COUNCILLORS at one of Scotland’s best-performing local authorities are not taking an active enough role in plugging a £73million funding gap which could lead to budget savings not being delivered on time, spending watchdogs have warned.

Elected members need to play “a more prominent role” in responding to budget challenges at West Lothian Council as it faces a programme of multi-million pound cuts over the next five years, according to the Audit Commission.

It said that significant changes to service delivery are needed to bridge the funding gap over the next five years and “may be difficult to deliver”.

Earlier councillor involvement in identifying spending priorities would have reduced the council’s risk of failing to deliver budget savings on time, it added.

The report said that all councillors must be involved in effectively scrutinising the Labour-led council’s policy priorities and overall performance.

It comes as councils across Scotland are facing a financial black hole of more than half a billion pounds in only two years time unless they make major cuts, according to an official analysis.

The Accounts Commission has previously forecast the gap between the amount local government spends and its income could grow from £87m last year to an estimated £367m in the current financial year, before rising again to £553m in 2018/19.

More than one-third of Scotland’s 32 local authorities will face a funding gap that is greater than the amount of cash they have in reserves, its report said, despite managing their funds well in the face of deep cuts by the Scottish Governments to their grants.

West Lothian, which includes Livingston, Bathgate and Linlithgow, is the latest council to launch a public consultation on proposed cuts which include £600,000 to the voluntary sector being scrapped, council tax bills to rise and slashing subsidised bus routes.

The move comes as the council faces higher than expected wage costs due to the scrapping of the public sector pay cap and the shortfall is equivalent to a 11 3per cent rise in every council tax bill.

The call to get earlier councillor intervention was backed by SNP group leader Peter Johnston who said that details of the proposed cuts will not be known by opposition parties until seven days before the budget meeting in February.

He said: “We would absolutely welcome more consultation about the budget as we have asked for but not received any details about the proposed cuts to services involved.

“We cannot just tell communities what services they are going to lose without any debate and we cannot support or scrutinise any proposals without knowing what they are.

“Communities need to be empowered and be part of the decision making process as should all elected members as we are representatives of the people who elect us.”

But council leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick believes the current system of the ruling party producing a budget which is then debated should be retained.

He said: “We will look carefully at the recommendations to ensure improvements continue to be made, despite the challenge we face with over £73 million of budget reductions needed over the next five years.

“We are facing the deepest cuts to local government grants since the Second World War and hard choices have to be made.

“We have just carried out the largest public consultation in the council’s history with more than 7,000 responses and we will consider those before we produce the budget.

“It is the way the council has always worked regardless of which party is the ruling administration.”

Last month, East Renfrewshire announced it is making £26m of savings and axing hundreds of jobs yet will also increase council tax bills by nearly 10 per cent.

Midlothian Council is also proposing severe reductions to services amid a battle to close a projected shortfall of £45 million within three years.

Graham Sharp, chair of the Accounts Commission, said: “West Lothian Council continues to maintain its strong performance and we are pleased that outcomes are improving for local people.

“As with other local authorities, the council faces substantial budget challenges. And for that reason it is crucial that all elected members play a more active role in scrutiny of policy priorities and performance.”