# Where your council tax goes in West Lothian url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/council-tax/scotland/west-lothian/where-it-goes/ updated: 29 September 2026 licence: Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Figures: each source's own licence, listed under Sources. publisher: [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk) # Where your council tax goes in West Lothian Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). A Band D council tax bill in **West Lothian** is **£1,627.59** for 2026-27, split between West Lothian £1,627.59. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is education at West Lothian: **£913.01** of the bill. Council tax pays for 12% of the council's own spending; the rest is government grant, business rates and fees. Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). ## Key figures - £1,627.59Band D bill, 2026-27 As of 6 April 2026 - £1,627.59Goes to West Lothian itself (100%) As of 6 April 2026 - £913.01Largest line: education As of 3 February 2026 - 12.1%Of the council's money that comes from council tax, 2024-25 As of 3 February 2026 Source: [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). ## Who gets your bill Your council tax band A B C D E F G H Figures are for a **Band D** home. Bands A to H pay a fixed fraction of this, set in law. 1627.59 West Lothian 100% In Scotland the whole bill goes to the council. Police and fire have been funded nationally since 2013, and the water and sewerage charges on the same bill belong to Scottish Water. ## And where does that bit go? Choose any part of the bill to see how it divides, then keep going as far as the published returns allow. Every level has its own link you can share. ### Where the rest comes from **Council tax pays for 12.1%** of the money West Lothian had to spend in 2024-25. ********** - Council tax 12.1% £92.7m - Business rates 12.5% £96.0m - General government grant 45.6% £349.4m - Government grants for specific services 8.5% £65.2m - Fees, charges and other income 21.2% £162.4m Council tax is pooled with the council's other money, not ring-fenced for any service. The split on this page shares your bill out in proportion to what each body spends; it does not say what any one pound paid for. - Your bill ### Your bill: £1,627.59 - [West Lothian](#d-council) £1,627.59 ** Your council · 100.0% of the bill - [Your bill](#d-bill) - West Lothian ### West Lothian £1,627.59 of your bill goes to West Lothian. It is shared out below in proportion to how West Lothian spent its money in 2024-25, its latest published return. - [Education](#d-council~education) £913.01 ** 56.1% of this part · £277.2m in 2024-25 · £1,481 per resident; similar councils £1,434 · up 9.4% on 2023-24 - [Adult social care](#d-council~adult-social-care) £346.08 ** 21.3% of this part · £105.1m in 2024-25 · £561 per resident; similar councils £690 · up 8.3% on 2023-24 - Children's social care £107.83 ** 6.6% of this part · £32.7m in 2024-25 · £175 per resident; similar councils £200 · up 1.8% on 2023-24 - [Environment and regulation](#d-council~environment) £75.28 ** 4.6% of this part · £22.9m in 2024-25 · £122 per resident; similar councils £139 · down 11.1% on 2023-24 - [Roads and transport](#d-council~highways-transport) £48.93 ** 3.0% of this part · £14.9m in 2024-25 · £79 per resident; similar councils £89 · down 7.4% on 2023-24 - [Running the council](#d-council~central) £48.44 ** 3.0% of this part · £14.7m in 2024-25 · £79 per resident; similar councils £96 · up 47.3% on 2023-24 - [Parks, leisure, libraries and culture](#d-council~culture-leisure) £42.30 ** 2.6% of this part · £12.8m in 2024-25 · £69 per resident; similar councils £113 · down 0.4% on 2023-24 - [Housing (not council homes)](#d-council~housing) £27.17 ** 1.7% of this part · £8.2m in 2024-25 · £44 per resident; similar councils £57 · down 34.6% on 2023-24 Not council homes: [see the note](#d-council~housing). - [Planning and development](#d-council~planning-development) £18.56 ** 1.1% of this part · £5.6m in 2024-25 · £30 per resident; similar councils £33 · down 24.1% on 2023-24 Other services brought in £1.7m more than it cost in 2024-25, so it takes no share of your bill. **Which councils count as similar** Medians are across the 10 Scottish councils closest in population: Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Perth & Kinross, Aberdeen City, Dundee City, Highland, Dumfries & Galloway, North Ayrshire, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates. - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [West Lothian](#d-council) - Education ### Education £913.01 of your bill goes to education at West Lothian. Here is how its £277.2m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Primary schools £374.01 ** 41.0% of this · £113.6m in 2024-25 · £607 per resident; similar councils £516 · up 5.1% on 2023-24 - Secondary schools £328.33 ** 36.0% of this · £99.7m in 2024-25 · £532 per resident; similar councils £517 · down 2.1% on 2023-24 - Early years and nursery £106.98 ** 11.7% of this · £32.5m in 2024-25 · £173 per resident; similar councils £197 · up 132.7% on 2023-24 - Special schools and alternative provision £97.60 ** 10.7% of this · £29.6m in 2024-25 · £158 per resident; similar councils £174 · up 7.2% on 2023-24 - Community learning £5.65 ** 0.6% of this · £1.7m in 2024-25 · £9.16 per resident; similar councils £17 · down 5.9% on 2023-24 - Other education £0.44 ** under 0.1% of this · £135k in 2024-25 · £0.72 per resident; similar councils £0.00 · up 33.7% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [West Lothian](#d-council) - Adult social care ### Adult social care £346.08 of your bill goes to adult social care at West Lothian. Here is how its £105.1m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Paid to the Integration Joint Board £322.67 ** 93.2% of this · £98.0m in 2024-25 · £523 per resident; similar councils £699 · up 10.6% on 2023-24 - Adult social care run by the council directly £13.69 ** 4.0% of this · £4.2m in 2024-25 · £22 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 22.5% on 2023-24 - Other adult services £6.69 ** 1.9% of this · £2.0m in 2024-25 · £11 per resident; similar councils £6.48 · down 10.3% on 2023-24 - Criminal justice social work £3.03 ** 0.9% of this · £919k in 2024-25 · £4.91 per resident; similar councils £2.12 · up 15.9% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [West Lothian](#d-council) - Environment and regulation ### Environment and regulation £75.28 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at West Lothian. Here is how its £22.9m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Waste disposal £33.56 ** 44.6% of this · £10.2m in 2024-25 · £54 per resident; similar councils £57 · down 1.9% on 2023-24 - Waste collection £15.86 ** 21.1% of this · £4.8m in 2024-25 · £26 per resident; similar councils £38 · down 35.0% on 2023-24 - Other environmental services £12.91 ** 17.1% of this · £3.9m in 2024-25 · £21 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 3.3% on 2023-24 - Trading standards £5.05 ** 6.7% of this · £1.5m in 2024-25 · £8.16 per resident; similar councils £6.43 · up 18.8% on 2023-24 - Environmental health, food safety, pest control and licensing £3.58 ** 4.8% of this · £1.1m in 2024-25 · £5.79 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 14.9% on 2023-24 - Flood defence, land drainage and coast protection £2.42 ** 3.2% of this · £731k in 2024-25 · £3.90 per resident; similar councils £1.73 · down 5.2% on 2023-24 - Cemeteries and crematoria £1.89 ** 2.5% of this · £573k in 2024-25 · £3.06 per resident; similar councils £1.66 · down 33.1% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [West Lothian](#d-council) - Roads and transport ### Roads and transport £48.93 of your bill goes to roads and transport at West Lothian. Here is how its £14.9m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Road and bridge maintenance £18.61 ** 38.0% of this · £5.7m in 2024-25 · £30 per resident; similar councils £25 · down 14.8% on 2023-24 - Street lighting (including energy) £10.54 ** 21.5% of this · £3.2m in 2024-25 · £17 per resident; similar councils £11 · up 6.9% on 2023-24 - Support for bus, rail and other public transport £9.23 ** 18.9% of this · £2.8m in 2024-25 · £15 per resident; similar councils £18 · down 1.0% on 2023-24 - Winter service (gritting) £6.32 ** 12.9% of this · £1.9m in 2024-25 · £10 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 14.6% on 2023-24 - Traffic management and road safety £3.47 ** 7.1% of this · £1.1m in 2024-25 · £5.63 per resident; similar councils £7.60 · down 3.2% on 2023-24 - Parking £0.55 ** 1.1% of this · £168k in 2024-25 · £0.90 per resident; similar councils £-2.76 · down 7.7% on 2023-24 - Concessionary bus fares £0.21 ** 0.4% of this · £65k in 2024-25 · £0.35 per resident; similar councils £0.41 · down 5.8% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [West Lothian](#d-council) - Running the council ### Running the council £48.44 of your bill goes to running the council at West Lothian. Here is how its £14.7m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Other central services £28.11 ** 58.0% of this · £8.5m in 2024-25 · £46 per resident; similar councils £7.48 · up 89.5% on 2023-24 - Corporate and democratic core £14.08 ** 29.1% of this · £4.3m in 2024-25 · £23 per resident; similar councils £24 · up 21.4% on 2023-24 - Council tax and rates valuation £3.28 ** 6.8% of this · £996k in 2024-25 · £5.32 per resident; similar councils £7.74 · up 8.0% on 2023-24 - Elections and electoral registration £1.49 ** 3.1% of this · £454k in 2024-25 · £2.42 per resident; similar councils £2.94 · up 64.5% on 2023-24 - Collecting council tax and business rates £0.71 ** 1.5% of this · £215k in 2024-25 · £1.15 per resident; similar councils £12 · down 0.5% on 2023-24 - Emergency planning £0.27 ** 0.6% of this · £83k in 2024-25 · £0.44 per resident; similar councils £0.65 · up 3.8% on 2023-24 - Not itemised in the return £0.50 ** 1.0% of this · £152k in 2024-25 · £0.81 per resident; similar councils £0.84 · down 67.7% on 2023-24 "Not itemised in the return" is the difference between the service total and the lines the return lists. - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [West Lothian](#d-council) - Parks, leisure, libraries and culture ### Parks, leisure, libraries and culture £42.30 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at West Lothian. Here is how its £12.8m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £15.55 ** 36.8% of this · £4.7m in 2024-25 · £25 per resident; similar councils £28 · down 8.0% on 2023-24 - Sport and leisure £14.46 ** 34.2% of this · £4.4m in 2024-25 · £23 per resident; similar councils £42 · up 0.7% on 2023-24 - Libraries £6.92 ** 16.4% of this · £2.1m in 2024-25 · £11 per resident; similar councils £18 · up 1.8% on 2023-24 - Museums, arts, heritage and archives £3.64 ** 8.6% of this · £1.1m in 2024-25 · £5.91 per resident; similar councils £17 · up 34.9% on 2023-24 - Tourism £1.72 ** 4.1% of this · £523k in 2024-25 · £2.79 per resident; similar councils £1.32 · up 1.0% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [West Lothian](#d-council) - Housing (not council homes) ### Housing (not council homes) £27.17 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at West Lothian. Here is how its £8.2m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Homelessness and temporary accommodation £12.28 ** 45.2% of this · £3.8m in 2024-25 · £20 per resident; similar councils £15 · down 52.4% on 2023-24 - Other General Fund housing £7.78 ** 28.6% of this · £2.4m in 2024-25 · £13 per resident; similar councils £6.62 · down 20.3% on 2023-24 - Housing benefit administration and discretionary payments £4.40 ** 16.2% of this · £1.4m in 2024-25 · £7.35 per resident; similar councils £20 · up 57.6% on 2023-24 - Supporting People and welfare services £2.11 ** 7.8% of this · £658k in 2024-25 · £3.51 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 12.7% on 2023-24 - Private sector housing renewal £0.60 ** 2.2% of this · £189k in 2024-25 · £1.01 per resident; similar councils £2.54 · up 53.7% on 2023-24 **Council homes are not in this.** Council housing is paid for through the Housing Revenue Account, from tenants' rents, and the law keeps it separate from the General Fund that council tax goes into. West Lothian's Housing Revenue Account took in £64.9m and spent £38.1m in 2024-25. [What council tax does and doesn't pay for](/what-council-tax-pays-for/#ring-fence). - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [West Lothian](#d-council) - Planning and development ### Planning and development £18.56 of your bill goes to planning and development at West Lothian. Here is how its £5.6m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Economic development and business support £9.64 ** 51.9% of this · £3.3m in 2024-25 · £18 per resident; similar councils £17 · down 39.3% on 2023-24 - Environmental initiatives £7.12 ** 38.4% of this · £2.4m in 2024-25 · £13 per resident; similar councils £1.89 · up 84.4% on 2023-24 - Planning policy £1.80 ** 9.7% of this · £617k in 2024-25 · £3.30 per resident; similar councils £4.68 · down 51.9% on 2023-24 ## Parks, street cleaning and roads here What West Lothian spent, net of income, on the lines readers ask about most. Roads and street cleaning are also shown per mile of road the council looks after, where it is the highway authority. Gully cleaning and verge cutting are inside routine maintenance; no return splits them out. | Line | Net spending | Per resident | Similar councils, per resident | Per mile of road | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Parks and open spaces (including play areas)Details | £4.7m | £25 | £28 | — | down 8.0% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£25Similar councils, per resident£28Per mile of road—Changedown 8.0% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Road and bridge maintenanceDetails | £5.7m | £30 | £25 | £7,635 (similar: £3,457) | down 14.8% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£30Similar councils, per resident£25Per mile of road£7,635 (similar: £3,457)Changedown 14.8% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Winter service (gritting)Details | £1.9m | £10 | £13 | £2,593 (similar: £2,098) | down 14.6% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£10Similar councils, per resident£13Per mile of road£2,593 (similar: £2,098)Changedown 14.6% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Street lighting (including energy)Details | £3.2m | £17 | £11 | £4,323 (similar: £2,457) | up 6.9% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£17Similar councils, per resident£11Per mile of road£4,323 (similar: £2,457)Changeup 6.9% on 2023-24 | | | | | | Miles of road: Department for Transport road lengths, 2025; locally managed major roads and all minor roads. More on [what council tax does and doesn't pay for](/what-council-tax-pays-for/#local-environment). ## What it adds up to | Service | Per resident | Median | | --- | --- | --- | | EducationDetails | £1,481 | £1,442 | | Median£1,442 | | | | Adult social careDetails | £561 | £707 | | Median£707 | | | | Children's social careDetails | £175 | £170 | | Median£170 | | | | Environment and regulationDetails | £122 | £139 | | Median£139 | | | | Roads and transportDetails | £79 | £89 | | Median£89 | | | | Running the councilDetails | £79 | £89 | | Median£89 | | | | Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails | £69 | £115 | | Median£115 | | | | Housing (not council homes)Details | £44 | £59 | | Median£59 | | | | Planning and developmentDetails | £30 | £35 | | Median£35 | | | | Other servicesDetails | £-9.18 | £-0.65 | | Median£-0.65 | | | - West Lothian spent **47.5%** of its gross service spending on its own staff in 2024-25 (median for Scottish councils: 41.9%); the rest went on suppliers, contractors, grants, benefits and other running costs. ## What this data does and doesn't show - These are each body's own figures, as reported to government in its revenue outturn return. Net spending is after the fees, charges and grants a service brings in. - Your bill is for 2026-27; it is shared out using the latest published return, which covers an earlier year. The mix of spending changes little from one year to the next, but it does change. - Council tax is not ring-fenced: this shows your bill in proportion to spending, not what your money bought. Where a precept is set aside for adult social care, it is shown against adult social care. - No council publishes spending at street or property level, so nothing here says what was spent near you. - Sub-service lines are the ones the national returns itemise. Councils describe their own budgets differently; their budget books and statements of accounts have more detail. ## Sources - Scottish Government, [Council Tax by Band](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). Open Government Licence v3.0. - Scottish Government, [Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2026/02/scottish-local-government-finance-statistics-2024-25/documents/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/govscot%3Adocument/Scottish%2BLocal%2BGovernment%2BFinance%2BStatistics%2B%2528SLGFS%2529%2B2024-25%2B-%2BLA%2BLevel%2B-%2BNet%2BRevenue%2BExpenditure%2Bby%2BSubservice%2B-%2B2026-01-09.xlsx), published 3 February 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. How the split is worked out, and how the three nations' returns are matched to one list of services, is on the [methodology page](/methodology/#council-spending). The dataset is on the [data page](/data/#council-spending). See also [council tax in West Lothian](/council-tax/scotland/west-lothian/) and [everything else about West Lothian](/your-area/west-lothian/). ## Common questions What does council tax pay for in West Lothian? A Band D bill of £1,627.59 is split between West Lothian. In proportion to spending, the largest line is education, £913.01.Is council tax ring-fenced for particular services? No. Council tax is pooled with grants, business rates and fees. The adult social care precept is the exception: councils raise it for adult social care. ## Sources for this page | Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Council Tax Assumptions: Council Tax by Band](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/) | Scottish Government | the 2026–27 financial year | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2026/02/scottish-local-government-finance-statistics-2024-25/documents/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/govscot%3Adocument/Scottish%2BLocal%2BGovernment%2BFinance%2BStatistics%2B%2528SLGFS%2529%2B2024-25%2B-%2BLA%2BLevel%2B-%2BNet%2BRevenue%2BExpenditure%2Bby%2BSubservice%2B-%2B2026-01-09.xlsx) | Scottish Government | 3 February 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Related pages - [Next in this section: Parking income in West Lothian](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/parking/west-lothian/) - [Back to West Lothian: your area](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/your-area/west-lothian/) - [How much is council tax and what does it pay for?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/council-tax/) - [Who is my MP, and what does their office cost?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/mps/) - [Where does my tax money actually go?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/for-every-100-pounds-of-tax/) ## More from this publisher - [UK tax calculators](https://howlongisit.co.uk) Published by [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). The figures belong to the publishers listed under Sources and are used under their licences. Figures last updated 29 September 2026.