Tuesday February 10th 2026
Linlithgow's Burgh Halls
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
Increased hiring fees have been proposed for Linlithgow’s Burgh Halls after a troubled two years.
Budget proposals to be agreed by the end of the month suggesting price hikes for venue hire and full wedding packages for the historic building.
Greg Welsh, the head of the Education service which manages the venue said the price rises would be “an income generator” for the council.
Councillors have received several reports in the last two years that the Burgh Halls have failed to make expected targets of income of between £70,000 and £100,000.
If agreed at the budget by councillors the new charges could take the costs of hiring the Burgh Halls as a full wedding venue £4,500. Other price rises could include: £40 for a two hour let of the Garden Room rising to £60 at the weekend, with a commercial let costing from £110 to £130.
Proposed charges for one hall for a wedding venue could rise to £750 while the weekend hire of two halls for family celebration or weddings could rise to £1,000 and £2,000 respectively. The latter with minimum bar spend rules attached.
Officers have proposed a new set of charges for the venue.
In detailed pre budget paperwork that went before a meeting of Corporate Policy and Resources PDSP they outlined: “A recent review concluded that the structure of charges needed to alter to enable cost recovery and give the opportunity to address the budget pressure that exists currently.
“The proposed new structure seeks to change the hire charges by day/evening, mid-week/weekend and off season to account for variation in seasonal and off-peak demand.
“Wedding bookings will be priced on a venue hire basis as a baseline, with other customer requirements for catering and associated services only delivered on a full cost recovery basis.
“Certain types and sizes of events may also require a minimum bar spend to be agreed at the point of booking to ensure financial viability.”
SNP group leader Janet Campbell said: “I’m very glad to see following an SNP motion in 2023 that the fees have been increased to Burgh Halls, one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in West Lothian.
“Are these fees now full market value?
Mr Welsh said: “Yes the benchmarking that’s been undertaken has been looking at wedding packages delivered in the private commercial industry and they have been aligned to ensure that we get full cost recovery. Also noted on proposals there is a minimum bar spend to ensure that full cost recovery is received and then becoming an income generator beyond that.”
Councillor Campbell asked: “Is that something common in these types of venues?
“It is, full cost recovery from running that service.”
Council leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick thanks officers for preparing the extensive list of potential savings and cost increases across services. Councillors will decide on costs when they meet to decide the budget in two weeks time.
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