Midlothian Council is expecting a tax rebate of nearly £7 million after successful claims against HMRC which go back as far as the 1980s.
A report on the council’s finances has revealed an estimated underspend on general services of £11m over the last financial year with the bulk of it coming from the VAT refund which is expected.
And at a meeting of elected members this week it was agreed to earmark an additional £3million in the wake of the rebate to carry out maintenance and repairs across the county to tackle 'tired and rundown' town centres.
