In this section: Your area
East Lothian: your area
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
East Lothian sets a Band D council tax of £1,698 for 2026-27, 11 of 32 councils in Scotland from the highest. Police: Police Scotland. Fire and rescue: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Health: NHS Lothian. This page links to everything the site holds on the area; the full bill, the report card and parking each have a page of their own.
Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: Scottish Government.
Key figures
- £1,698Band D council tax, 2026-27 up on a year earlier: +£118 (+7.5%) vs 2025-26
- £569,000Parking surplus, 2024-25
- 55.3%Household waste recycled, 2024
- 12%Reserves as a share of spending, 2024-25
Source: Scottish Government.
What is the council tax in East Lothian?
Band D is £1,698 a year for 2026-27, and Band A, the lowest, £1,132. That is £44 above the Scotland average of £1,653, 11 of 32 in Scotland from the highest.
Every band, who gets the money and how East Lothian compares
How does the council compare?
- 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.
The full report card: complaints, finances, audit, pay and services
Roads, bins and planning
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
Household waste reused, recycled or compostedDetails for Household waste reused, recycled or composted | 55.3% | 2024 |
| ||
Planning decisions made on timeDetails for Planning decisions made on time | 95.8% | 2024-25 |
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Road condition is not published in the same form for Scotland councils. Road condition is from the Department for Transport; each figure is compared with Scotland as a whole in the report card.
What does the council make from parking?
| Authority | Year | Income | Surplus |
|---|---|---|---|
East LothianDetails for East Lothian | 2024-25 | £1.2m | £569,000 |
| |||
What the law lets a council spend a parking surplus on is on parking fines and council parking income.
Who is your MP?
A council area can span several constituencies, so your MP depends on your address. Enter your postcode in the box at the top of this page to see your MP and what their office cost, find any MP by name or constituency, or see every constituency and its MP on the MP map.
How much crime is recorded here?
In April 2025 to March 2026, East Lothian had 47.7 total crimes recorded (groups 1 to 5) per 1,000 residents, against 56.9 across Scotland, from Scottish Government, Recorded Crime in Scotland. Scotland counts crime under its own rules, so this is not comparable with figures for England and Wales.
Your police precept
There is no police precept here: Police Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government. Police Scotland serves the whole of Scotland, and its budget is set and spent nationally.
Police Scotland: funding, precept and results for the whole force
Who runs police, fire, health and ambulances here?
| Service | Body | Latest | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
PoliceDetails for Police | Police Scotland | £1.4bn (2024-25) | £252 |
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Fire and rescueDetails for Fire and rescue | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service | £305m (2023-24) | £55.45 |
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AmbulanceDetails for Ambulance | Scottish Ambulance Service | £479m (2024-25) | £86.31 |
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NHSDetails for NHS | NHS Lothian | £2.9bn (2024-25) | £3,057 |
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RoadsDetails for Roads | East Lothian | £5m (2024-25) | £41.67 |
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SchoolsDetails for Schools | East Lothian | £146m (2024-25) | £1,268 |
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Council spendingDetails for Council spending | East Lothian | £299m (2024-25) | £2,594 |
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Social careDetails for Social care | East Lothian | £97m (2024-25) | £844 |
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HousingDetails for Housing | East Lothian | £7m (2024-25) | £62.42 |
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Waste and recyclingDetails for Waste and recycling | East Lothian | not published | — |
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Each body serves a wider area than East Lothian, and its money is for the whole of that area. Its page has its funding over time and what is recorded alongside it; public services near you looks them up for any postcode. Water is not covered yet: see Scottish Water.
Which bodies cover East Lothian: ONS lookups of local authorities to police force areas, fire and rescue authorities, integrated care boards and local health boards (Open Government Licence v3.0).
How does East Lothian look against other councils?
See East Lothian on the council map, alongside every other council on council tax, complaints, reserves, audit and inspections, or browse every council.
Common questions
- How much is council tax in East Lothian?
- Band D is £1,698 a year for 2026-27. Every band.
- Which police force covers East Lothian?
- Police Scotland. Fire and rescue: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
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 |
| Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics, LFR 05 roads and transport | Scottish Government | the 2024–25 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.