JUSTICE Minister Kenny MacAskill is set to sign an agreement today with East Lothian Council to improve the way they work together.
He will sign the Single Outcome Agreement with council leader David Berry, which sets out the council's commitments to its citizens and the Scottish Government.
The Government and Cosla, the umbrella body for councils, agreed terms last November
for a new relationship based on mutual respect and partnership. This will influence the funding provided over the next two years.
The council has drawn up 15 key outcomes, which include working with the local police and NHS Lothian. It will commit to supporting progress at a national and local level.
Mr MacAskill said: "This agreement truly places East Lothian Council and its partners at the heart of local democracy, reducing monitoring and reporting burdens, and giving greater freedom to the council to more effectively deliver services for the people of the area.
"This is an excellent example of how central and local government and community partners can work together to improve the delivery of public services to local people and local communities."
Mr Berry said: "This is already effecting a cultural change in the way that we manage our performance as a council.
It will bring significant improvements for all of us in East Lothian."
The full article contains 222 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
