They were temporarily suspended from Monday 27 November 2023 to allow priority to be given to work to bring vacant council properties back into use, reducing the housing waiting list and helping address homelessness.

West Lothian Council said it expects to have more than 450 council homes brought back into working use by 1 April 2024, which will represent more than 100 extra homes compared to the same period last year.

Any tenants who have requested a non-urgent repair over the last few months will now be contacted by our staff to arrange a suitable date for the work to be carried out.

Those affected are thanked for their understanding, while our staff work to clear the backlog of non-urgent repair work.

Executive councillor for housing services George Paul said: “Thanks to all our tenants for their patience while we focused resources on bringing more homes for rent back into use.

“Non-urgent repairs will resume from 1 April 2024, and our staff will be in touch to confirm dates with anyone who has already contacted us requesting a repair.

“We expect to have brought over 100 additional homes back into use by 1 April 2024, with the total exceeding 450.

“This represents an increase of a third more homes brought back to letting standard by our dedicated team, often providing permanent homes for West Lothian families in temporary tenancies.

“Special thanks go to our staff for their hard work to ensure all these homes could be brought back to letting standard.

“There is often a significant amount of work required when a home is vacated, before it can be let out to another tenant. Prioritising resources like this helps us allows to meet the increasing demand for social housing across West Lothian and eases the pressure on the housing waiting list.”