£61m capital spend proposed for West Lothian

Millions of pounds of investment in school buildings, roads and sports facilities in West Lothian are set to be approved by the council. 

Councillors are expected to pass a £61m investment programme for the next financial year when they meet to  debate the budget on Tuesday. 

The meeting at Livingston’s Civic Centre  is expected to agree  a range of capital spending projects with funding provided by the Scottish Government for 2025/26. 

A breakdown of the £61m spending plan proposes more than £48.8million of property improvements, new projects and maintenance. 

 This includes £25 million in school projects that includes major projects at St Kentigern’s Academy, Craigshill, Livingston and East Calder Primary. Over £15 million will be invested in school projects this year that are developer funded. This includes projects in Winchburgh, Calderwood, Bangour and a significant extension at West Calder High School. 

More than £6m will go on  roads, footways, streetlighting, bridges and structure and flood prevention and drainage. Key road improvements planned include  £2.2 million in improving West Lothian’s A, B.C and U class roads. 

 Roads to receive significant investment this year will include: the A70 from Auchinoon to Halfway House near Harburn; The A89 between Dechmont and the Kilpunt Roundabout; The B9080 Winchburgh Main Street to the Council Boundary; the C1 road from the boundary with South Lanarkshire to Harestanes. 

In addition money will be spent upgrading surfaces in residential streets in Armadale. 

The council plans to spend over  £3m  on open space improvement sports facilities and cemeteries, over the next eight years, including extensions to Boghead cemetery in Bathgate and Fauldhouse  next year at a cost of £200,000.   

Of the  £2.6 million set to be invested in ICT assets during 2025/26, nearly £1.5m will be included for schools covering laptop, desktop and smartboard devices to support improving attainment in West Lothian schools. 

Over £1 million will be invested in children’s play areas, with projects to refurbish West Lothian’s eight district parks as well as those at Dixon Road in Whitburn, Stoneyburn Main Street and Westrigg in Armadale. 

Around £1.8m will be invested in projects including Boghall Skatepark and the multi-use games area at Watson Park in Armadale, as wel as managing trees and woodlands and tackling ash dieback. 

The funding  is part of a longer term plan to invest more than £201m in West Lothian infrastructure and council owned properties, including housing, between 2026 and 2033. 

Capital funding is one-off amounts of money used to upgrade/repair existing infrastructure or build new assets, such as new buildings, school extensions or new roads and paths. 

The  proposed £61m spend  for 2025/26 is in addition to the £68 million that was spent last year (2024/25). 

 Capital funding is generated through Scottish Government grant funding, income generated through the sale of council owned assets such as land and properties, borrowing and other sources of funding – which are given to the local authority for specific projects.  

By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter