Bathgate households secure £4.5m in unclaimed benefits amid cost-of-living crisis
Bathgate accounts for 14% of West Lothian’s anti-poverty service users
More than £4.5 million in unclaimed benefits has been secured for struggling households in Bathgate, which accounts for 14% of West Lothian’s Anti-Poverty Service (APS) customers.
The town represents one of the largest customer groups across the council’s nine wards, second only to Whitburn and Blackburn. Together, the two wards make up nearly 30% of all APS users.
A report to the local area committee by Nahid Hanif, anti-poverty service manager, revealed Bathgate households saw total financial gains of £4,508,743 by maximising their income through social security benefits.
In the past year, residents in the ward also secured £90,588 in energy efficiency savings through financial support and advice.
Council officers helped Bathgate households manage £1,144,069 of problem debt, reducing repayment burdens by £422,624. Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the service issued 552 emergency food vouchers and 326 fuel vouchers to local households at risk of disconnection.
Across West Lothian as a whole, the council's Advice Shop made 2,714 referrals for emergency food parcels to the West Lothian Foodbank, alongside 2,044 referrals to the Fuel Bank Foundation for residents facing affordability issues.
The APS made 5,995 awards for discretionary housing payments county-wide, totalling £3,615,047. The majority of this funding—£3,207,292—supported social housing tenants affected by the "bedroom tax" during 2025/26.
An additional £151,889 was paid to those impacted by the benefit cap, with a further £255,856 issued for reasons including financial hardship and restricted housing benefit awards.
In Bathgate, 515 households currently rely on the combined housing benefit and council tax reduction scheme, representing approximately 10% of the 14,936 active claims county-wide.
The report also highlighted broader initiatives across West Lothian, noting that 4,244 children from low-income households received free school meals during the 2025/26 academic year. Holiday meal payments totalling £1,168,781 were distributed to qualifying pupils from August 2025.
Ms Hanif outlined key achievements from the Tackling Poverty Strategy action plan, which saw 73% of employability customers supported into work, education or training. A further 51 wage subsidy places were created through the StepsN2Work programme.
Additionally, 932 individuals accessed affordable loans through local credit unions, reducing reliance on high-cost options such as payday or doorstep lenders.