FAQs and protocols

Please feel free to feedback any comments via the 'contact us' page.

Electronic Document and Records Management System (ERDMS)

EDRMS will be introduced across the council. The new system will allow services to manage documents electronically, ranging from scanning and storage systems to fully integrated, paperless office solutions.  Services across the council have already cleared out or archived tonnes of unnecessary paper files and old equipment as part of the council’s record management strategy. 

What is the address of the Civic Centre?

West Lothian Civic Centre
Howden South Road
Livingston
West Lothian
EH54 6FF

West Lothian Council - redirecting your mail:

A representative for each building will have to set up a redirection - this applies to services moving to the Civic Centre and other locations.  Ask your move champion or your line manager if you are unsure. 

Key contacts

  • Facilities Management - john.keenan@westlothian.gov.uk
  • Move arrangements - iain.haeburn-little@westlothian.gov.uk
  • Induction/shared working arrangements - chris.keenan@westlothian.gov.uk

Civic Centre First Aiders click here.

How will partners share the facility?

For security reasons the only areas which won’t be available for sharing are the custody suite and dedicated spaces devoted to family and child protection.  Areas such as the chambers, the civil courtrooms and possibly the emergency planning rooms could be shared when not in use by the council, courts or police respectively. For shared services partners share common spaces, whether this is on the open-plan offices or even the dedicated spaces. This includes meeting rooms and break-out / tea preparation areas.

Services which may not necessarily have a direct shared service interface with a partner organisation will be located on the open-plan offices.  We will aid flexibility by adopting a common furniture and fittings strategy. Any furniture being bought before, during or after the move to the Civic Centre will be procured from an agreed common inventory.

How do you propose to share the meeting rooms?

There are a mix of dedicated meeting rooms, non-bookable interview rooms, break-out areas and the cafe in the main reception area for more informal gatherings. We are currently developing software which will allow partners to book shared meeting and interview rooms online.

How to I access the building?

Staff can either access the building via the main entrance or east entrance next to the car park.  Elsewhere in the building, there will be dedicated access routes for the courts, police and vulnerable persons visiting the building.

Is  there be a staff canteen in the Civic Centre?

There is no dedicated staff canteen. However there will be a cafe in the main reception area which you will be able to use. Staff will have the opportunity to purchase sandwiches from the council’s delivery service.

What mess facilities will there be at the Civic Centre?

Shared tea preparation, kitchen and vending facilities are located throughout the building.  There are also shared break-out areas located throughout the open-plan office areas.

How should I prepare for the move?

You can start now by reviewing your current files and filter those which no longer need to be kept.  Similarly, there may be some files which may need to be stored off site, for example court records, legal documents etc.

I hear a lot about shared services and joint working. What services do the partners intend to share?

Any public service having a common partner interest is up for discussion. Success stories so far include the new Community Safety Unit.

The focus is not to be constrained by organisational boundaries but to concentrate on what is best for the citizen. Co-location in the Civic Centre offers the partners the opportunity to work more closely on these key public services. It is important to note that we won’t have all our services co-joined or fully developed before we move to the Civic Centre. We will have a continuous improvement strategy in place and have addressed those systems which will yield the greatest added-value to the citizen.

Some of the service areas you are proposing to share are already governed by legislation / regulation. We can’t change national policy, so why look to share these services, where is the benefit?

It is not our intention to move away from national policy but to support and develop it with the opportunities which co-location presents.  Even if there are some systems which we choose not to develop, the mere fact we are co-located and can share information more easily must be a benefit to us all.

Is the facility be energy efficient?

Yes, the building will incorporate a number of energy efficient and sustainable measures, designed to minimise its carbon footprint. It will be insulated to the highest standards and deploy energy efficient modular boilers. The building will benefit from energy efficient external glazing, reflecting sunlight and retaining internal heat.

The heating and ventilation system will make best use of natural ventilation with mechanical ventilation only being used during periods of exceptionally high and low temperatures. Intelligent lighting will be used throughout the building.

Individual bins have been dispensed with and waste disposal facilities are in place.  Central printing facilities, connected via the integrated network, will also be introduced.

Will I get a parking space at the Civic Centre?

Staff parking at the Civic Centre is limited - spaces are allocated by Heads of Service.  There is  280 parking spaces in the adjoining Terraces Car Park. In addition, there are a number of other car parks within walking distance from the Civic Centre.

In and around Livingston, there are already a significant number of bus routes which pass through Howden South Road. Most (if not all) will terminate or stop at Livingston bus station which is a five minutes walk from the Civic Centre.

Livingston has two train stations each 25 to 30 minutes walking distance from the Civic Centre. Buses regularly depart from the train stations and terminate or stop at Livingston bus station.

There are frequent bus services operating between the two train stations and Livingston bus station (five minutes walk from the Civic Centre). 

If I bring my bike to the Civic Centre is there storage and shower facilities?

Yes - secure and covered bike storage is available within the secure compound at the Civic Centre.

Lockers and shower facilities are available to those who cycle or jog to the Civic Centre. 

Each partner has their own policies. How do you propose to bring all this together at the Civic Centre?

Each partner continues to deploy their own separate policies, each partner has agreed a common set of working protocols around: shared working, shared information, facility management, travel planning, health and safety, security and business continuity planning.

I work in a council service which will have no interaction with a partner organisation. What’s the benefit of the Civic Centre to my service and me?

We recognise that particularly for the council, there are some departments moving to the Civic Centre who will not necessarily interface directly with a partner organisation. The benefit for everyone is the improved working conditions which a modern, state-of-the art Civic Centre will provide.  Co-location offers opportunities for closer working with other co-located council departments.

The service I work in has a lot of public interface. Will my service unit be located near the main reception area?

While there will be dedicated and shared spaces in the Civic Centre, the working premise is to have as much flexibility in the building as possible. Where it makes business sense to locate staff from different organisations together in the building, then this is what the partners are likely to pursue. Similarly, for departments having a high public interface such as the council’s regulatory services, they are more likely to be located near the civic reception space.  

The Civic Centre will have an operational custody unit and court, will I be put at increased risk of intimidation or even assault?

No. The custody unit is designed to the highest security standards with dedicated secure routes leading from the custody block to the courtrooms. People held in custody will be closely monitored and escorted by the police or custody escort contractor.  We will also have security staff in the reception area to discourage loitering and manage the flow of people in the civic reception area and public corridors leading to the courts. The building and car parks will also be monitored by CCTV.