West Lothian Council budget cuts to hit tenants

If you live in a Council house in West Lothian, your rent will be going up by 3% next year. 

The Council's decision will hit people who are struggling with rising fuel costs and reduced income. It's the wrong thing to do in the middle of a pandemic when so many are furloughed or have lost their jobs. In Edinburgh, Liberal Democrat Councillors worked with other parties to vote down similar plans. If I had been a Councillor, I would have opposed the rise. It's the wrong thing to do. 

The Council passed a budget which, if you read the small print in its 250 pages, will cause problems for many of our most vulnerable people. 

With the economy in crisis, now is not the time to increase care charges for the most vulnerable. 

Nor is it the time to cut back adult learning, or cut jobs in the youth justice service. 

A review of adult day care services and community transport does not bode well for people who see them as a lifeline.

Cuts to the anti poverty service at a time when we know that 1 in 4 children is living in poverty and this is likely to get worse seems short-sighted.

Many people who responded to my survey were worried about the impact of cuts to services for disabled people on themselves or their loved ones. 

There is no doubt that the SNP Government should be providing more funding to local government, but we should also demand better of our Council.

If you elect me as your councillor on 11th March, I will do everything I can to make sure that our most vulnerable residents get the support and the services that they need. 

Caron Lindsay

Candidate for Livingston South, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Published and promoted by Sally Pattle on behalf of Caron Lindsay (Scottish Liberal Democrats), both at 139 Buchanan Crescent, Livingston, EH54 7EF