | £346.60 |
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Who gets the money?
In Scotland the whole bill goes to the council. Police and fire have been funded centrally since 2013, so there is no police or fire precept. Water and sewerage charges appear on the same bill but belong to Scottish Water and are not council tax.
How does it compare?
Band D here is £44 above the Scotland average, 11 of 32 councils from the highest.
How does East Lothian compare? The report card
Official figures on complaints, finances, audit, pay and services for East Lothian, each from the body that published it and set against the figure for Scotland. See every council on the council map.
- Council tax rise this year7.5%Higher than the Scotland figure of 7.1%
- Council tax per head£753Higher than the Scotland figure of £638
- Ombudsman investigations upheld50% (1 of 2)Lower than the Scotland figure of 61%
- Reserves as a share of net spending12%Lower than the Scotland figure of 16%
- Recycling rate55.3%Higher than the Scotland figure of 44.3%
- Planning decisions on time95.8%Higher than the Scotland figure of 62.9%
Each figure is set against the figure for Scotland as a whole. They are plain comparisons, one measure at a time: there is no overall score and no ranking of councils. Higher is not always better or worse; what each measure does and does not show is on the methodology page.
What do complaints to the ombudsman show?
| Measure | East Lothian | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Complaints receivedDetails for Complaints received | 40 | — |
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Complaints determinedDetails for Complaints determined | 38 | — |
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InvestigationsDetails for Investigations | 2 | — |
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Investigations fully or partly upheldDetails for Investigations fully or partly upheld | 1 | 61% of investigations across Scottish councils |
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Source: Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, SPSO annual statistics: complaints by authority, 2025-26.
How healthy are its finances?
| Measure | East Lothian | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Net revenue spending, 2024-25Details for Net revenue spending, 2024-25 | £298.8m | — |
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Reserves at the end of 2024-25Details for Reserves at the end of 2024-25 | £36.1m | — |
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Reserves as a share of net spendingDetails for Reserves as a share of net spending | 12% | 16% for Scotland |
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Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026Details for Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026 | £600.0m | — |
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General fund reserves (including amounts earmarked within it) at 31 March, as a share of general fund net revenue expenditure. Much of any council’s reserves is set aside for particular purposes. Borrowing is total outstanding loans of every kind; councils borrow mainly to pay for buildings, roads and housing, and the figure does not show what the borrowing was for.
Source: Scottish Government, Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics, 2024-25; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority borrowing and investment live table, 30 June 2026.
What have the auditors said?
| Report | Title | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Latest Best Value report (Accounts Commission) | Best Value: East Lothian Council | 3 July 2025 |
| Latest annual audit report (Audit Scotland) | East Lothian Council annual audit 2024/25 | 18 December 2025 |
The Accounts Commission reports on each council’s Best Value duty in a rolling programme, so the date of the latest report differs from council to council. Follow each link for the findings in full.
Source: Accounts Commission and Audit Scotland, Best Value and annual audit reports, latest report. Checked 22 September 2026.
What are senior staff and councillors paid?
Senior pay and councillor allowances for East Lothian have not yet been read from its statement of accounts. There is no central dataset of either; they are being added council by council, each with a link to the page of the accounts it comes from.
How are its services rated?
| Measure | East Lothian | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Household waste recycled, calendar year, 2024Details for Household waste recycled, calendar year, 2024 | 55.3% | 44.3% for Scotland |
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Planning decisions on time, 2024-25Details for Planning decisions on time, 2024-25 | 95.8% | 62.9% for Scotland |
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Inspections happen at different times, so a rating can be several years old; the date is shown with each. Planning figures are measured differently in each nation: share of local applications decided within two months, without processing agreements. Recycling rates are measured differently in England, Scotland and Wales, so compare within a nation.
Source: Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Household waste data, 2024; Scottish Government, Planning applications statistics, 2024-25.
What has happened recently?
Decisions and publications by official bodies about East Lothian, newest first. Each links to the body that made or published it. News reports are not included.
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Council tax
Scottish Government
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Audit
Audit Scotland
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Audit
Accounts Commission
Does the council think something here is wrong?
If you represent East Lothian and think a figure here is wrong, out of date or unfairly presented, email hello@whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk with this page’s address and the source you would point to. Every correction is logged, with its date, on the corrections page.
Where can I find out more?
What council tax is and why it works this way, including why the bands are still based on 1991 property values in England and Scotland, and how every area compares, everything else on East Lothian: parking, roads, your MP and local services, and East Lothian on the council map.
Common questions
- How much is council tax in East Lothian?
- Band D is £1,698 a year for 2026-27. Band A is £1,132 and the top band £4,159.
- Is council tax in East Lothian higher than average?
- Yes. Band D here is £44 above the Scotland average of £1,653.
Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Tax Assumptions: Council Tax by Band | Scottish Government | the 2026–27 financial year | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.