The elections to the
City of Edinburgh Council
The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland.
In its current form, the counci ...
were held on Thursday 4 May 2017, on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. It was the third successive Local Council election to run under the
single transferable vote
Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...
(STV) electoral system.
The election saw the SNP become the largest party on the council for the first time, whilst the Conservative party overcame Labour to become the second largest party. Following the election Leith councillor Adam McVey took over control of the SNP group from Frank Ross. Conservative group leader Cameron Rose was similarly replaced by Iain Whyte. The Labour group elected Cammy Day as their leader.
The Labour-SNP administration formed in 2012 lost their majority however were able to continue in office in a minority administration, with Labour now being the junior partner to the SNP.
Boundary changes
Following the implementation of changes recommended by the
Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
Boundaries Scotland is an independent body in Scotland created as the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. According to its website, it is responsible for: carrying out reviews of boun ...
the number of councillors to be elected was increased from 58 to 63. This was also the first election contested on new boundaries since the 2007 election. While the number of
wards
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
remained at 17, five wards:
elected four councillors instead of three.
The fourth placed and losing candidate in four wards was SNP and one ward a Lib Dem. In a re-run of the 2017 election the boundary changes would have likely lead to an increase of +4 SNP Councillors and +1 Liberal Democrat.
The Meadows/Morningside ward was also renamed as Morningside.
Election result
Ward summary
, - class="unsortable" align="centre"
!rowspan=2 align="left", Ward
! %
!Seats
! %
!Seats
! %
!Seats
! %
!Seats
! %
!Seats
! %
!Seats
!rowspan=2, Total
, - class="unsortable" align="center"
!colspan=2 ,
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
!colspan=2 ,
SNP
!colspan=2 ,
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
!colspan=2 ,
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
!colspan=2 ,
Lib Dem
The Liberal Democrats (commonly referred to as the Lib Dems) are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. Since the 1992 general election, with the exception of the 2015 general election, they have been the third-largest UK political ...
!colspan=2 , Others
, -
, align="left",
Almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
, 5.53
, 0
, 22.60
, 1
, 16.86
, 1
, 2.64
, 0
, 50.80
, 2
, 1.57
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Pentland Hills
The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.
Etymology
The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentlan ...
, 20.63
, 1
, 28.83
, 1
, 41.27
, 2
, 4.32
, 0
, 4.95
, 0
, 0.00
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Drum Brae/Gyle
, 13.32
, 0
, 26.82
, 1
, 22.00
, 1
, 4.34
, 0
, 33.52
, 1
, 0.0
, 0
, 3
, -
, align="left",
Forth
Forth or FORTH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine
* ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008
* ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw
* Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
, 20.73
, 1
, 31.31
, 2
, 28.38
, 1
, 9.99
, 0
, 7.81
, 0
, 1.78
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Inverleith
Inverleith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Lìte'') is an inner suburb in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the fringes of the central region of the city. Its neighbours include Trinity to the north and the New Town to the south, with Canonmills a ...
, 12.37
, 0
, 18.96
, 1
, 36.91
, 2
, 12.30
, 0
, 16.59
, 1
, 2.87
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Corstorphine/Murrayfield
, 7.68
, 0
, 21.65
, 1
, 33.41
, 1
, 5.23
, 0
, 30.64
, 1
, 1.38
, 0
, 3
, -
, align="left",
Sighthill/Gorgie
, 21.64
, 1
, 40.17
, 2
, 19.09
, 1
, 14.88
, 0
, 3.91
, 0
, 0.32
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Colinton/Fairmilehead
, 20.59
, 1
, 20.73
, 0
, 49.76
, 2
, 4.28
, 0
, 4.64
, 0
, 0.00
, 0
, 3
, -
, align="left",
Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart
, 13.84
, 0
, 21.04
, 1
, 31.80
, 1
, 27.61
, 1
, 5.04
, 0
, 0.68
, 0
, 3
, -
, align="left",
Morningside
, 18.21
, 1
, 17.87
, 0
, 29.54
, 1
, 19.36
, 1
, 15.02
, 1
, 0.00
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
City Centre
A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
, 13.25
, 1
, 25.07
, 1
, 32.68
, 1
, 20.52
, 1
, 8.00
, 0
, 0.48
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Leith Walk
Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the centre of the city to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the street to the ...
, 22.49
, 1
, 34.46
, 2
, 14.42
, 0
, 19.69
, 1
, 3.74
, 0
, 5.19
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
, 20.35
, 1
, 36.16
, 1
, 15.93
, 0
, 22.26
, 1
, 5.29
, 0
, 0.00
, 0
, 3
, -
, align="left",
Craigentinny/Duddingston
, 23.25
, 1
, 37.11
, 1
, 23.72
, 1
, 11.70
, 1
, 4.21
, 0
, 0.00
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Southside/Newington
, 20.12
, 1
, 20.54
, 1
, 26.93
, 1
, 20.35
, 1
, 12.05
, 0
, 0.00
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Liberton/Gilmerton
, 32.27
, 1
, 33.80
, 2
, 23.24
, 1
, 5.17
, 0
, 5.52
, 0
, 0.00
, 0
, 4
, -
, align="left",
Portobello/Craigmillar
, 30.39
, 1
, 32.56
, 1
, 19.48
, 1
, 15.10
, 1
, 2.47
, 0
, 0.00
, 0
, 4
, - class="unsortable" class="sortbottom"
!align="left", Total
!18.37
!12
!27.08
!19
!27.74
!18
!12.41
!8
!13.62
!6
!0.89
!0
!63
, -
Ward results
Almond
*2012: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLib Dem
*2017: 2xLib Dem; 1xCon; 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: One Lib Dem gain.
City Centre
*2012: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
*2017: 1xCon; 1xGreen; 1xLab; 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: One Green gain.
Colinton/Fairmilehead
*2012: 2xCon; 1xSNP
*2017: 2xCon; 1xLab
*2012-2017 Change: One Labour gain from SNP
Corstorphine/Murrayfield
*2012: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
*2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
*2012-2017 Change: No change.
Craigentinny/Duddingston
*2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
*2017: 1xCon; 1xGreen; 1xLab; 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: One Labour loss, one Conservative gain and one Green gain.
Drum Brae/Gyle
*2012: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
*2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
*2012-2017 Change: One Conservative gain from Labour.
Forth
*2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
*2017: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab
*2012-2017 Change: One SNP gain from Labour.
Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart
*2012: 1xGreen; 1xLab; 1xSNP
*2017: 1xCon; 1xGreen; 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: One Conservative gain from Labour.
Inverleith
*2012: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab; 1xGreen
*2017: 2xCon; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: One Conservative & Liberal Democrat gain from Labour and Green.
Leith
*2012: 1xLab; 1xGreen; 1xSNP
*2017: 1xGreen; 1xLab; 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: No change.
Leith Walk
*2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xGreen
*2017: 2xSNP; 1xGreen; 1xLab
*2012-2017 Change: One SNP gain from Labour.
Liberton/Gilmerton
*2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
*2017: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab
*2012-2017 Change: One SNP gain from Labour.
Morningside
*2012: 1xCon; 1xGreen; 1xLab; 1xSNP
*2017: 1xCon; 1xGreen; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab
*2012-2017 Change: One Liberal Democrat gain from SNP.
* = Outgoing Councillor from a different Ward.
Pentland Hills
*2012: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon
*2017: 2xCon; 1xLab; 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: One Conservative gain.
Portobello/Craigmillar
*2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
*2017: 1xCon; 1xGreen; 1xLab; 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: One Labour loss, one Conservative gain and one Green gain.
Sighthill/Gorgie
*2012: 2xLab; 2xSNP
*2017: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab
*2012-2017 Change: One Conservative gain from Labour.
Southside/Newington
*2012: 1xGreen; 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
*2017: 1xCon; 1xGreen; 1xLab 1xSNP
*2012-2017 Change: No Change.
Changes since 2017
*† On 20 February 2018, Leith Walk SNP councillor Lewis Ritchie resigned from the party and became an Independent, following complaints about his behaviour arising out of allegedly punching someone in a taxi.
*†† On 23 April 2018, Inverleith SNP councillor Gavin Barrie resigned from the party and became an Independent, after losing his position in the ruling administration as Economy Convener, following a vote at the SNP group AGM.
*††† On 4 July 2018, Sighthill/Gorgie Conservative councillor Ashley Graczyk resigned from the party and became an Independent, saying the UK government’s policies on disability issues and social justice are “incompatible with her beliefs and conscience”.
*†††† On 17 July 2018, Drum Brae/Gyle SNP councillor Claire Bridgman resigned from the party for undisclosed reasons and became an Independent.
*††††† On 28 January 2019, Leith Walk Labour councillor Marion Donaldson announced she was resigning from the Council citing reports of internal party tensions. A by-election was held on 11 April 2019 and was won by Robb Munn of the SNP.
*†††††† On 21 February 2020, SNP Craigentinny/Duddingston councillor Ian Campbell stood down due to health reasons. A by-election was held on 12 November 2020 and was won by the SNP's Ethan Young.
*††††††† On 30 July 2020, SNP Liberton/Gilmerton councillor Derek Howie resigned from the SNP Group to become an Independent.
By-elections since 2017
Retiring Councillors
† Originally elected as a Liberal Democrat candidate.
†† Originally elected as a Scottish National Party candidate.
References
External links
{{United Kingdom local elections, 2017
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
2017 Scottish local elections
2010s in Edinburgh