More than £2m has come to West Lothian through the Scottish Government’s town centres fund.
While the extra cash has been welcomed, the process for dishing it out has met growing criticism from across the political spectrum.
While councillors in some areas agreed on funding plans at local area committees (LACs), others felt a clash of interests and the need for impartiality could not allow them to debate the plans, which were then referred to the council’s executive for debate and agreement.
This happened in Bathgate, Linlithgow, the Breich Valley and Livingston North.
Bathgate’s Tory councillor Charles Kennedy withdrew from the executive meeting for decisions on all of these spending plans, citing a “badly flawed process”.
Councillor Kennedy said he and other Bathgate councillors felt it was inappropriate to take part in discussions at their LAC on funding applications because of their need to be seen to be impartial.
He said: “This has led to all members in Bathgate and indeed in this council being subject to ridicule, abuse and anger from constituents.”
He added: “ Almost 50 per cent of the wards in West Lothian will have had their funding decided by members of wards outwith. In other words centralisation, not devolution.”
There was a similar response in Linlithgow. The LAC convened only for all three councillors, Labour, Tory and SNP, to declare an interest and for the proposals to be referred to the executive.
There has been a surge of complaints on social media about the meetings which never were in Bathgate and Linlithgow.
In Livingston North Councillor Andrew Miller expressed frustration that the LAC could not address any of the funding applications as individual items after officer’s advice.
All four areas had their spending plans agreed by the full executive.
