I understand the squeeze families are feeling right now. Bills are up. Energy costs are up. And now West Lothian Council is asking residents to pay more in council tax. The council’s voted for a 7.4% increase for 2026 to 2027, and I want to walk you through what that actually means.
Seven and a half percent sounds like a lot, but first let’s put it in context. In West Lothian, a band D property will see its council tax rise by roughly 75 pounds a year. That’s more than six quid a month. It adds up, especially in a year where everything else is getting dearer.
Why are they doing this? The council says it’s down to demand. Social care is expensive. More people need support. Roads need fixing. And the Scottish Government’s settlement to councils hasn’t increased fast enough to cover that gap. So councils are left with a choice: cut services or ask residents to pay more.
West Lothian’s leader says this rise lets them protect key services without major cuts. No library closures. No bin collection changes. Roads still get maintained. But I’ve been in enough council chambers to know what that list doesn’t include. It doesn’t mean no redundancies. It doesn’t mean no service levels dropping over time.
The real conversation should be at Scottish Government level. Councils can’t fix the funding problem. They’re squeezed between rising demand and capped budgets. Every council in Scotland is facing the same choice West Lothian just made.
For residents in West Lothian, that’s 75 pounds more a year. For a council trying to keep services running, it’s survival.