100 people attend funding black hole talks

AROUND 100 people from West Lothian attended the first consultation on the council's contingency planning strategy.

Local community and business groups in the area had been invited to have their say on the council's strategy to deal with an expected funding gap of 45 million from 2011 to 2014.

Council leader Peter Johnston said: "I think the meeting had a good turnout. The debate was lively and I think that it was an extremely useful meeting for everyone."

Chief executive Alex Linkston added: "There is no doubt that with a possible 45m shortfall, we have hard decisions to make. Given the huge cutbacks, it is important that we plan. We would encourage as many groups and individuals to provide their feedback."

The meeting took place at Howden Park Centre in Livingston on Monday night. No decisions will be made until after 30 November.