Whichever party takes charge at West Lothian Council after next May’s elections is set to face a £40 million black hole for their five year term.The council’s Head of Finance, Donald Forrest, warned the £40 million gap in the budget could hobble the new council until 2027/28.Key threats include the council being saddled with new and costly responsibilities including social care.Presenting estimates to the Partnership and Resources Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel (PDSP) earlier this month, he said a horizon scan predicted a best case scenario of a £22m gap - and a worst case of £56 million.These estimates are based on current funding “and include initial assumptions regarding the current financial planning period,” Mr Forrest said in
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