Your Budget Facts and your services explained

Services the council provides

We are responsible for providing over 700 different public services, including:

• primary, secondary and additional support needs (ASN) education
• children and families social care services
• early learning
• adult health and social care, care in the community
• fostering and adoption services
• youth justice
• economic development
• planning
• roads and infrastructure
• grass cutting on our land
• country parks
• litter collection
• street lighting and pathways
• community recycling centres
• open spaces
• play areas and children's parks
• most household waste collections
• council housing
• cemeteries
• registrars
• environmental health
• some leisure and cultural facilities
• MUGAs/sports facilities
• Winter services
• And many more....

Statutory & Non-Statutory

Many services are classed as statutory which we must provide by law, including areas such as some areas of education, social care services, most household waste collections, social housing, cemeteries, registrars and environmental health

Other services may be classed as discretionary, these are services that we provide but do not have to by law. This includes services such as culture, garden waste collection, bulky uplifts, sport and leisure facilities, litter picking, grass cutting services and parks

West Lothian Council needs to make difficult decisions which could impact on all services. Each year, the Council is spending more than the income it receives and this needs to change. The Council change this by increasing income (through council tax or fees and charges) and by reducing expenditure.

What does a balanced budget mean?

Legally, the amount of funding the council spends on services needs to be equal to the funding/income we receive. This is what is meant by balancing our budget. All councils must set a balanced budget - unlike governments, we cannot borrow money to balance our budgets.

Budget gap

Due to insufficient funding from the Scottish Government the council has a budget gap of £34.9 million over the next three years, nearly £12 million of savings are required this year alone - as the council must legally agree balanced budget. By 2028 the council will have had to make budget savings of over £207 million (between April 2007 - March 2028)

Expenditure can be reduced by removing services, reducing service provision and by changing the way we deliver services. There are no easy choices.

Why does the council have to make reductions in services?

Grant funding from the Scottish Government is critical for councils, and your council services.

80% of the council's budget comes from the Government and it allows the council to fund the vast majority of council services.  Insufficient levels of Government grant funding have resulted in a budget gap and significant changes to services over the past 15 years.

Without additional income from the Government, councils are at risk of financial failure if they don't act and reduce spending that enables them to balance their budget. Whilst Government funding can increase, it has not increased enough to cover the rising cost of service and the growing demands faced by changes to demographics.

Without additional income from the Scottish Government, councils will need to look at further spending cuts and generate more income to close our budget gap and balance our budget.

What does a balanced budget mean?

Legally, the amount of funding the council spends needs to be equal to the funding we receive. What we spend needs to match our income. 

This is what is meant by balancing our budget.

Where we get our money and what we spend it on

We want to help you understand our finances -where we get our funding from, and where and why we spend the money in the ways that we do.

If the council relied on Council Tax alone it would only be able to operate with services for 69 days a year.

Only 19% of the council's funding comes from Council Tax. 1% comes from fees and charges and the remaining 80% is Scottish Government Grant Funding

Our spending is split into two distinct and separate pots of money - Revenue and Capital

Council Budgets explained

The Council has four budgets that pay for all council services:

1 Revenue

This covers the day-to-day spend and includes the cost of running services.

2 Capital

Capital funding is one-off amounts of funding that are used to create new assets and improve existing facilities. This includes, school buildings, play areas and open spaces, roads and paths, extensions and re-development of school buildings.

3 & 4 Housing (Capital & Revenue)

This includes day-to-day investment in managing housing services, and one off investment in council housing - such as the creation of new council homes.

Revenue expenditure is the day-to-day costs of running the council services. Capital expenditure is money invested into large-scale, long-term investments such as new schools, infrastructure and assets improvements.

There are very strict legal rules around the use of money for capital expenditure. For example, capital budget cannot be moved over to the Revenue budget.

The Revenue Budget

The revenue budget is used to pay for 100's of services that we provide to our communities on a day-to-day basis.

We get money from different sources that makes up this budget area; the three main areas of funding are:

80% from Scottish Government Grant - this is the amount of money that we receive directly from the Scottish Government to help us pay for all our running costs

19% from Council Tax- this is the amount of money raised locally to help us deliver services

1% from income from fees and services - this is money raised locally from services such as leisure facilities, parking charges, and waste uplift charges

Most of the money comes from the Scottish Government Grant and we have little influence on this. The Scottish Government decide the level of funding they view as appropriate.

In some cases, the funding has conditions attached to it (ring-fenced), so we have to spend it on the things that the Scottish Government has decided are a priority. The Scottish Government Grant makes up 80% of our total revenue budget income.

Council Tax provides 19% of our total budget and is an important factor in making up our revenue income.

What does Council Tax pay for?

Whilst Council Tax is important, it does not pay for all council services.

A broad selection of these services are set out in the graphic below but the vast majority of a council's revenue budget is spent on two broad areas, Education & Social Care.

Council Tax therefore contributes towards the cost of council services but 80% of services are funded via the Scottish Government's grant. Council Tax makes up around 19% of the council's budget:

For every £1 the council spends 53p goes towards education, 29p for social care, 6p for corporate functions, 4p for waste and recycling services, 2p for roads, paths and street lights, 2p for parks, street cleaning and grass and land maintenance and finally 1p for passenger transport.

The Capital Budget

This budget area is used for larger, longer-term investments.

Over £201 million is set to be invested in West Lothian's infrastructure and council owned properties between next year and 2033.

Investment Overall

This year alone (2025/26) approximately £61 million would be spent on local infrastructure. This is in addition to the £68 million that was spent last year.

Capital funding is generated through Scottish Government grant funding, income generated through the sale of council owned assets such as land and properties, borrowing and other sources of funding - which are given to us for specific projects.

Here's where the £61million would be spent in 2025/26:

• Over £48.8million of property improvements, new projects and maintenance
• Over £6million on roads, footways, street lighting, bridges and structures and flood prevention and drainage
• Over £3.5million on open spaces, parks, sports facilities, children's play area & cemeteries
• £2.6 on Information Communication Technology

A closer look at investment in the local property estate this year:

• Investment of £25 million in school projects that includes major projects at St Kentigern's Academy, Craigshill, Livingston and East Calder Primary.
• The council has put in place legal agreements with developers that ensures that they contribute towards the cost of West Lothian's school estate to meet the demand that new housing places upon local services. Over £15 million will be invested in school projects this year that are developer funded. This includes projects in Winchburgh, Calderwood, Bangour and a significant extension at West Calder High School.
• £2.8million will be invested in buildings at Whitrigg House and Homeless Accommodation
• One key part of the capital investment this year is the £1.3 million investment in school building improvements, which includes boiler upgrades and roof replacement and roofs.
• Further general maintenance investment will focus on improving Partnership Centres

Open space and sports facility investment plans:

• Over £1 million will be invested in children's play areas during 2025/26, with projects to refurbish West Lothian's eight district parks as well as those at Dixon Road in Whitburn, Stoneyburn  Main Street and Westrigg in Armadale.
• £1.8 million investment in projects in 2025/26, which will include Boghall Skatepark, the multi-use games area at Watson Park in Armadale, managing trees and woodlands and tackling ash dieback.
• Over £234,000 will be invested in schedule repairs for nine parks during 2025/26, including: Almondvale Park and Fells Rigg Green in Livingston; Blackridge Park; Blaeberryhill Park in Whitburn; Craigton Park, Broxburn; Foulsheils Park, Fauldhouse; Kirkton Park, Bathgate; Sommers Park, East Calder; and Springfield Park, Linlithgow. 
• £200,000 spent on West Lothian's cemeteries during 2025/26, as part of £3.2 million investment over the next eight years, which will include extension at Boghead Cemetery in Bathgate and Fauldhouse Cemetery.
• West Lothian Council will invest £22.9 million in open space and sports facilities between now and 2032/33

A closer look at investment in the local property estate this year:

Investment of £25 million in school projects that includes major projects at St Kentigern's Academy, Craigshill, Livingston and East Calder Primary.

The council has put in place legal agreements with developers that ensures that they contribute towards the cost of West Lothian's school estate to meet the demand that new housing places upon local services. Over £15 million will be invested in school projects this year that are developer funded. This includes projects in Winchburgh, Calderwood, Bangour and a significant extension at West Calder High School.

• £2.8million will be invested in buildings at Whitrigg House and Homeless Accommodation
• One key part of the capital investment this year is the £1.3 million investment in school building improvements, which includes boiler upgrades and roof replacement and roofs.

Further general maintenance investment will focus on improving Partnership Centres

"Capital funding is critical and allows us to upgrade, improve and develop local infrastructure and properties. It is something that local services and local people rely upon."

"As we confirmed last year ,there remains a risk that funds available for capital investment could be significantly reduced from 2025 onwards, which is a direct result of reduced capital grant funding from the Scottish Government."

"It is clear to see that medium to long term funding from the Scottish Government for Capital projects is expected to decrease significantly throughout our ten year plan. We certainly hope that forecast changes and that we are able to be in a position to invest more in West Lothian's services in the years ahead."

"We are fully committed to improving local services and infrastructure for the residents of West Lothian and we will continue to look at ways to do that as efficiently as we can."

Lawrence Fitzpatrick, Leader of West Lothian Council

Investment in West Lothian's council housing

Plans will see investment of £17.8 million towards the creation and purchase of new council homes. The new build programme will deliver a further 150 additional new council houses, including both new build and open market acquisition additions (where the council buys properties to create council homes). This will deliver an overall total of 427 new council houses over the course of the investment programme.

£33 million will be invested to improve and maintain existing housing, ensuring council homes continue to meet the Scottish Quality Housing Standard (SQHS). Works include projects to deliver energy efficiency measures, central heating replacements, aids an adaptations and repair and external wall insulation upgrades.

£17.9 million to be invested in fourteen individual projects which includes a variety of upgrades consisting of long-term maintenance work, where structural elements such as roof and external walls are beyond repair

Planned programme works of £31.6 million will take place - covering a broad range of activities, including kitchens and bathroom replacements, window and door refurbishments, painting and fencing programmes.

£638,000, will go towards general environmental improvements and external upgrading, including tenant led street improvement projects. Although many works are of a small scale, these projects can have a substantial impact on local amenities and will be informed by council tenants and local communities.

"It is important to stress that every penny of income from council rent collections goes towards enhancing homes for our tenants and maintaining and improving the quality of council homes remains a key priority for the council.

"We also remain committed to the delivery of new high-quality affordable housing, with funds committed to identified opportunities to increase the social housing stock in areas of high demand in West Lothian."

George Paul, Executive councillor for housing services

What does you council deliver for you and your community?

Improving Educational Achievement

West Lothian pupils are achieving significantly above the level of the virtual comparator and the national average at key measures of Breadth and Depth attainment at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Level 6 The percentage of primary pupils achieving nationally expected levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy is above national performance in all measures, including those in the most deprived areas

Helping to Create Strong and Sustainable Communities

Over half of all household waste was recycled in 2023, an increase from 2022 94% score achieved for the cleanliness of local streets, from 93.1% in 2022/23 6.5million household bins were collected last year Roads and paths We manage a road network that is 659 miles in length and growing. This includes the maintenance of 594 structures, 48,176 street lights and 38,180 gully drains. Our safety inspection programme continues throughout the year to ensure road defects are identified and repairs quickly and the roads are kept safe for the travelling public. In 2024, we repaired 4541 pothole defects. Last year our gritter fleet covered over 27,000 miles over the winter period to keep the roads free from ice and snow.

Tackling Homelessness, Poverty and Inequality

We supported over 14,500 individual customers, resulting in an increased income of over £24million through additional benefits and helped manage nearly £6.7million of customers' debt. Over £568,000 customers savings were secured for customers, through energy efficiency advice and access to financial support with energy costs along with 287 potential evictions prevented to ensure that tenants can remain in their homes 97% of Crisis Grant Decisions were made within 1 day in 2023/24,from 74.2% in 2022/23 Developed enhanced housing options for young people under 18 which has helped to decrease Youth Homelessness by 13% 80% homelessness applications were assessed within timescale in 2023/24, an increase from 48% in 2022/23 Housing The council will build 427 additional council homes by 2028 899 new affordable homes were delivered in 2023/24 West Lothian Council delivered 2,075 additional council homes between 2012 and 2024.  Of this number, 1,733 were new build which is the second highest number of council new build completions in Scotland

Strengthening care and support for children, adults and older people

Children/Justice We currently have 83 West Lothian Council Approved Foster carers caring for 123 young people. 124 children who are looked after, stay with their kinship carers 22,337 unpaid work hours were completed Adults On average, 5,561 pieces of equipment each year are delivered to individuals to promote their safety and independence. On average, 846 minor adaptations each year are completed to promote safety and independence, such as handrails and banister provision. Support for older People Over 1,800 adults and older people supported with over 30,000 hours of care at home per week 100% of care homes in West Lothian are assessed by the Care Inspectorate as good or above. Social Policy manage three residential care homes for older people, caring for a maximum of 110 residents at any one time Ongoing increases in use of TEC and telecare to support people to live at home independently, in line with their wishes