EAST Lothian Council has refused to publicly reveal how many of its buildings are currently mothballed, amid growing concern that one if its most popular venues is about to join the list.

The council has this year alone temporarily closed two rural primary schools, with the most recent, Saltoun Primary School, seeing pupils move to another school after the October holiday.

READ MORE: Plans revealed to 'mothball' Saltoun Primary School

And there are concerns that a report due to go to councillors later this month will call for similar action at The Brunton in Musselburgh, which has been closed since March last year after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was discovered in the venue.

While the local authority remains tight-lipped on the outcome of  a report into options for the future of the theatre, which was opened by the late Queen in 1971, it is understood that the cost of repairs is too expensive for the cash-strapped council’s budget.

READ MORE: Plea to support The Brunton as it battles for survival

A public survey on how visitors to The Brunton feel about its current use of alternative venues, which have included the Corn Exchange in Haddington and other Musselburgh locations, was carried out on the council’s consultation hub on behalf of the trust which runs it earlier this month.

The council was asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service for a list of all public buildings which are currently mothballed, including schools and community halls, but refused to release it, instead saying that a freedom of information request would be required.

That request was then classed as environmental information under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), and a fee of £191 asked for to cover the cost of a Grade 10 staff member at £38.20 an hour pulling the information together before it could be processed.

The council does not charge for freedom of information responses, only EIR request. It currently has 14 outstanding appeals being investigated by the Scottish Information Commissioner over its responses to information requests, 11 related to EIR fees imposed.

READ MORE: Humbie Primary School 'mothballing' labelled 'deeply disappointing'

A council spokesperson said: “Any request for information needs to be considered through the correct legislative pathway; depending on the nature of the enquiry, this may be freedom of information or EIR.

"The legislation that introduced EIRs enabled authorities to charge a fee for collating and providing the information requested.

“Given the potential for the request to be complex, with information held in different formats, meaning time and resource is required for collation, the council introduced a charging scheme as permitted by the regulations.

“Wherever possible, we will direct enquirers to information that is already held in the public domain.

"There has been information relating to mothballed facilities shared through a number of channels, including in public at council meetings, directly with communities and published online in our members’ library system.”