2022 Scottish local elections

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2022 Scottish local elections
← 2017 5 May 2022 (2022-05-05) 2027 →
All 1,219 seats[1] to 32 Scottish councils
  Nicola Sturgeon 2021.jpg Official portrait of Douglas Ross MP crop 2.jpg Anas Sarwar MSP.jpg
Leader Nicola Sturgeon Douglas Ross Anas Sarwar
Party SNP Conservative Labour
Last election 431 seats, 32.30% 276 seats, 25.30% 262 seats, 20.16%
  Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP.jpg
Lorna Slater MSP and Patrick Harvie MSP.jpg
Leader None Alex Cole-Hamilton Lorna Slater and
Patrick Harvie
(co-leaders)
Party Independent Liberal Democrats Green
Last election 168 seats, 10.4% 67 seats, 6.82% 19 seats, 4.1%

The 2022 Scottish local elections are due to take place on 5 May 2022, as part of the 2022 United Kingdom local elections. All 1,219 seats across all 32 Scottish local authorities will be up for election.

In the previous elections in 2017, the Scottish National Party (SNP) maintained its position as largest party in local government, while the Scottish Conservatives displaced Scottish Labour as the second-largest party. Independent candidates, the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Greens also won councillors across Scotland.

Background[]

The last election was in 2017, which was held five years after the 2012 election, instead of four was changed in order to avoid clashing with the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

Boundaries Scotland have conducted a review of electoral arrangements for six councils under the terms of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.[2] The Scottish Parliament's Local Government Committee accepted the new boundaries in Na h-Eileanan an Iar, North Ayrshire, Orkney and Shetland, but recommended against approval of the changes in Argyll and Bute and Highland.[3]

Voting system and eligibility to vote[]

Councillors are elected to represent multi-member wards using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) method, which has been used for all elections to local authorities in Scotland since the 2007 election. In all votes since 2007 wards have been sized such that either 3 or 4 councillors are elected per ward, however the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 and the Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020 have given Boundaries Scotland increased flexibility to vary the size of wards. Mainland wards may now have between 2 and 5 councillors, and single councillor wards are permitted where such a ward includes an inhabited island.[4] For these elections wards represented by one, two or five councillors will only be contested in the four council areas in which ward boundaries have been redrawn after 2017, namely Na h-Eileanan an Iar, North Ayrshire, Orkney and Shetland.

All registered electors (British citizens and all other foreign nationals with leave to remain, including refugees[5]) who are aged 16 or over on polling day are entitled to vote in the local elections.[6] A person who has two homes (such as a university student who has a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) can register to vote at both addresses as long as they are not in the same electoral area, and can vote in the local elections for the two different local councils.[7]

Individuals must be registered to vote by midnight twelve working days before polling day (19 April 2022).

Councils[]

2017 results[]

The table shows the number of councillors won by each party in the 2017 Scottish local elections. Parties with coloured cells are part of governing coalitions or are the council administration. The party of the council leader is bold and marked with an asterisk (*).

Council SNP Con Lab Ind Lib Dem Green Others
Aberdeen 19 11 9* 2 4 – –
Aberdeenshire 21 23* 1 10 14 1 –
Angus 9 8 – 9* 2 – –
Argyll and Bute 11 9 – 10 6* – –
Clackmannanshire 8* 5 5 – – – –
Dumfries and Galloway 11 16 11* 4 1 – –
Dundee 14* 3 9 1 2 – –
East Ayrshire 14* 6 9 2 – – 1[a]
East Dunbartonshire 7 6 2 1 6* – –
East Lothian 6 7 9* – – – –
East Renfrewshire 5* 7 4 2 – – –
Edinburgh 19* 18 12 – 6 8 –
Falkirk 12* 7 9 2 – – –
Fife 29* 15 24* – 7 – –
Glasgow 39* 8 31 – – 7 –
Highland 22 10 3 28* 10 1 –
Inverclyde 7 2 8* 4 1 – –
Midlothian 6 5 7* – – – –
Moray 9* 8 1 8 – – –
Na h-Eileanan Siar 7 1 – 23* – – –
North Ayrshire 11 7 11* 4 – – –
North Lanarkshire 33 10 32* 2 – – –
Orkney – – – 18* – 1 2[b]
Perth and Kinross 15 17* 1 3 4 – –
Renfrewshire 19* 8 13 2 1 – –
Scottish Borders 9 15* – 8 2 – –
Shetland 1 – – 21* – – –
South Ayrshire 9* 12 5 2 – – –
South Lanarkshire 27* 14 22 – 1 – –
Stirling 9* 9 4 – – 1 –
West Dumbartonshire 10* 2 8 1 – – 1[c]
West Lothian 13 7 12* 1 – – –

Latest composition[]

This table shows the current composition of councils following any changes that have occurred since the 2017 election. Note that some seats are currently vacant and will not be filled before the upcoming election. Included in the Green totals are two councillors who have publicly joined the party since the election (denoted by †), but continue to sit as independents.

Council SNP Con Lab Ind Lib Dem Green Alba Others
Aberdeen 19 10 0 3 + 1[d] 3 – – 9*[e]
Aberdeenshire 16 20* 1 9+4+1+1[f] 13 1 3 1[g]
Angus 9 7 + 1 – 6* + 4 1 – – –
Argyll and Bute 11 7 + 1[h] – 5 + 2 + 3[i] 5* – – 1[j]
Clackmannanshire 7* 5 4 1 – – – –
Dumfries and Galloway 10 16 10* 3 + 1[k] 1 – – 2[l]
Dundee 13* 3 8 3 2 – – –
East Ayrshire 14* 6 9 2 – – – 1[m]
East Dunbartonshire 7 4 2 2 6* – – –
East Lothian 6 7 8* – – – – –
East Renfrewshire 5* 5 4 4 – – – –
Edinburgh 16* 17 11 5 6 7 – –
Falkirk 13* 7 7 1 + 2 – – – –
Fife 29* 13 23* 2 7 – – –
Glasgow 35* 7 30 3 + 2[n] – 6 2 –
Highland 19 10 3 24*+3+1+1[o] 11 1[p] – –
Inverclyde 5 2 8* 4 1 – 2 –
Midlothian 7 5 6* – – – – –
Moray 7* 9 1 4 + 2 + 2[q] – – – –
Na h-Eileanan Siar 6 1 – 22* – 1†[r] 1 –
North Ayrshire 9 8 11* 5 – – – –
North Lanarkshire 26 8 31* 9 – – 3 –
Orkney – – – 17* – 2†[s] – 2[t]
Perth and Kinross 13 18* 1[u] 3 5 – – –
Renfrewshire 19* 8 13 2 1 – – –
Scottish Borders 8 15* – 9 2 – – –
Shetland 1 – – 21* – – – –
South Ayrshire 9* 12 5 2 – – – –
South Lanarkshire 25* 11 17 5 + 3[v] 3 – – –
Stirling 7* 9 4 1 – 1 1 –
West Dumbartonshire 9* 2 8 1 – – 1 1[w]
West Lothian 14 7 11* 1 – – – –

Opinion polling[]

Date(s)
conducted 		Polling organisation/client Sample size SNP Con Lab Lib Dem Green Alba Others
20–26 Oct 2021 Panelbase/Scot Goes Pop 1,001 45% 22% 21% 6% 4% 2% <1%
4 May 2017 2017 Scottish local elections 1,889,658 32.30% 25.30% 20.16% 6.82% 4.1% - 10.4%

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ The Rubbish Party
  2. ^ Orkney Manifesto Group
  3. ^ West Dunbartonshire Community Party
  4. ^ 3 Independent Alliance Group; 1 Independent
  5. ^ Aberdeen Labour
  6. ^ 9 Aligned Independent; 4 Independent; 1 Democratic Independent; 1 Unaligned
  7. ^ Scottish Libertarian Party
  8. ^ 7 Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Group; 1 Argyll and Bute First
  9. ^ 5 Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Group; 2 Argyll and Bute First; 3 Unaligned
  10. ^ Independence for Scotland Party
  11. ^ 3 Independent Group; 1 Unaligned
  12. ^ Dumfries and Galloway Socialist Group
  13. ^ The Rubbish Party
  14. ^ 3 Independent Councillor's Group; 2 Independent
  15. ^ 24 Independent Group; 3 Highland Matters; 1 Sutherland Independent Group; 1 Non-aligned
  16. ^ In Highland Matters grouping
  17. ^ 4 Councillors Open Group; 2 Moray Alliance Group; 2 Independent
  18. ^ Includes 1 joining the party since the election but continues to sit as an independent
  19. ^ Includes 1 joining the party since the election who continues to sit as an independent
  20. ^ Orkney Manifesto Group
  21. ^ In grouping with independents
  22. ^ 5 Independent Group; 3 Independent
  23. ^ West Dunbartonshire Community Party

References[]

  1. ^ http://www.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk/reviews/5th_electoral/01_resources/News_release_260516.pdf
  2. ^ "2019 Reviews of Electoral Arrangements | Scottish Boundary Commission". boundaries.scot. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  3. ^ "Electoral Arrangements Regulations" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  4. ^ "News Release: Final Proposals for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands council areas submitted to Scottish Ministers" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Right to vote extended". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  6. ^ Uberoi, Elise; Johnston, Neil (19 November 2020). "Voting age". Commons Library. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  7. ^ Electoral Commission. "I have two homes. Can I register at both addresses?". electoralcommission.org.uk. The Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 15 November 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
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