Friday October 30th 2026
West Lothian Civic Centre
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
West Lothian’s council tenants could face a rent increase double the expected 3.5% next year.
Facing the fifth year of fixed rate increases the housing crisis and cost of living crisis has battered council finances.
Now tenants will be asked to consider three new options for 2027/28 – ranging from 4.5% to 6.5% increases in rent.
The highest option – a 6.5% increase – would take the average weekly rent in West Lothian from £95.42 to to £102.
Tenants will be asked to vote on the proposals from next month.
At a meeting of the Housing Services PDSP Linlithgow SNP councillor Pauline Orr asked why the council was considering dropping the five year plan and opting for a greater increase than 3.5%.
Kirsty Weir, Performance and Change Manager told the meeting that major events over the last few years, such as the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis, the housing emergency declared by the Scottish Government in May 2024 are all continuing to have a material impact on the cost of service delivery within the Housing Revenue Account.
The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have also added to material costs the council faces.
A report to the committee said: “Over the last three years (2023 to 2026), UK construction price inflation has generally run between 0.8% and 6.4% annually, stabilizing at a higher permanent baseline following the sharp post-pandemic surge of 2021–2022.
“This, combined with increases in fuel prices, has resulted in significantly higher than predicted construction costs for repairs, maintenance and planned improvements. In addition, the average construction cost of new build affordable housing has increased by over 60% since 2021.”
The 3.5% per annum rent increase approved as part of the current rent strategy from 2023/24 to 2027/28 has been consistently lower than the average rent increase applied by other Scottish local authorities over the same period.
The average rent increases for 2023/24 to 2026/27 across Scotland have been 3.9%, 5.8%, 6.2% and 6.3% respectively, with the highest increases being between 8% and 10%.
If West Lothian had increased rents by the Scottish local authority average over the same four year period, then the HRA would have raised approximately £5.5 million more in rental income over the four years, based on actual rent collected for 2023/24 to 2025/26 and forecast rental income for 2026/27.
The current average weekly rent figure for 2026/27 in West Lothian is £95.42, and the average weekly rent figure for all Scottish local authorities is £98.34.
Applying these average increases would have brought the average weekly rent in West Lothian to £98.00 in 2026/27, in line with the Scottish average.
The report added: “Affordability of rent remains a priority for the council in a bid to ensure that rent levels remain good value when compared to the wider housing sector. It is also a council objective to ensure those most at risk of financial hardship are supported in maintaining their rent payments and avoiding the risk of poverty.
“In order to demonstrate the affordability of the proposed rent strategy, the table below shows the average weekly council house rent in West Lothian for 2026/27and compares this to a gross household income based on a full-time employee who receives the national living wage, which is currently £12.71 per hour and is currently estimated to increase to £13.18 per hour from 1 April 2027. It is suggested that when housing costs exceed 30%-35% of a household’s income, the cost is judged to be unaffordable.”
The council has also faces growing costs tackling the repair of void or empty homes, with the vast majority of homes returned needing around £10,000 worth of repair and improvement work before they can be re-let. A specialist Voids team was set up last year to tackle a backlog.this has seen a steady reduction the the time that empty homes ore off the books during a time of surging demand for council rentals
Mrs Weir told the meeting: “The additional rental income would allow the HRA to continue to meet statutory compliance requirements whilst also continuing to invest in our current stock to deliver new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors.
“It will also allow for a continuation of effective housing management support and a move to a more planned programme of tenancy support for all tenants.”
Tweet Share on Facebook
News
