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Podcast Transcript – Best Value Assurance Report: West Lothian Council 

I’m here with Paul Reilly, Secretary to the Accounts Commission to talk about a new report on West Lothian Council. Paul, can you explain what this local government watchdog report is all about?
Sure. It’s the latest of our new Best Value Assurance reports, which aim to give local people a more rounded view on how their council is doing. We want these reports to help residents to be better informed and more involved in shaping the key services that they rely on. 

So what have you found?
It’s a positive picture. The Commission is encouraged at the progress West Lothian has made since 2005. The council continues to be high-performing, but its councillors need to be more prominent in dealing with the tough challenges that lie ahead. 

What exactly do you mean by that?
Well, West Lothian is facing a £73.5 million budget gap over the next five years – a significant figure that will be difficult for the council to bridge. It also obviously has implications for staff, services and the local people that rely on them. 
It’s against this challenging backdrop that the Commission has made two key findings: number one was the need for councillors to take a much earlier role in identifying budget priorities. This will be needed to help them deliver savings to the required timescales; secondly, it identifies the need for all councillors to play a more active and prominent council-wide role developing and scrutinizing policy. Both those improvements will be vital to ensuring that the people of West Lothian get the best value from their council.

Savings targets aside, what other challenges do the council face?
One of the things that stood out from the report was the demographic changes the council is facing over the next 20 years. West Lothian has one of the youngest and fastest growing populations in the country. But the real change in its population is going to be driven by a huge increase in the number of older residents. Nowhere else in Scotland will see such a high increase in people over pensionable age and over-75s. In fact, it’s projected that the number of over-75s will increase by 130 per cent compared to an overall increase across Scotland of 85 per cent. The council is well aware of the challenges this will bring and has factored them into its planning process.
 
What things are working well in West Lothian? 
Overall, the council is performing well, especially in education where attainment is above the Scottish average and more pupils are going onto further education, training or employment after leaving school. But it’s more a of a mixed picture across some individual services – for example the number of elderly residents with intensive needs  receiving care at home has reduced, and West Lothian has also had more people waiting longer to be discharged from hospital than most other council areas.  
That said, the overall picture is a positive one. The council has a clear vision, manages its finances effectively and has well established processes for capturing the views of local people. 

How can it improve further?
Well, all councils in Scotland are facing tough spending challenges. 
The key message from the Commission’s report in West Lothian’s case is that councillors need to play a more prominent role. This ownership is so important as they take the difficult decisions that lie ahead. 
Paul, thank you very much. 

And if you want to delve a bit deeper into how West Lothian Council is performing the report’s available to download from our website - audit-scotland.gov.uk. 
ENDS