Tuesday March 31st 2026
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
A bid by West Lothian’s opposition group to restore meetings in local public venues has been defeated by a Conservative casting vote.
SNP councillors voted against proposals to alternate venues of a local area committee to include the Civic Centre council chambers.
Now they say the decision to stop broadcasting meetings justifies a return to community venues to allow the public to attend.
The council is expected to stop broadcasting or recording meetings from the Civic Centre Chambers later this year follow a vote at the budget in February.
Councillor Mike Carlin told the latest meeting of Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh Local Area Committee:
“My first LAC was last year. It was yourself [Conservative chair of the committee Councillor Angela Doran-Timson] who suggested that alternate meetings be held in the Council Chambers instead of in the community. The argument put forward was that the meetings would be broadcast. This Labour/Conservative coalition decided to stop all live broadcasting so that argument no longer holds water.
“I propose we return to hold all meetings within the community to allow all local groups the attend the LACS”.
Councillor Doran-Timson agreed that she had pushed forward the proposal for alternate meetings in the chambers for the reason they could be broadcast. Other council venues used for the local area committee – such as the Strathbrock Partnership in Broxburn do not have broadcast facilities.
The local area committees meet every six to eight weeks. It gives the four ward councillors in Broxburn the chance to hear ward related information from the police and fire service as well as localised information from council officers on services in the ward.
On a casting vote by Councillor Doran-Timson the committee voted on the move: “I feel that it was fair the decision was made and it still stands”
She pointed out that at this year’s budget debate no party proposed saving the broadcast of meetings. The axing of the service, the council says, will save £51,000 a year.
Public consultation revealed little support for the broadcasting and few people tune in to meetings. Ironically the four-hour budget meeting in February maintained around 40 viewers for the entire proceedings. Most meetings have fewer than a handful.
Supporting Councillor Carlin’s motion for a return to community venues Councillor Janet Campbell, the SNP group leader said: “The SNP group were under the impression that the meetings would still be recorded and would still be available. We were extremely disappointed that this will not be the case.”
She added: “Democracy is best served as close to the people as possible. People in our community will no longer be able to attend.”
In a vote the SNP motion was defeated with the support of Labour Councillor Tony Boyle and another casting vote from Councillor Doran-Timson.
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