City Region Deal

East Lothian is part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, which brings together key partners to drive growth and opportunity across the region, with over £1.5 billion of committed investment to date.

This collaboration includes six local authority areas: City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Fife (excluding North East Fife), Midlothian, Scottish Borders, and West Lothian Councils, as well as universities, and Scottish government agencies including Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland. The Private Sector also plays a vital role in delivering on the aims of the funding and leveraging the total investment.

This funding is set to deliver long-term benefits for East Lothian and the wider region, supporting projects in areas such as housing, skills, transport, business growth and innovation.

Key achievements up to 2023/24 include:

• £38 million invested in the region during 2023/24.
• Job creation: Over 20,000 job opportunities created or supported by City Region Deal activities.
• Over 1000 micro, small and SME businesses supported
• Data Driven Innovation (DDI) has secured over £200m in research funding.
• Skills development: 1,268 people enrolled in data upskilling short courses, a 70% increase from the previous year, creating new opportunities for skills development in our area.
• IRES (Integrated Regional Employability and Skills) Programme: This programme has improved the skills of 336,000 people, helping 7,869 into work across the region, benefiting East Lothian’s workforce.

The latest annual report for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal highlights progress across a wide range of important projects, from affordable housing and data skills development to family support initiatives. These developments are paving the way for long-term, sustainable growth across East Lothian and the wider region. For more information, you can view the City Region Deal Annual Report 2023/24.