Wednesday January 28th 2026
West Lothian Council headquarters
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
West Lothian is to explore the use of modular house construction in a bid to speed up moving families out of temporary accommodation and bed and breakfasts.
Conservative Angela Doran-Timson’s motion was passed at a meeting of full council after an attempted Labour amendment was withdrawn within minutes of being lodged.
Tory group leader Damian Doran-Timson berated Labour saying : “The amendment actions are identical to the actions in the motion. Maybe Labour has crossed a T at a slightly different angle or put an extra dot on an I.”
“Let’s not play games”, he urged the meeting.
Provost Cathy Muldoon had reminded councillors of new rules to form composite motions in the weeks before meetings or in the half hour immediately before the meeting.
Angela Doran-Timson said her motion was “deeply personal and long-overdue.”
She added: “Back in November 2022 I submitted a motion to West Lothian Council calling on them to explore modular and container housing as a solution to our growing housing crisis.
“At the time we set up a small working group and we held one meeting. The costs and delivery times were similar to traditional building.
“Since then the situation has worsened in West Lothian. We currently have 646 in temporary accommodation at 185 in bed and breakfasts. Many of these are children and families waiting for secure homes.”
West Lothian currently ranks fourth highest in Scotland behind Glasgow, Edinburgh and Fife with the numbers of people in temporary housing.
Councillor Doran-Timson said: “Families are living in uncertainty. It’s not just a statistic. It’s about life held in limbo.
“Modular housing offers a practical solution faster to deliver. Councils in Manchester, Liverpool, Fife and elsewhere have successfully used modular housing to provide affordable high quality housing in months rather than years. Modern modular houses are energy efficient, sustainable and built to last, meeting high environmental standards.”
She added: “The Scottish Government have committed over £1bn. West Lothian Council must be proactive. It is about leadership, it’s about making a tangible difference to people’s lives.
“Lets deliver home stability and homes to those who need it.”
Councillor Damian Doran-Timson said the promised funding from the Scottish Government was “extremely welcome” and reminded councillors that all in the chamber had dealt with issues of housing from constituents.
He said: “Modular housing can work and it does have its place. The motion is not being critical of the hard work of our overstretched housing team, quite the opposite. It is making sure that, as councillors, we know that every avenue is being explored.
“It will get people out of temporary accommodation. Please support it. Let’s not play games.”
The Conservative motion called on the council to:
– Write to the Scottish Government to urge that modular housing is prioritised within national affordable housing and homelessness strategies and to provide dedicated funding.
– Write to the Housing Minister to request a meeting to discuss West Lothian’s needs and opportunities for accelerated modular delivery.
– Write to the Housing Minister and local MSPs setting out West Lothian’s proactive approach and seeking urgent national support.
Labour’ amendment highlighted that the council is currently delivering a modular housing development at Almondvale Crescent in Livingston, consisting of 48 one, two and three bed houses.
It added: “This project was progressed via the modular route as a pilot project to establish any benefits and potential risks of this model of new build housing delivery before embarking on future projects of this nature.
“The project at Almondvale is due for completion in summer 2026 and it would be appropriate at that time to review the modular delivery model for permanent housing.”
It too had recommended:-
– Write to the Scottish Government to urge that modular housing is prioritised within national affordable housing and homelessness strategies and to provide dedicated funding.
– Write to the Housing Minister to request a meeting to discuss West Lothian’s needs and opportunities for accelerated modular delivery.
– Write to the Housing Minister and local MSPs setting out West Lothian’s proactive approach and seeking urgent national support.”
The Conservative motion was carried without opposition.
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