TRIBUTES have been paid to “a true gentleman who cared”.

Herbert Coutts, who was a member of Dunbar’s community council for 15 years, passed away on April 11 following a short illness. He was 78.

Mr Coutts had a distinguished career with Edinburgh Council, ultimately as director of culture and leisure, and was involved in a number of projects in Dunbar.

Jacquie Bell, secretary of the town’s community council, was among those paying tribute to the father-of-four.

She said: “Herbert was a gentleman.

“He was a true gentleman who cared, who was very thoughtful about what he did and just always nice to everybody. He was committed to the town and particularly its heritage.”

Mr Coutts succeeded Mrs Bell on the community group after she was elected to East Lothian Council in 2007.

The two community councillors were among the candidates for the Dunbar and East Linton ward that year, with Mr Coutts representing Labour and Mrs Bell standing for the Liberal Democrats.

Norman Hampshire, now East Lothian Council leader, was also among those elected 15 years ago.

He said: “I was really, really sad to hear that Herbert had passed away.

“He was a really good friend of mine for a long number of years; the whole time I have been on the council.

“He was a strong Labour supporter and such a gentleman and kind person.”

A private funeral is due to take place on Monday at Our Lady of the Waves Church in the town.

Mr Hampshire added: “Herbert had very strong views politically but he respected everybody no matter what their views were.

“He would disagree but would never be nasty to anybody. He was just such a nice guy.”

Mr Coutts, who lived in the town with wife Angela, moved to Edinburgh from Dundee in 1971 and was tasked with managing the city’s museums.

Within two years, the number of visitors had doubled.

In the role of City Curator, a post he held for 25 years, Mr Coutts brought a string of blockbuster exhibitions to Edinburgh, including The Emperor’s Warriors (1985), featuring life-sized terracotta figures from the burial enclosure of the first Emperor of China; Gold of the Pharaohs (1988), a collection of 21st dynasty gold antiquities including the funeral mask of King Psusennes I; Dinosaurs Alive! (1990), an exhibit of robotic dinosaur reconstructions; Sweat of the Sun – Gold of Peru (1990), pre-Columbian antiquities from the Museo ‘Oro del Peru, Lima; Star Trek – The Exhibition (1992), prepared in conjunction with Paramount Pictures; and The Art of Star Wars (2002), which boasted costumes and preparatory artwork from the smash-hit film series.

He went on to steer many significant projects in the capital, including the development of the City Art Centre (1980) and its extension (1992); the extension and redisplay of the Museum of Childhood (1986); establishment of The People’s Story Museum (1989); the creation of Scotland’s Poet Corner at Makars’ Court, adjacent to the Writers Museum (1998); and the restoration of the Scott Monument (1999).

Mr Coutts was appointed Director of Edinburgh Council’s Recreation Department and oversaw multi-million-pound capital projects, including phases one and two of the Usher Hall renovation and the refurbishment of the Royal Commonwealth Pool.

In retirement, he involved himself in the Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Trust, the Scottish Catholic Heritage Commission, and the East Lothian Community Development Trust.

In 2008, he was awarded an MBE for services to culture and two years later he was honoured as a Knight of Magisterial Grace in the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta (KM).

He was also a trustee of Paxton House and the National Galleries of Scotland.

Mr Coutts – a father to Antonia, Christopher, Naomi and Lydia – was a member of East Lothian Antiquarian and Field Naturalists’ Society.

Mrs Bell noted Mr Coutts’ work on the community council and said: “He has been a good colleague and particularly working with him on some heritage stuff.

“He had just recently set up the heritage sub-committee and I was going to be working with him on that.

“He also worked on the town’s war memorial along with Will Collin and all the painstaking research and the work to get the memorial restored and the additional names added.”