Council’s plans to bridge budget gap

Council bosses are making plans to bridge an expected budget gap of £66 million over the next five years.

Increased spending pressures and reduced Scottish Government funding have already seen the council making £92m of savings between 2007/08 to 2017/18.

The council has, however, pledged to invest £48.4m in public assets such as schools, roads and open spaces after its updated General Services capital plan for 2017/18 was agreed by Council Executive.

This includes over £21.2m for schools, care homes and operational buildings and £15.7m to be invested in roads and related assets.

They also agreed to spend £4.5m on open spaces like parks, play areas and sports pitches, with a further £7m to be invested on information communication technology (ICT) such as replacing PCs in schools and upgrading essential software packages.

Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “With costs rising and Scottish Government funding falling, we face a significant challenge to continue to deliver quality public services on behalf of our residents.

“We will consult with local residents in the Autumn to hear their priorities on the future of public services in West Lothian, which will inform our budget setting process from 2018/19 onwards.”

Councillor Fitzpatrick continued :“Spending wisely on our assets is necessary to allow us to deliver essential services to the people of West Lothian.

“I’m confident this General Services capital plan offers best use of our resources at a time when costs are rising and the funding we receive from the Scottish Government is reducing.”