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West Lothian Council

Local authority for West Lothian, Scotland

Local authority for West Lothian, Scotland

FieldValue
nameWest Lothian Council
native_namecoa_pic = Coat of arms of West Lothian Council.svg
coa_altWest Lothian Coat of Arms
coa_captionCoat of Arms
logo_picWest Lothian Council.svg
logo_res250px
logo_altCouncil logo
logo_captionWest Lothian Council logo
foundation
preceded_byWest Lothian District Council (1975-1996)
leader1_typeProvost
leader1Cathy Muldoon
party1
Labour
election124 May 2022
leader2_typeLeader
leader2Lawrence Fitzpatrick
party2
Labour
election225 May 2017
leader3_typeChief Executive
leader3Graham Hope
party3
election3September 2010
seats33 councillors
house_typeUnitary authority
structure1United Kingdom West Lothian Council 2025.svgstructure1_res = 250px
:borderdarkgray}} Labour (11)}}
:borderdarkgray}} Scottish National Party (15)}}
:borderdarkgray}} Conservative (4)}}
:borderdarkgray}} Liberal Democrats (1)}}
:borderdarkgray}} Reform UK (1)}}
:borderdarkgray}} Independent (1)}}
voting_system1Single transferable vote
last_election15 May 2022
next_election16 May 2027
session_roomLivingston Civic Centre from the west - geograph.org.uk - 1627821.jpg
meeting_placeWest Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, EH546FF
website

Labour Labour ;Administration (11) : ;Other parties (22) : : : : :

West Lothian Council is the local government authority for West Lothian council area.

History

West Lothian District Council

Local government across Scotland was reorganised in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which replaced the counties and burghs with a two-tier structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. West Lothian became a district within the Lothian region. Under that system, the authority was named West Lothian District Council. West Lothian district took its name from the historic county of West Lothian, which had covered a similar but not identical area.

West Lothian Council

Local government was reorganised again in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts created in 1975 and established 32 single-tier council areas across Scotland, one being West Lothian.

In 2025, parts of the council were affected by a significant cyber attack.

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2007, with a Labour leader since 2012.

The first election to West Lothian District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the reforms which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1975 has been as follows:

West Lothian District Council

Party in controlYears
1975–1977
1977–1980
1980–1992
1992–1996

West Lothian Council

Party in controlYears
1996–2007
2007–

Leadership

The role of provost is largely ceremonial in West Lothian. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Graeme Morrice1 April 1996May 2007
Peter Johnston10 May 2007May 2012
John McGinty10 May 2012May 2017
Lawrence Fitzpatrick25 May 2017

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to December 2025, the composition of the council was:

PartyCouncillorsTotal33
15
11
4
1
1
1

The next full council election is due in 2027.

Elections

Main article: West Lothian Council elections

Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:

YearSeatsSNPLabourConservativeLiberal DemocratsIndependent / OtherNotesScottish National Party}}; width: 3px;"Scottish Labour}}; width: 3px;"Scottish Conservatives}}; width: 3px;"Scottish Liberal Democrats}}; width: 3px;"Independent politician}}; width: 3px;"Scottish National Party}}; width: 3px;"Scottish Labour}}; width: 3px;"Scottish Conservatives}}; width: 3px;"Scottish Liberal Democrats}}; width: 3px;"Independent politician}}; width: 3px;"
1995271115100Labour majority
1999321120100New ward boundaries. Labour majority
2003321218101Labour majority
2007321314104New ward boundaries. SNP-Conservative-Action to Save St. John's Hospital
2012331516101Increase in number of councillors. Labour minority.
2017331312701Labour minority with Conservative support.
2022331512411Labour minority with Conservative-Independent-Liberal Democrat support.

Premises

The council is based at the West Lothian Civic Centre in Livingston. The building was built in 2009 at a cost of £50 million to serve as a police headquarters and courthouse as well as offices for the council. Prior to 2009 the council's offices had been divided between various buildings, including:

  • County Buildings in Linlithgow, which had been built in 1935 as the headquarters for the old West Lothian County Council.
  • Lindsay House on South Bridge Street, Bathgate, built in 1966 as the Burgh Chambers for the old Bathgate Town Council.
  • West Lothian House on Almondvale Boulevard in Livingston, which had been built in 1981 as Sidlaw House and had been the headquarters of the Livingston Development Corporation. Lindsay House and West Lothian House were both demolished shortly after the new Civic Centre opened in 2009.

Services

Like all Scottish Councils, West Lothian Council provides services such as Education, Social Work, Housing, Highways, Street lighting and Cleansing.

The council is responsible for the co-ordination of the planning and provision of public services in West Lothian. It works closely with other public bodies such as police, fire and health, through its community planning partnership.

West Lothian Council operates country parks at Beecraigs, Polkemmet, and Almondell & Calderwood.

Wards

Map of the area's wards (2007 to 2017 configuration)

During elections West Lothian Council is divided geographically into 9 wards which then elect either three or four councillors each by the Single Transferable Vote system. The electoral system of local councils in Scotland is governed by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, an Act of the Scottish Parliament which first introduced proportional representation to councils. These electoral wards are as follows:

Ward NumberWard NameLocationElected Members
1Linlithgow[[File:Linlithgow.svg100px]]3
2Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh[[File:Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh.svg100px]]4
3Livingston North[[File:Livingston North.svg100px]]4
4Livingston South[[File:Livingston South.svg100px]]4
5East Livingston and East Calder[[File:East Livingston and East Calder.svg100px]]4
6Fauldhouse and the Breich Valley[[File:Fauldhouse and the Breich Valley.svg100px]]3
7Whitburn and Blackburn[[File:Whitburn and Blackburn.svg100px]]4
8Bathgate[[File:Bathgate.svg100px]]4
9Armadale and Blackridge[[File:Armadale and Blackridge.svg100px]]3

References

References

  1. "Council minutes, 24 May 2022".
  2. {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
  3. (2025-07-10). "Schools affected by West Lothian cyber attack named".
  4. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
  5. (13 April 1995). "Familiar faces in new council posts". The Scotsman.
  6. (8 May 2015). "Election 2015: Who are the Scottish Labour losers?". BBC News.
  7. "Council minutes, 10 May 2007".
  8. (9 May 2012). "SNP offers coalition deal to Labour". The Scotsman.
  9. "Council minutes, 10 May 2012".
  10. (5 May 2017). "Conservatives take massive strides in West Lothian Council elections". Daily Record.
  11. "Council minutes, 25 May 2017".
  12. "West Lothian". Thorncliffe.
  13. {{cite legislation UK. (1998)
  14. {{cite legislation Scotland. (2006)
  15. Local Single Issue Political Party to save St. John's Hospital in Livingston
  16. {{cite legislation Scotland. (2011)
  17. (24 May 2012). "New council leader outlines vision for West Lothian". Daily Record.
  18. (27 May 2017). "Labour denies minority deal with Tories in West Lothian". Edinburgh Evening News.
  19. Sommerville, Stuart. (2022-05-24). "New minority West Lothian Labour leaders accused of "grubby" deal with Tories".
  20. (25 November 2009). "Alex Salmond unveils £50m Livingston civic centre". BBC News.
  21. {{Historic Environment Scotland
  22. (18 February 1966). "Chambers par excellence: Bathgate's fine new image". West Lothian Courier.
  23. "Livingston, Sidlaw House". Historic Environment Scotland.
  24. (17 December 2009). "West Lothian Council revamps Bathgate office". Daily Record.
  25. (13 May 2010). "Plans for West Lothian House". Daily Record.
  26. "West Lothian Council – Schools and Education".
  27. "West Lothian Council – Health and Social Care".
  28. "West Lothian Council – Housing".
  29. "West Lothian Council – Roads, Streets and Parking".
  30. "West Lothian Council – Recycling and Waste".
  31. "Countryside and Wildlife". West Lothian Council.
  32. "West Lothian Council – Councillors and Wards".
  33. (30 June 2019). "United Kingdom: Scotland {{!}} Council Areas and Electoral Wards".
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