West Lothian council tax increases by 8.95%, impacting homes with rising fees amid budget shortfalls.
Council Tax goes up by 8.95% in West Lothian. The national average increase is around 8.8%. This hits many homes hard that already dealt with tax freezes.
The 8.95% rise costs Band D taxpayers £125 yearly. Other household costs will also likely climb. Good news: the £50 bulky uplift fee won’t happen. Five items cost £38.59 to uplift. Garden waste permits now cost £52. Council service charges will rise up to 5%. This affects fees for registration, burial, and licenses.
The council faces a funding gap of millions. They must cut costs by £2.1 million this year. Council Leader Fitzpatrick understands concerns about the 8.95% rise, saying no one enjoys raising taxes.
He knows the average Scottish increase is about 8.5%. Why is this happening now, though? The Scottish Government froze Council Tax for ten years. They also dealt with inflation and wage increases. This caused a £172 million budget issue.
Councils received less money from the government’s block grant. It dropped from 28.62% to 21.38% since 2007. Some blame everything on Westminster. SNP and Conservative councillors both criticized added costs. National Insurance contributions impacted West Lothian. Rising thresholds also added to the tax burden.
Kenneth Ribbons said costs increased by £6.6 million. Social care contractor fees rose by £2.2 million. This stems directly from the insurance contributions. Councillor Campbell said National Insurance increased costs by £700 million. Holyrood received only £300 million from Westminster.
Westminster hasn’t promised to cover these extra costs fully. Edinburgh expects a decision by March 26. This timeline is helpful for planning the fiscal year.
The SNP wants to invest in registration services and suggest streaming marriage services online. They see this as a potential revenue source. The SNP wanted quicker parking enforcement and protected community centers. These ideas got rejected as already under consideration. The SNP budget praises Holyrood achievements. It also discusses threats to the Grangemouth refinery, which resides in Falkirk.
Councillor Campbell stated Labour caused the Council Tax rise. She blames financial issues and incompetence by Labour politicians. She highlights £18.6 million spent on PFI projects last year and attributes this spending to a previous Labour administration.
She says the SNP budget strengthens the social contract. It addresses fairness, accounting for Labour decisions. It aims to protect services over austerity. Her group wants protected nurseries and suggests one-off payments for services. They are reacting to service threats.
Councillor Doran-Timson criticized charging for country park parking. He criticized Holyrood’s £6.6 billion spent on quangos, citing the £30 million lost on a care service. He stated the SNP caused years of local government cuts and called the Labour government “economically incompetent.” He said the SNP has “no idea.”
West Lothian planned a 5.8% Council Tax increase originally. The Scottish Government funds only 60% of insurance costs. An 8.95% increase now covers unavoidable expenses.
West Lothian agreed to most savings two years ago. They are using those savings over five years to balance everything. New measures are now required too. Many budget savings were already agreed last year. They begin implementation in April 2025. These measures include administrative reviews for internal savings. Management restructures are also happening now.
Staff number reductions are happening through not filling vacancies. Some contracts for external services face reviews. They have started an intensive fostering campaign. Also, they are building an in-house adoption service.
Education has significant savings planned. They will revise their scheme of devolved school management. Over £2.1 million in additional savings are now required to help bridge the increased funding gap.
The plans include internal efficiencies. The council will save on staffing, property, and transport. They also reduced empty property discounts following the regulations exactly.
A review will look at empty property relief. Plus, non-domestic rates will get reviewed as well. The council expects more income from rent.
Stuart Sommerville, a local democracy reporter, wrote this article. He graduated from Telford College in 2010 and has worked for several news outlets since.