Practical proposed steps for East Lothian.
The stages explain what should happen first. They are not promised completion dates. Funding, powers and ongoing costs need to be established before a proposal is adopted.
Proposal
Connect the new hub to local opportunities
The innovation hub is now open near Queen Margaret University.
Local benefit depends on who can work there and access its opportunities.
Evidence
Who could lead: East Lothian Council.
- Start now
Publish tenant and recruitment information in plain language.
- Over the next few years
Link firms with local training and suppliers.
- Over the longer term
Report sustained jobs and business occupancy.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Official opening in September 2026.
Measure: Separate jobs already filled from forecasts.
Trade-off: Specialist jobs may require training before residents can access them.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Edinburgh Innovation Hub →
Proposal
Make infrastructure timing visible alongside new homes
Blindwells’ prospectus seeks support for infrastructure before further growth.
Homes need transport, schools and everyday services to work as a community.
Evidence
Who could lead: East Lothian Council.
- Start now
Publish which services are funded and when they are needed.
- Over the next few years
Tie housing phases to funded infrastructure milestones.
- Over the longer term
Review access as the town grows.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Investment support still being sought.
Measure: Track service openings alongside occupied homes.
Trade-off: Earlier infrastructure needs finance before all development income arrives.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Blindwells infrastructure programme →
Proposal
Get more community value from the learning campus
Wallyford’s campus includes community and leisure facilities.
Shared facilities can serve residents beyond school hours.
Evidence
Who could lead: East Lothian Council.
- Start now
Make public booking and accessibility information easy to find.
- Over the next few years
Coordinate affordable programmes with local groups.
- Over the longer term
Review use across age groups and neighbourhoods.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Campus reported open since August 2023.
Measure: Publish actual public availability.
Trade-off: School needs and community use must be scheduled together.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Wallyford Learning Campus and Rosehill High →
Proposal
Keep the new-town promise tied to secured finance
Blindwells’ wider infrastructure programme still seeks government support.
Unfunded stages can delay the services intended to accompany growth.
Evidence
Who could lead: East Lothian Council.
- Start now
State the remaining funding decisions.
- Over the next few years
Agree a realistic sequence if support is delayed.
- Over the longer term
Review the programme against demand and service capacity.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Published prospectus rather than a complete funding settlement.
Measure: Show funded and unfunded phases separately.
Trade-off: Slower delivery may protect service capacity but delay needed homes.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Blindwells infrastructure programme →
Proposal
Make room for homes people can afford
The average home price is £283,000 (July 2026) in East Lothian council area. This is about £86,000 higher than the Scotland average for the same month.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
Who could lead: The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers.
- Start now
Publish the local waiting list, temporary accommodation and affordable-home delivery figures together.
- Over the next few years
Test proposed housing sites against affordable-home need, access to work, school places and water capacity.
- Over the longer term
Check whether completed homes reduce unmet need, rather than counting planning permissions as delivery.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The average home price is £283,000 (July 2026) in East Lothian council area.
Measure: Affordable homes completed, households waiting, time in temporary accommodation, and rent compared with local earnings.
Trade-off: More homes can put pressure on infrastructure and land. Affordability requirements also affect development viability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: Average home price →
Blindwells infrastructure programme →
Proposal
Connect local skills to local opportunities
34.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or higher (20 March 2022) in East Lothian council area. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 22.9% in Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry to 51.7% in North Berwick Coastal — a gap of 28.9 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
Who could lead: Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority.
- Start now
Compare vacancies and employer needs with training available to local residents. Start by checking the different needs in North Berwick Coastal and Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Link training to real jobs, including routes for people without formal qualifications.
- Over the longer term
Track sustained employment and earnings after training, not just course starts.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 34.6% with a degree or higher; 20 March 2022. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 22.9% in Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry to 51.7% in North Berwick Coastal — a gap of 28.9 percentage points. 20 March 2022; 6 of 6 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Sustained jobs, earnings and training completion for residents who face barriers to work.
Trade-off: Training takes time and cannot create demand for jobs on its own. Qualifications are not a complete measure of ability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 16+ with a degree or higher →
Evidence: People aged 16+ with no qualifications →
Edinburgh Innovation Hub →
Proposal
Target safety work where problems repeat
Recorded-crime figures cover the whole East Lothian council area; they do not identify individual wards.
These are police-recorded crimes under Scottish counting rules. They cannot be ranked alongside the mapped incidents shown for other UK nations.
Who could lead: The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services.
- Start now
Check recurring places and categories alongside local police priorities and residents’ reports.
- Over the next few years
Test focused prevention and support, with a comparison period agreed before the work starts.
- Over the longer term
Publish whether problems fall, move elsewhere or return, and adjust the response.
How to judge progress
Crime evidence and coverage →
Starting point: Use the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate.
Measure: Comparable recorded incidents, repeat victimisation and residents’ reported experience; never a single crude league table.
Trade-off: More reporting can increase recorded crime. Enforcement and support may work differently for different problems.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Proposal
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
Who could lead: The named project owners and council scrutiny bodies.
- Start now
Put the scope, owner, funding position and next milestone in one public place.
- Over the next few years
Report delivery against the agreed scope and explain delays or changes.
- Over the longer term
Check the benefits residents actually receive after completion.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The dated stages in Projects; unknown costs and funding remain unknown.
Measure: Milestones met, costs against the approved budget, and measured outcomes after delivery.
Trade-off: Delivery reporting takes staff time, but a launch announcement alone cannot show value for money.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Edinburgh Innovation Hub →
Blindwells infrastructure programme →
Wallyford Learning Campus and Rosehill High →
