Better insulation will help with bills

West Lothian needs to build more houses. This has to be done sensitively and doesn’t mean throwing up hundreds of houses without thought to the environment, visual amenity and impact on local services. The council has granted planning for three core development areas where building has already started. We will ensure that the council’s planning officers ensure that the legal conditions in respect of schools and the environment are adhered to.

We will also continue the programme of building new council houses for rent. We will not state how many will be built during the term of the next council because other political parties have made promises which they did not or never could fulfil. However, that building will continue.

We will instruct officers to review the housing allocation policy which at present is unfair to new prospective tenants, young families and local people who have been on the housing list for years. There is a bias in the points allocation system which requires to be addressed.

We believe that every home in West Lothian should be a warm home. Better insulation would lead to lower energy bills and improved health for residents of all ages. We want to see the Scottish Government introduce clear targets that would see all homes have a certain standard of energy efficiency. We want to work with them to facilitate these targets across West Lothian.