Standing view · business · West Lothian
deteriorating, held with strong confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-06.
Business deaths in West Lothian rose to 135 in the fourth quarter of 2025, fell to 130 in the first quarter of 2026, then rose to 145 in the second. No figure for formations is published, so the net change in the business base cannot be established, and closures end the period at their highest level. There were 4,730 businesses in the district in 2025, of which 3,580 employed four people or fewer and 165 employed 20 to 49, across 6,085 sites.
A view is formed only where the evidence names a figure you can check. Each movement listed as a reason had to be large enough to matter and distinctive in at least one way — unusual against this area's own history, unusual against comparable areas, or sustained over several periods. A movement shared with peers counts for less, because it says something about the country rather than about West Lothian. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Business deaths | 2025-12 | deteriorating |
| Business deaths | 2026-03 | improving |
| Business deaths | 2026-06 | deteriorating |
These figures carry no defensible direction of their own: a rising house price is good news to an owner and bad news to someone trying to buy, so we do not score one as an improvement. They are shown because they are part of the picture, and they did not decide the view above.
| Measure | Period | Series |
|---|---|---|
| 95 : Repair of computers and personal and household goods | 2024 | — |
| Businesses | 2025 | — |
| Businesses employing 0 to 4 people | 2025 | — |
| Businesses employing 20 to 49 people | 2025 | — |
| Business sites | 2025 | — |