4 h. ago West Lothian locals to get new £3m community centre in village

Councillors on West Lothian’s Executive backed a £3m plan to demolish the existing building and build a new centre as the best value option.

Economics

54 h. ago West Lothian Council tenants to be asked their views on 3.5% rent rise

An annual rent rise of 3.5% per year was agreed over a five-year period in 2023, and tenants will be asked to green light the rise which will take the average rent over the £90 a week mark for the first time.

Politics

56 h. ago Moment phone thief is snared by undercover cops as over 140 people are arrested in West End crackdown on shoplifting and thefts at tourist spots

Around 100 extra Metropolitan Police officers were deployed to tackle some of the most common offences blighting the capital as part of Operation Baselife.

Events

69 h. ago Women ‘more likely than men to say saving is harder now than last year’

People living in Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, West Midlands and the South West reported the highest levels of difficulty in a survey.

Politics

3 d. ago Met Office early White Christmas verdict as Scots named most likely to see it

People living in the west of Scotland stand the best chance of seeing some snow on the big day this year.

Events

3 d. ago ‘It seemed like quite a do’: why East Grinstead hosts one of Scientology’s glitziest evenings

Last week, 7,000 people – including Tom Cruise – descended on the West Sussex town for an event that divides local opinionIn the nearly 30 years that Diane Juchau has lived in East Grinstead, not many days live as long in the memory as the day she saw Tom Cruise on the high street. “I saw him a couple of years ago walking past Iceland,” she said.It may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime anecdote but, this week, Cruise was back – and, when the purpose for his visit was revealed, the chance sighting of the Mission: Impossible star in a West Sussex town makes a lot more sense. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Ugly Betty star Vanessa Williams considers Desperate Housewives return

Playing ice-queen editor Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada in London's West End means many people are scared to approach Vanessa Williams but that's not always a bad thing says the Desperate Housewives actress

Politics

5 d. ago The Guardian view on worsening extreme weather: the injustice of the climate crisis grows ever clearer | Editorial

The increasing ferocity and frequency of tropical storms imposes an unbearable burden on countries including JamaicaThe geographically uneven risks from increasingly extreme and dangerous weather grow ever starker. As Jamaica and other Caribbean countries clear up after Hurricane Melissa, and Typhoon Kalmaegi heads west after killing nearly 200 people in the Philippines and Vietnam, the case for more international support to countries facing the most destructive impacts from global heating has never been stronger.Last week’s five-day rainfall in Jamaica was made twice as likely by higher temperatures, according to initial findings from climate attribution studies. The current death toll across the Caribbean is at least 75. The economic and social costs are hard to quantify in a region that is still recovering from 2024’s Hurricane Beryl. Crucial infrastructure has been destroyed before the loans used to build it have even been paid off. Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s prime minister, esti...

Society

5 d. ago West Lothian housing officers work to cut number of trashed council homes

Housing officer Jennifer Benson told councillors that “ negative tenancy ends” often result in homes needing major repairs before they can be re-let.

Society

6 d. ago Double UK wide win for West Lothian Leisure at UK Active Awards

West Lothian Leisure, which manages health, sport and leisure services on behalf of West Lothian Council, was the only Scottish Community Leisure Trust to win an award.

Events

6 d. ago London chess clubs create new communities as more people get on board the ancient game

London chess clubs create new communities as more people get on board the ancient game  South West Londoner

Politics

7 d. ago Motorist drives into pedestrians and cyclists on French Atlantic island of Île d’Oléron, 9 injured

A driver has rammed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on the holiday island of Ile d’Oléron, off the west coast of France, leaving nine people in a critical condition

Events

7 d. ago MSP hails number of free bus journeys made by young people from West Lothian

This follows news earlier this month that over 250 million free bus journeys have been made across Scotland since the SNP launched the scheme in January 2022. The total number of journeys has now risen to more than 257 million.

Politics

7 d. ago New CCTV released in bid to catch firework arson attack killers eight years on

Tony Nicholls, 56, died five days after a group of people burst into his home in Birmingham and set off an industrial-sized firework.

Events

8 d. ago The number of council homes let in West Lothian dropped by almost 100 in a year

Lower turnover of properties is the principal reason for the drop from 243 between April and June last year to just 150 in the same period this year.

Politics

8 d. ago None of 260 new West Lothian Council vehicles purchased are electric

The council’s Operational Services department is testing some light commercial EVs, a meeting was told, but none have entered full time service with the council.

Politics

8 d. ago Strictly's Tyler West had to tell people 'don't worry' after Molly Rainford proposal

The loved-up pair, who met when they did Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, have opened up about their engagement

Politics

9 d. ago More than 700 officers will be deployed to police Aston Villa

West Midlands Police said its goal is to ensure fan safety and facilitate peaceful protest.

Events

9 d. ago Child poverty figures focus of blame game among West Lothian councillors

The Local Democracy Reporting Service first revealed West Lothian is in the top ten of highest levels of child poverty in the country. In a list of shame the county’s figure of 24.1% outstrips Edinburgh and neighbour South Lanarkshire.

Politics

9 d. ago Four suffer minor injuries after train derailment in Cumbria

Paramedics assessed 87 people after the Glasgow to Euston Avanti West Coast service came off the tracks near the village of Shap on Monday morning.

Events