Councillors at yesterday’s East Lothian Council Cabinet meeting agreed in principle to the co-location of police and council functions within the John Muir House campus in Haddington.
The proposals are to move the police officers based in Haddington Police Station into accommodation on the first floor of the former Haddington Sheriff Courts and space within John Muir House. Police front counter services would be maintained and Haddington Police Station would then be assessed by Police Scotland for sale or reuse.
Consultation will take place with stakeholders and the public before any decision is made to proceed with the plans.
The decision reflects the agreement signed by East Lothian Council Chief Executive Angela Leitch and Divisional Commander for the Lothians and Scottish Borders, Chief Superintendent Ivor Marshall, pledging to increase partnership working to further improve local services.
Chief Inspector Matt Paden, Local Area Commander for East Lothian, said, “Police Scotland is committed to working closely with all our relevant partners to ensure we can all provide the highest level of service to the public as efficiently as possible.
“Joint facilities are proven to be the best way to deliver this, and we will be consulting with those who use and contribute to our services to ensure that we get the best from any new partnership premises.
“I want to reassure the public that any potential move from Haddington Police Station will have no impact on the level of local policing we provide in the area. We will continue to be a visible and engaging presence within the community and a front counter service will be maintained at any new facility.”
East Lothian Council Leader, Cllr Willie Innes, said, “Public sector partners regularly meet to consider ways of improving services by closer working practices and sharing examples of best practice.
The loss of the Sheriff Courts in Haddington has resulted in considerable accommodation space left vacant in the front of East Lothian Council’s John Muir House.
“Following discussions with Police Scotland it has been agreed to consult further on the proposals to move staff from Haddington Police Station into the vacated space.
“East Lothian Council believes such a move will provide considerable benefits to both organisations but more importantly will also greatly enhance our collaborative working resulting in improved service delivery for local residents.”
Details of how the public can have their say on the proposals will be announced in due course.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
