West Lothian approves council tax rise of 7.4%

West Lothian will impose a council tax rise of 7.4% from April.

The minority Labour-led administration pushed through its budget by two votes.

The SNP branded the plans a “cuts-based budget lacking vision”.

The opposition proposed a budget which included a 7.9% council tax rise, a feasibility study focusing on independent management of community centres and more funding for the third sector.

Labour dropped its original plan for an 8.4% rise and instead instructed officers to take £1m from a reserve fund to meet increased spending on social care services for adults and older people, and a dedicated pothole and road repair team.

Over £636 million will be spent on delivering day-to-day local services for local residents in the next financial year (2026/27).

Proposed changes to funding West Lothian places for children from outside the county will affect 104 children, but brought emotional pleas at the start of the four-hour-long budget meeting from a parent and private nursery providers.

They questioned the proposed saving of £700,000 and said that similar moves by Edinburgh council had faced legal challenges and, it had been revealed, had not realised anything like the savings expected.

The plans effectively remove the “funding follows the child” choice for parents outside of West Lothian, offering only places at council nurseries rather than with private providers. It could face legal challenge, said the private providers.

Other education changes include the consolidation of some education services with mainstream education, including the closure of the Burnhouse school and its replacement with a programme developed for youngsters delivered through mainstream schools.

Households will face a maximum £30 charge for a replacement 240-litre bin – even if theirs has been stolen. Bins will only be provided free of charge where they are lost in collection vehicles.

Currently, the council does not charge for the 9,500 bins, which are replaced each year.

Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “We have to set a balanced budget each year, and this ensures that we can continue to provide vital local services to our community.

“There is a huge and growing demand on the council budget. We have a combination of increasing demand for services and higher costs of delivering the services. However, our funding is not keeping up with those costs, which means setting a budget is extremely complex and challenging.

“If we spend money on one service, it can’t be spent on another service. Setting the budget is as simple and as complex as that. The more funding we can raise, the more funding we have to spend on local services, but we fully recognise that there is a balance.

“Councils across Scotland are reportedly looking at double-figure increases in Council Tax.”

The SNP group leader, Councillor Janet Campbell, said: “The reason we are proposing this rise of 7.9% today is entirely caused by Labour party decisions, financial mismanagement seen again today, and incompetence seen in West Lothian and at a Westminster level.

“The Labour party in the Scottish Parliament made absolutely no proposals in Holyrood to increase the funding for councils in the Scottish budget.”

Announcing, the opposition plans SNP councillors proposed an uplift to voluntary organisations, recognising the essential role they play in supporting residents across West Lothian.

Councillor Campbell said the uplift was “a vital investment in the groups that hold our communities together and deliver support the council simply could not replace.”

The SNP Group also brought forward a feasibility study to explore establishing an appropriate third-sector organisation to operate community centres.

A further study proposed to examine the potential for a District Heating System, including geothermal energy opportunities, to reduce energy costs for households, businesses, and the council.

The SNP Group slated Labour for its failure to act on opposition calls to implement decriminalised parking enforcement when first raised by the opposition in 2019.