West Lothian Council

West Lothian Council

Comhairle Lodainn an Iar
West Lothian Coat of Arms
Coat of Arms
Council logo
West Lothian Council logo
Type
Type
History
Preceded byWest Lothian District Council (1975-1996)
Leadership
Cathy Muldoon,
Labour
since 24 May 2022[1]
Lawrence Fitzpatrick,
Labour
since 25 May 2017
Graham Hope
since September 2010
Structure
Seats33 councillors
Political groups
Administration (11)
    Labour (11)
Other parties (22)
    SNP (14)
    Conservative (4)
    Reform (1)
    Liberal Democrats (1)
    Independent (2)
Elections
Single transferable vote
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, EH54 6FF
Website
www.westlothian.gov.uk

West Lothian Council (Scottish Gaelic: Comhairle Lodainn an Iar) 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.[2]

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.[3]

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:[4]

West Lothian District Council

Party in controlYears
Labour1975–1977
No overall control1977–1980
Labour1980–1992
No overall control1992–1996

West Lothian Council

Party in controlYears
Labour1996–2007
No overall control2007–

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 Morrice[5][6]Labour1 April 1996May 2007
Peter Johnston[7][8]SNP10 May 2007May 2012
John McGinty[9][10]Labour10 May 2012May 2017
Lawrence Fitzpatrick[11]Labour25 May 2017

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2026, the composition of the council was:[12]

Party Seats
Labour11
SNP14
Conservative4
Reform1
Liberal Democrats1
Independent2
Total 33

The next full council election is due in 2027.[12]

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:[4]

Year Seats SNP Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats Independent / Other Notes
1995271115100Labour majority
1999321120100New ward boundaries.[13] Labour majority
2003321218101Labour majority
2007321314104New ward boundaries.[14] SNP-Conservative-Action to Save St. John's Hospital[15]
2012331516101Increase in number of councillors.[16] Labour minority.[17]
2017331312701Labour minority with Conservative support.[18]
2022331512411Labour minority with Conservative-Independent-Liberal Democrat support.[19]

Premises

Former County Buildings, Linlithgow: One of the council's former offices

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.[20] 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.[21]
  • Lindsay House on South Bridge Street, Bathgate, built in 1966 as the Burgh Chambers for the old Bathgate Town Council.[22]
  • 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.[23]

Lindsay House and West Lothian House were both demolished shortly after the new Civic Centre opened in 2009.[24][25]

Services

Like all Scottish Councils, West Lothian Council provides services such as Education,[26] Social Work,[27] Housing,[28] Highways, Street lighting[29] and Cleansing.[30]

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.[31]

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:

West Lothian Council Wards[32][33]
Ward Number Ward Name Location Elected Members
1 Linlithgow 3
2 Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh 4
3 Livingston North 4
4 Livingston South 4
5 East Livingston and East Calder 4
6 Fauldhouse and the Breich Valley 3
7 Whitburn and Blackburn 4
8 Bathgate 4
9 Armadale and Blackridge 3

References

  1. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2022". West Lothian Council. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 24 December 2022
  3. ↑ "Schools affected by West Lothian cyber attack named". BBC News. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "West Lothian" in search box to see specific results.)
  5. ↑ Scott, David (13 April 1995). "Familiar faces in new council posts". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. p. 8. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "Election 2015: Who are the Scottish Labour losers?". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "Council minutes, 10 May 2007" (PDF). West Lothian Council. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "SNP offers coalition deal to Labour". The Scotsman. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "Council minutes, 10 May 2012". West Lothian Council. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  10. ↑ O'Neil, Sean (5 May 2017). "Conservatives take massive strides in West Lothian Council elections". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  11. ↑ "Council minutes, 25 May 2017". West Lothian Council. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  12. 1 2 "West Lothian". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "The West Lothian (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1998/3076, retrieved 25 December 2022
  14. ↑ Scottish Parliament. The West Lothian (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
  15. ↑ Local Single Issue Political Party to save St. John's Hospital in Livingston
  16. ↑ Scottish Parliament. The West Lothian (Electoral Arrangements) Councillor Numbers Order 2011 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
  17. ↑ Watson, Alistair (24 May 2012). "New council leader outlines vision for West Lothian". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  18. ↑ "Labour denies minority deal with Tories in West Lothian". Edinburgh Evening News. 27 May 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  19. ↑ Sommerville, Stuart (24 May 2022). "New minority West Lothian Labour leaders accused of "grubby" deal with Tories". Daily Record. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  20. ↑ "Alex Salmond unveils £50m Livingston civic centre". BBC News. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  21. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "High Street, County Buildings with screen wall lamp standards and Provost's lamp (LB37399)". Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "Chambers par excellence: Bathgate's fine new image". West Lothian Courier. Bathgate. 18 February 1966. p. 8. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  23. ↑ "Livingston, Sidlaw House". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  24. ↑ Kerr, Marjorie (17 December 2009). "West Lothian Council revamps Bathgate office". Daily Record. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  25. ↑ Kerr, Marjorie (13 May 2010). "Plans for West Lothian House". Daily Record. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  26. ↑ "West Lothian Council – Schools and Education". www.westlothian.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  27. ↑ "West Lothian Council – Health and Social Care". www.westlothian.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  28. ↑ "West Lothian Council – Housing". www.westlothian.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  29. ↑ "West Lothian Council – Roads, Streets and Parking". www.westlothian.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  30. ↑ "West Lothian Council – Recycling and Waste". www.westlothian.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  31. ↑ "Countryside and Wildlife". West Lothian Council. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  32. ↑ "West Lothian Council – Councillors and Wards". www.westlothian.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  33. ↑ "United Kingdom: Scotland | Council Areas and Electoral Wards". City Population. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
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