WEST Lothian Council may be facing a further £15 million of cuts following the UK Government's emergency budget.
Councillors and officers are preparing themselves for a bigger cuts package to local services than w
as first feared after the Tory/Lib Dem administration in Westminster announced an extra £17 billion of savings from the public purse.
The impact won't be known until the UK Government publishes its Comprehensive Spending Review in October, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the council is bracing itself for more bad news.
The council cannot confirm what level of cuts it faces as its own budget won't be known until November, but sources close to discussions say the figure being talked about is £60m - £15m more than was first expected before the Tough Choices document was drafted.
Council chief executive Alex Linkston said: "At the moment we don't have enough information about the impact on Scottish councils, but the situation is very worrying and the financial outlook is bleak."
Council leader Peter Johnston added: "It is becoming clearer that the height of the financial tsunami coming our way may well be significantly greater than first thought.
"Already, it is looking as if the impact on West Lothian Council will be substantially more than the 12 per cent figure suggested by Cosla (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities).
"A minimum £19 million shortfall in 2011-12 is now projected for West Lothian and officers are already considering how we can plan to protect our essential services in the face of this level of cut."
The implications of the Chancellor's Emergency Budget were discussed at a recent meeting of West Lothian Council's executive committee.
The council's head of finance and estates services, Alan Logan, reported that the aim of the budget was to get the UK's finances back into balance, which will require spending cuts of £100 billion over a five-year period.
Despite a government promise to protect health services, the council is worried that some services could be ring-fenced.
Cllr Johnston said his would have a "serious adverse affect on local government finances and our ability to provide vital services".
He added: "Councils also play a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of our communities.
"West Lothian Council supports every area of society where people are vulnerable or need additional support.
"Indeed, the council actively seeks to keep people out of the health system. Our planning so far has been designed to keep West Lothian ahead of the game and ahead of the financial situation we face."
