West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk. The modern council area was formed in 1975 when the historic county of West Lothian, also known as Linlithgowshire, was reshaped substantially as part of local government reforms; some areas that had formerly been part of Midlothian were added to a new West Lothian District within the Region of Lothian, whilst some areas in the north-west were transferred to the Falkirk District and areas in the north-east were transferred to the City of Edinburgh District. In 1996 West Lothian became a unitary authority area, using the same name and territory as in 1975.
West Lothian lies on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and is predominantly rural, though there were extensive coal, iron, and shale oil mining operations in the 19th and 20th centuries which created distinctive red-spoil heaps (locally known as "bings") throughout the council area. The old county town was the royal burgh of Linlithgow, but the largest town (and the second-largest town in the Lothian region after Edinburgh) is now Livingston, where West Lothian Council has been based since 2009 having previously used facilities across three sites. Other large towns in the county include Bathgate (a town with medieval origins that developed extensively during the industrial revolution) and the historic mining settlements of Armadale, Fauldhouse, Whitburn, West Calder, Uphall, and Broxburn.
History
In 1975, as a result of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the boundaries of West Lothian were adjusted: the 1973 Act abolished the traditional counties and burghs, instead creating a system of Regions and Districts. West Lothian was made a district of Lothian Region but lost the burgh of Bo'ness and the district of Bo'ness to Falkirk District of Central Region, and the burgh of Queensferry and the district of Kirkliston plus part of Winchburgh to the Edinburgh district of Lothian Region. It gained East Calder and West Calder districts from Midlothian. The two-tier system was abolished by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, and the district of West Lothian was made into a unitary council area named West Lothian Council.
Government and politics Council West Lothian Council is the local authority for the West Lothian area and has 33 elected members. Councillors are generally elected every five years, with the next election falling in Spring 2027.
The current council composition is:
PartyCouncillorsScottish National Party15Labour11Conservative 4Liberal Democrats1Independent2
Following the abolition of West Lothian County Council in 1975, the new West Lothian District Council chose to use the former Burgh Chambers of Bathgate Town Council (built in 1966) as its headquarters, extending the building in 1976 and renaming it Lindsay House. The district council retained the county buildings in Linlithgow as additional office space. In November 2009, the new unitary authority, West Lothian Council, centralised its services at the new West Lothian Civic Centre in Livingston.
Parliamentary representation West Lothian is represented in the Scottish Parliament by two constituency members and seven regional members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs).
In the Parliament of the United Kingdom West Lothian is represented by two members of Parliament. Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Gregor Poynton represents the Livingston constituency. Kirsteen Sullivan represents the Bathgate and Linlithgow (UK Parliament constituency) Until 2024, the area included the Linlithgow and East Falkirk (UK Parliament constituency).
The West Lothian question, referring to whether Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish MPs should be allowed to vote on English laws, is so named because it was supposedly first raised by Tam Dalyell while he was MP for West Lothian.
Settlements
The creation of the modern council area in 1975 drastically altered West Lothian's boundaries. Significant towns not included in the modern county are the coastal burghs of Bo'ness and Queensferry and the inland town of Kirkliston. Large parts of the southern urban area of Livingston which were historically within Midlothian were, however, transferred to West Lothian.
Largest settlements by population: +SettlementPopulation ()LivingstonBathgateBroxburnLinlithgowArmadaleWhitburnEast CalderBlackburnFauldhouseWinchburgh
Demographics + Ethnic Group200120112022 Alternative URL 'Search data by location' > 'Local Authority (CA2019)' > 'West Lothian' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Ethnic Group'Number%Number%Number%White: Total156,58198.66%170,85097.56%171,81694.78%White: Scottish 144,533 91.07% 153,815 87.84% 147,073 81.13%White: Other British 9,281 5.85% 10,204 5.83% 12,959 7.15%White: Irish 1,169 0.74% 1,209 0.69% 1,290 0.71%White: Gypsy/TravellerNew category created for the 2011 census – – 79 – 70 –White: Polish – – 3,273 1.87% 5,568 3.07%White: Other 1,598 1.01% 2,270 1.30% 4,853 2.68%Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Total 1,345 0.85% 2,941 1.68% 5,056 2.79%Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Indian 184 0.12% 641 0.37% 1,315 0.73%Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Pakistani 795 0.50% 1,420 0.81% 2,338 1.29%Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Bangladeshi 10 – 11 – 45 –Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Chinese 248 0.16% 498 0.28% 810 0.45%Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Asian Other 108 0.07% 371 0.21% 548 0.30%Black, Black Scottish or Black BritishCategory restructured for the 2011 census26 – – – – –African: Total65–4570.26%1,4390.79%African: African, African Scottish or African British – – 445 0.25% 165 0.09%African: Other African – – 12 – 1,274 0.70%Caribbean or Black: Total––1180.07%1630.09%Caribbean 47 – 50 – 68 –Black – – 50 – 15 –Caribbean or Black: Other – – 18 – 80 –Mixed or multiple ethnic groups: Total3380.21%5340.30%1,9121.05%Other: Total31202.0%2180.12%8880.49%Other: Arab – – 104 0.06% 329 0.18%Other: Any other ethnic group – – 114 0.07% 559 0.31%Total:158,714100.00%175,118100.00%181,278100.00%
Languages The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 175,963 residents aged three and over, 61,440 (34.9%) considered themselves able to speak or read the Scots language.
The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 175,966 residents aged three and over, 1,439 (0.8%) considered themselves able to speak or read Gaelic.
Culture, landmarks and community Landmarks
Cairnpapple Hill is a scheduled ancient monument and hill with a dominating position in central lowland Scotland with extensive views.
Torphichen Preceptory is a 12th-century church in the village of Torphichen. It comprises the remains of the preceptory (headquarters) of the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in Scotland.
Historic houses in West Lothian include Linlithgow Palace, a ruined palace that was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries and is the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots. It is now a visitor attraction in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
The House of the Binns is an early 17th century historic house and estate near Philpstoun. The house is the historic home of the Binn family whose owners included Sir Thomas Dalyell a Scottish Royalist general in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and Sir Tam Dalyell, a member of the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005.
Hopetoun House is a large country house and estate near South Queensferry that was built between 1699 and 1701, and was designed by Sir William Bruce. The house was then hugely extended from 1721 by William Adam until his death in 1748, being one of his most notable projects. The interior was completed by his sons John Adam and Robert Adam. Midhope Castle is a 16th-century tower house on the Hopetoun estate that was used as a location in the Outlander TV series on Starz as the main character, Jamie Fraser's family home called Lallybroch (Broch Tuarach).
Castles
There are a variety of castles and other historic fortifications in West Lothian, including medieval mottes, tower houses and Renaissance laird's houses, as well as relatively modern castellated mansions. Examples include Cairns Castle, Duntarvie Castle, Midhope Castle and Staneyhill Tower.
Community facilities
There are several public country parks in West Lothian, including Beecraigs Country Park (a 370 hectare park between Bathgate and Linlithgow with forests, a visitor centre and a loch), Polkemmet Country Park (a 68 hectare park near Whitburn with woodlands, river walks and outdoor facilities), and Almondell and Calderwood Country Park along the Almond river valley near Mid Calder.
Blawhorn Moss is a raised bog located near Blackridge that has been a national nature reserve since 1980 and is the largest and least disturbed raised bog in the Lothians.
Health Public healthcare in West Lothian is administered by NHS Lothian within NHS Scotland.
The main hospital for West Lothian is St John's Hospital in Livingston. The hospital has a dedicated Accident and Emergency department with 550 beds and opened in 1989. St Johns is a teaching hospital for the University of Edinburgh Medical School. Other public hospitals include Tippethill House Hospital a community hospital in Armadale and St Michael's Hospital, a community hospital in Linlithgow.
West Lothian previously had a psychiatric hospital with general hospital in the Dechmont area called Bangour Village Hospital. The hospital opened in 1904 and eventually had beds for 55 officers and 2571 other ranks. The hospital started closing in the 1990s and closed completely in 2004 after the remaining services were transferred to St John's Hospital.
The Linburn Centre is a health centre for blinded war veterans at Wilkieston. The centre is located within the estate of Linburn House, a country house which was demolished in 1955.
Museums The Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry was created in 1990, to preserve the history of the shale industry in West Lothian and beyond. It is sited on a former mill at Millfield, near Livingston and is attached to the Almond Valley Heritage Centre, a large farm and play area.
In Bathgate, the Bennie Museum is a museum of local history and heritage that is run by volunteers under the management of a charitable trust. It opened in 1989 and is housed used in two former derelict cottages donated by the Bennie family to the local community in 1980.
The Linlithgow Museum is a volunteer-run local history museum in Linlithgow. The museum is housed in the Linlithgow Partnership Centre, along with the West Lothian Family History Society and library.
Military Museum Scotland is a military history museum in Wilkieston that covers Scottish military history from the First World War to the present day.
The Museum of Scottish Railways is a railway museum located within the station yard of Bo'ness at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway.
Zoo Five Sisters Zoo is a privately owned zoo located in Polbeth, West Calder opened in 2005. The zoo has grown into one of West Lothian's top visitor attractions and was awarded ‘Best Family Day Out’ at the 2024 Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards.
Economy
West Lothian has a diverse economy and as of 2020 had approximately 4,500 businesses providing almost 72,000 jobs in the area. In 2014, West Lothian Council reported that the five largest employment sectors in the council area were healthcare, construction, retail, manufacturing, and business administration and support