Council bosses warn they will have to cut costs to balance the books: Have your say on what matters most to you

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A consultation on the future priorities of local services has been launched in West Lothian.West Lothian Council is encouraging residents, visitors to West Lothian and members of staff to take part.The council faces significant budget challenges over the next five years and the way in which some services are provided will have to change.This is the first phase in a series of planned community engagement exercises that will provide insight into how the priorities of West Lothian’s residents are balanced with the council’s ability to provide services with less funding.Chief Executive of West Lothian Council, Graham Hope said: “This is an important opportunity to have a say on local priorities and influence council services in West Lothian.“The views of our customers matter to us and through our WL 2028 – Your Council, Your Say community engagement programme feedback will help shape the services that matter most to people and communities in the years ahead.”Like all councils in Scotland, over the next five years West Lothian Council won’t have the financial resources to deliver the same level of services that they provide now.

That means that local services will have to change and be delivered in a more sustainable way.Due to insufficient funding and increasing costs, since 2007 West Lothian Council has been forced to make over £150 million of savings.From 2023 to 2028, the council is expecting further reductions in real terms funding from the Scottish Government with an estimated £38 million of budget reductions required to balance the budget over the next five years – something the council is legally required to do.Graham Hope added: “Before changes to local services are considered, we want to re-evaluate what customer’s