Would-be councillors have tough time ahead

As voters get ready to go to the polls today (Thursday), those hoping to win public support know they are coming into office facing some of the most challenging times in more than a generation.

With budgets over-stretched and costs continuing to rise, the local council will still have to deal with an expanding population, a shortage of affordable housing and increasing pressure on health and education services from the houses that are being built, as well as meeting climate targets, delivering transport improvements and helping get local businesses back on track in the wake of the pandemic.

Each of the parties asking for your vote has recognised that these issues are not instantly solvable and largely down to pressures outside the council’s control. Even before the surge in the cost of living, flagged up well before the turn of the year by council finance teams, the council’s spending shortfall for the next fiveyear term was north of £40million.

That figure could likely climb, with increasing household costs faced by the voters themselves as well as the surging costs and demand restrictions on raw materials for building and maintenance.

A policy first set up 10 years ago to deliver 3000 affordable homes by the end of March was stalled in its final stages by the pandemic lockdown and worldwide shortage of materials.

Since the start of 2012/13, 2422 affordable homes have been delivered and a further 616 are currently under construction.

In a report last month, housing officers said: “At present, the overall programme is projected to complete 81 per cent of the target 3000 units by March 2022, with the remaining 19 per cent complete by late summer 2023.” The grim reality is that while West Lothian has one of the best records of building new social housing in Scotland, it nowhere near meets demand.

With a waiting list at around 10,000, housing inquiries remain a mainstay of a councillor’s inbox.

The council is working with Registered Social Landlords, mostly housing associations, on a range of proposals to develop brownfield sites across the county to provide social housing.

Private house builders and development firms are queuing up to turn over greenfield sites into new, predominantly expensive, housing.

The council’s Local Development Plan has frequently been challenged by developers who have won appeals to build on greenfield sites.

Councillors have branded the appeals process a “lottery” dependent on which Reporter is appointed to oversee which appeal.

Earlier this year, a report by the Health and Social Care Partnership revealed almost 12,000 homes were planned to be built by 2027, mostly in the eastern end of the county, with another 8000 planned beyond that.

The Joint Forum of Community Councils said there were “grave concerns” about the impact on GP services, saying: “This will bring huge demand and pressure on GP practices in the area, which will exceed their existing resources.

“This comes at a time when the Health Board has halted non-urgent Elective Surgery at St John’s Hospital due to staff shortages and high rates of Covid-19 infection.

“This will effectively halt any attempt to catch up on waiting lists for operations, which will affect those in every community.”

While all the manifestos are upbeat and practical in their approach, there can be few individuals, whatever their politics, who doubt those “grave concerns” voiced by community councils.