TRIBUTE has been paid following the death of former East Lothian councillor John McNeil, from Musselburgh.

The former Labour councillor for his home town passed away peacefully during the night at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on November 21 after a very short illness.

Mr McNeil stood down as a councillor after nearly two decades' of service in 2016, at which time he was Musselburgh's longest-serving councillor, having first been elected in 1999.

When Mr McNeil decided not to stand for re-election, he had suffered two heart attacks and two mini strokes in recent years.

A former chairman of the Musselburgh Labour Party branch, he had served on the council with three chief executives, three provosts, two Labour Group leaders and various opposition leaders over the years.

He held a leaving party at Our Lady of Loretto Church Hall for those who helped him during his time as a councillor.

In July 2016, Mr McNeil was a senior magistrate at the Riding of the Marches, Musselburgh’s ancient boundary-marking ceremony, which takes place every 21 years.

John McNeil (left) at the Riding of the Marches in 2016

He has also served as honorary provost of the Musselburgh Festival on two occasions.

Mr McNeil opened a ladies’ clothes shop, Zantia, better known locally as ‘Frocks by Johnny’, in Musselburgh in 1981, which closed in 2006 when his mum Ella died.

Maureen Talac, a former Labour councillor who served on East Lothian Council with Mr McNeil, described him as a "colleague and friend."

"He worked hard for his constituents and had a lot of friends," she said.

She recalled his 70th birthday party, saying that instead of gifts he asked for donations for Mary's Meals, the charity which sets up school feeding programmes in some of the world's poorest communities, where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education.

She said that Mr McNeil had been been a member of St Michael's Players drama group and was a "great supporter" of the Honest Toun's Association (HTA), which organises the annual Musselburgh Festival.

In 2018, Mr McNeil took on a new role as a bus tour guide, loving being back in the public spotlight as he travelled around Scotland introducing visitors to some of the most scenic parts of the country.

Mr McNeil's funeral will take place on December 16 at St John The Evangelist Church in Portobello at 11.30am and Inveresk Cemetery at 1pm.