Services
Housing
This category contains information on housing services in the authority, including council housing, information on benefits and housing repair services. Information in this category is available online and in electronic and paper format. If you cannot find the information you want online then please contact the Customer Service Centre on 01506 775000, email customer.service@westlothian.gov.uk
Class: Adapting homes
Information on adapting homes, especially for meeting the requirements of particular circumstances. Includes information about community alarm services and how to obtain special equipment; also home assessment (care services), how to apply for home repair assistance grants and housing renovation grants (including eligibility and criteria for applications) and occupational therapy.
Key content - Information on Home Safety Service
Class: Council housing
Information/advice on all matters relating to council housing, including adaptations and repair services, how to apply for council housing, housing allocations, advice on arrears, evictions and demolitions, housing benefit services, advice on homelessness and temporary accommodation, improvements and modernisation services, insurances, advice on nuisance and threatening behaviour, availability of parking and garages, rent and charges, advice on safety and crime, dealing with squatters and unauthorised occupants, council housing standards and policies, advice on tenancy issues and tenant participation in focus groups etc. Also information on acquisition of private property by the council, information for landlords renting property to the council, and information for tenants wishing to buy their council house.
Class: Council tax
Information about council tax procedures and payments, including how to make account enquiries, details of discounts and reductions, council tax benefit and support when in hospital. Also Council Tax bands and how to determine you band.
Class: Housing advice
Advice on housing matters, including buying your council home, council housing, credit unions and housing co-operatives, advice on crime and safety, demolitions, clearances and re-housing, how to apply for grants and loans (including eligibility and criteria for applications), inspection of accommodation, obtaining insurance, parking and garages, rent and general tenancy issues, repairs and alterations, sheltered, residential and hospice care, and advice on welfare and benefits. Also housing advice for homeless people.
Class: Housing associations and co-ops
Information about housing associations and co-operatives in West Lothian including information for sheltered housing tenants. Also information about the council’s financial assistance to housing associations.
Class: Housing benefits and grants
Information on council tax benefit, council tax discounts and reductions, housing benefit, and housing and homes grants (including crofting and rural house purchase grants, disability facility grants for a private property, home repair assistance grants, housing renovation grants, land and property improvement grants and new home purchase grant) – includes eligibility and criteria for applications and information on how to apply. Also procedures for benefit fraud investigation and information about benefits when hospitalised.
Class: Housing finance
General advice and information on housing finance, including information on fair rents and low cost home ownership schemes.
Class: Improvements and repairs
General advice on council services relating to housing improvements and repairs, including how to obtain accommodation certificates (tolerable standard), advice on alterations by tenants, garden safety, home repair assistance grants, housing decoration and disturbance allowances, housing renovation grants and improvement and repairs loans – includes eligibility and criteria for applications and information on how to apply.
Class: Land and property
General information on land and property, including availability and letting, ecological and geological services for land and property, how to obtain property enquiry certificates, how to undertake land and sasine register searches, land reclamation and improvement grants (including eligibility and criteria for applications), land and property valuations and management, landscape character assessment, details of planning zones, procedures for roads adoption, proposals for land use, registers of council property, and street naming and numbering.
Advice on obtaining a Property Enquiry Certificate (PEC) is available at 01506 775000. The provision of a PEC is an added value service carried out by the council and collates property information from various council services and external agencies. They ar not availabel through the Publication Scheme. This information is provided to solicitors on a commercial basis and therefore attracts a fee for the collation of the information.
Class: Multiple occupancy homes
Advice and information on multiple occupancy homes, including communal heating charges, fair rents, insurance, landlords accreditation scheme, repairs to communal areas, register of homes in multiple occupancy and safety inspections.
Class: Planning and building standards
Strategic and local development plans, including supporting documents e.g. participation statement, strategic environment assessments. The Planning Register (Parts I and II), including planning applications under consideration by West Lothian Council and related documentation, including statutory notices, reports on community engagement and decision notices. The Enforcement Register, also guidance on the council’s handling of enforcement issues, including use of the Enforcement Charter. Advice and information on how to make a planning application, and on listed buildings and conservation areas, planning consultations, planning policy, advice and service levels. Local advice and guidance on planning development management, and on making an application for a building warrant. The Building Standards Register Part I
Key content - planning applications are available online. Web printouts are also available. The Building Standards Register Part 1 is avaiilable online from 1 May 2005. Web printouts are available.
Class: Private housing
Information and advice for owners and tenants of private housing, including disability facility grants, home insurance, housing renovation grants (including eligibility and criteria for applications and information on how to apply), improvements and repairs, how to conduct land and sasine register searches, low cost home ownership scheme, how to obtain property enquiry certificates, and rents (including renting to the council).
Class: Rubbish and recycling
Information on services relating to the collection of waste, including, assisted collection, disposal sites, domestic bins, garden waste, special collections for large items and skip hire. Also information on recycling, including collection sites and composters, and how to obtain bags and containers.
Class: Supported and sheltered housing
Information and advice on supported and sheltered housing services, including how to obtain accommodation certificates (tolerable standard), homelessness advice and support for tenants. Also information on hospice care services and residential care services, and specific advice to non-council tenants and older people.
