2022 Scottish local elections

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.

2022 Scottish local elections
5 May 2022 (2022-05-05)
All 1,219 seats[1] to 32 Scottish councils
 
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%
 
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%
Council controls post elections

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
Ballot paper used for the elections in the Victoria Park ward of the Glasgow City Council.

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 have been registered to vote by midnight on 18 April 2022. The deadline to register for a postal vote was 19 April 2022 and the deadline to register for a proxy vote is 26 April 2022.[8]

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

Previous composition

This table shows the composition of councils directly prior to the 2022 election. Note that some seats are currently vacant and will not be filled before the 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[lower-alpha 4] 3 – – 9*[lower-alpha 5]
Aberdeenshire 16 18* 0 10+5+1+2[lower-alpha 6] 13 1 3 1[lower-alpha 7]
Angus 9 7 + 1 – 6* + 4 1 – – –
Argyll and Bute 11 7 + 1[lower-alpha 8] – 5 + 2 + 3[lower-alpha 9] 5* – – 1[lower-alpha 10]
Clackmannanshire 7* 5 4 1 – – – –
Dumfries and Galloway 10 16 10* 3 + 1[lower-alpha 11] 1 – – 2[lower-alpha 12]
Dundee 13* 3 8 3 2 – – –
East Ayrshire 13* 5 9 4 – – – 1[lower-alpha 1]
East Dunbartonshire 7 4 2 2 6* – – –
East Lothian 6 7 9* – – – – –
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[lower-alpha 13] – 6 2 –
Highland 19 10 3 23*+3+1+1[lower-alpha 14] 11 1 – –
Inverclyde 5 2 8* 4 1 – 2 –
Midlothian 7 5 6* – – – – –
Moray 7* 9 1 4 + 2 + 2[lower-alpha 15] – – – –
Na h-Eileanan Siar 6 1 – 22* – 1†[lower-alpha 16] 1 –
North Ayrshire 9 8 10* 6 – – – –
North Lanarkshire 26 8 31* 9 – – 3 –
Orkney – – – 17* – 2†[lower-alpha 16] – 2[lower-alpha 2]
Perth and Kinross 13 18* 1[lower-alpha 17] 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[lower-alpha 18] 3 – – –
Stirling 7* 9 4 1 – 1 1 –
West Dumbartonshire 9* 2 8 1 – – 1 1[lower-alpha 3]
West Lothian 14 7 11* 1 – – – –

2022 results
Council Article
Aberdeen Details
Aberdeenshire Details
Angus Details
Argyll and Bute Details
Clackmannanshire Details
Dumfries and Galloway Details
Dundee Details
East Ayrshire Details
East Dunbartonshire Details
East Lothian Details
East Renfrewshire Details
Edinburgh Details
Falkirk Details
Fife Details
Glasgow Details
Highland Details
Inverclyde Details
Midlothian Details
Moray Details
Na h-Eileanan Siar Details
North Ayrshire Details
North Lanarkshire Details
Orkney Details
Perth and Kinross Details
Renfrewshire Details
Scottish Borders Details
Shetland Details
South Ayrshire Details
South Lanarkshire Details
Stirling Details
West Dunbartonshire Details
West Lothian Details

Opinion polling

First preference voting intention:

Date(s)
conducted		 Polling organisation/client Sample size SNP Con Lab Lib Dem Green Alba Others
24–28 Mar 2022Survation/Ballot Box Scotland1,00244%18%23%6%3%1%4%
20–26 Oct 2021Panelbase/Scot Goes Pop1,00145%22%21%6%4%2%<1%
4 May 20172017 Scottish local elections1,889,65832.30%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. 10 Aligned Independent; 5 Independent; 1 Democratic Independent; 2 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. 3 Independent Councillor's Group; 2 Independent
  14. 24 Independent Group; 3 Highland Matters; 1 Sutherland Independent Group; 1 Non-aligned
  15. 4 Councillors Open Group; 2 Moray Alliance Group; 2 Independent
  16. Includes 1 joining the party since the election but continues to sit as an independent
  17. In grouping with independents
  18. 5 Independent Group; 3 Independent

References
  1. "Recommendations for councillor numbers and wards submitted to Scottish Ministers" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2016.
  2. "2019 Reviews of Electoral Arrangements | Scottish Boundary Commission". boundaries.scot. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  3. "Electoral Arrangements Regulations" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 October 2021. 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". gov.scot. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  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.
  8. "Scotland council elections 2022: A really simple guide". BBC News. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
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