The 2022 election 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 ...

took place on Thursday 5 May 2022, on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election will use the same 17

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 ...

used in 2017; each ward elects three or four councillors using 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 ...

system (a form of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

). After the 2017 election, the SNP and

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 ...

formed a minority coalition to run the council. For the first time however, the SNP were the largest party.

Background

Composition

Since the previous election, several changes in the composition of the council occurred. Most were changes to the political affiliation of councillors including SNP councillors Lewis Ritchie, Gavin Barrie, Claire Bridgman and Derek Howie and Conservative councillor Ashley Graczyk who resigned from their respective parties and became independents. Two by-elections were held and resulted in an SNP gain from Labour and an SNP hold. Green councillor Gavin Corbett resigned from the council after being made a special adviser to the Scottish Government but as his resignation was less than six months prior to the election, a by-election was not called to replace him. ;Notes

Retiring councillors

Results

, - class="unsortable" class="sortbottom" , style="background-color:#EAECF0; font-weight:bold; text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Total , style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:right;" , 63 , style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:right;" , - , style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:right;" , - , style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:right;" , - , style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:right;" , - , style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:right;" , 100.00 , style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:right;" , 186,218 , style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:right;" , -

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 , SNP !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 ...

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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 ...

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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 , 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 ...

, 20.9% , 1 , 59.9% , 3 , 4.9% , , 5.3% , , 7.5% , , 1.5% , , 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 ...

, 31.3% , 2 , 8.0% , , 17.1% , 1 , 7.8% , , 34.0% , 1 , 1.7% , , 4 , - , align="left", Drum Brae/Gyle , 23.9% , 1 , 51.8% , 2 , 6.2% , , 5.9% , , 11.1% , , 1.1% , , 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 ...

, 31.0% , 1 , 19.7% , 1 , 18.9% , 1 , 12.7% , 1 , 15.1% , , 2.7% , , 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 ...

, 19.7% , 1 , 33.7% , 1 , 12.6% , , 12.8% , 1 , 20.0% , 1 , 1.2% , , 4 , - , align="left", Corstorphine/Murrayfield , 18.7% , 1 , 49.8% , 2 , 7.8% , , 6.9% , , 16.0% , , 0.8% , , 3 , - , align="left", Sighthill/Gorgie , 36.2% , 2 , 4.2% , , 23.0% , 1 , 13.3% , 1 , 11.8% , , 11.5% , , 4 , - , align="left", Colinton/Fairmilehead , 17.3% , 1 , 12.4% , , 33.4% , 1 , 5.4% , , 29.9% , 1 , 1.6% , , 3 , - , align="left", Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart , 22.7% , 1 , 7.1% , , 22.4% , 1 , 19.9% , , 26.6% , 1 , 1.2% , , 3 , - , align="left", Morningside , 15.5% , , 21.2% , 1 , 23.2% , 1 , 21.1% , 1 , 17.6% , 1 , 1.4% , , 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 ...

, 24.5% , 1 , 15.1% , , 14.6% , 1 , 19.8% , 1 , 21.4% , 1 , 4.5% , , 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 ...

, 30.7% , 1 , 12.0% , 1 , 18.7% , 1 , 25.9% , 1 , 6.9% , , 5.7% , , 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 ...

, 32.6% , 1 , 4.3% , , 21.4% , 1 , 25.7% , 1 , 9.0% , , 7.0% , , 3 , - , align="left", Craigentinny/Duddingston , 36.7% , 1 , 6.7% , , 20.6% , 1 , 16.5% , 1 , 19.4% , 1 , colspan="2" rowspan="2" , 4 , - , align="left", Southside/Newington , 19.2% , 1 , 16.1% , 1 , 24.1% , 1 , 23.0% , 1 , 17.6% , , 4 , - , align="left", Liberton/Gilmerton , 30.7% , 2 , 4.1% , , 33.3% , 1 , 8.2% , , 18.0% , 1 , 5.7% , , 4 , - , align="left", Portobello/Craigmillar , 37.4% , 1 , 4.3% , , 23.9% , 1 , 16.2% , 1 , 15.3% , 1 , 2.9% , , 4 , - class="unsortable" class="sortbottom" !align="left", Total !25.9% !19 !20.5% !12 !19.1% !13 !14.2% !10 !17.5% !9 !2.8% !0 !63

Ward results

Almond

*2017: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP; 1 Con *2022: 3xLib Dem; 1xSNP *2017-2022 Change: One Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative.

Pentland Hills

*2017: 2xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab *2022: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab *2017-2022 Change: One SNP gain from Conservative.

Drum Brae/Gyle

*2017: 1xLib Dem; 1xCon; 1xSNP *2022: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP *2017-2022 Change: One Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative.

Forth

*2017: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab *2022: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab; 1xGrn *2017-2022 Change: One Liberal Democrat and one Green gain from SNP and Conservative.

Inverleith

*2017: 2xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem *2022: 1xLib Dem; 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xGrn *2017-2022 Change: One Green gain from Conservative.

Corstorphine/Murrayfield

*2017: 1xCon; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP *2022: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP *2017-2022 Change: One Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative.

Sighthill/Gorgie

*2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon *2022: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xGrn *2017-2022 Change: One Green gain from Conservative.

Colinton/Fairmilehead

*2017: 2xCon; 1xLab *2022: 1xLab; 1xCon; 1xSNP *2017-2022 Change: One SNP gain from Conservative.

Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart

*2017: 1xCon; 1xGrn; 1xSNP *2022: 1xCon; 1xLab; 1xSNP *2017-2022 Change: One Labour gain from Green.

Morningside

*2017: 1xCon; 1xGrn; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem *2022: 1xLab; 1xLib Dem; 1xGrn; 1xCon *2017-2022 Change: No change.

City Centre

*2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xGrn; 1xLab *2022: 1xSNP; 1xGrn; 1xCon; 1xLab *2017-2022 Change: No change.

Leith Walk

*2017: 2xSNP; 1xGrn; 1xLab *2022: 1xSNP; 1xGrn; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem *2017-2022 Change: One Liberal Democrat gain from SNP.

Leith

*2017: 1xSNP; 1xGrn; 1xLab *2022: 1xSNP; 1xGrn; 1xLab *2017-2022 Change: No change.

Craigentinny/Duddingston

*2017: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab; 1xGrn *2022: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon; 1xGrn *2017-2022 Change: No change.

Southside/Newington

*2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xGrn; 1xLab *2022: 1xLab; 1xGrn; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem *2017-2022 Change: One Lib Dem gain from Conservative.

Liberton/Gilmerton

*2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon *2022: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon *2017-2022 Change: No change.

Portobello/Craigmillar

*2017: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon; 1xGrn *2022: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xGrn; 1xCon *2017-2022 Change: No change.

Aftermath

After the election, the SNP remained the largest party, but Labour took control of the council after giving the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives paid convenership and deputy posts on key committees. In a sign of internal unease at the deal, Labour councillors Katrina Faccenda and Ross McKenzie abstained. This came after a coalition between the SNP and Greens was blocked as a result of the deal between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, which combined obtained 32 votes, compared to the 29 votes for the SNP-Green deal. Several current and former elected Scottish Labour representatives were critical of the deal involving the Conservatives. Former Edinburgh North and Leith MP

Mark Lazarowicz Mark Lazarowicz ( ; born Marek Lazarowicz; 8 August 1953) is a British Labour Co-operative politician and lawyer who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh North and Leith from 2001 to 2015. Early life Lazarowicz was born in Romfor ...

described the deal in the capital as "unacceptable", whilst

Neil Findlay Neil Findlay (born 6 March 1969) is a Scottish politician who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Lothian from 2011 to 2021. A member of Scottish Labour, he was previously a councillor in West Lothian from 2003 to 2012. Early l ...

, who was a regional MSP for

Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Sco ...

from 2011 and 2021, said: "I am appalled to see West Lothian Labour Councillors voting Tories into office - the Tory party is the enemy of my class." In addition, the Labour MSP for North East Scotland,

Mercedes Villalba Mercedes Villalba is a Scottish Labour politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland since May 2021. Background Villalba is originally from Bristol, England. She settled in Dundee and was a shop ste ...

, expressed disdain for the deal on Twitter. She stated, "No Labour representative worth the name would ever put the Tories in power." On the 28 June 2022, the Labour group suspended two of its members, Katrina Faccenda and Ross McKenzie, reducing the administration to just 11 councillors.

References

{{2022 United Kingdom local elections City of Edinburgh Council elections

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

2020s in Edinburgh