The 2012 Scottish local elections were held on 3 May 2012 in all 32

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

. The Scottish National Party (SNP) overtook Labour to win the highest share of the vote, and retained and strengthened its position as the party with most councillors. Labour also made gains, while the Liberal Democrats experienced meltdown, losing over half their seats and falling behind the

Conservatives 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 ...

. For the first time since the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote system, the SNP won majority control of 2 councils, from no overall control. Labour also won majority control of 2 councils from no overall control, while retaining majority control over 2 councils.

Independent councillor An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

s retained majority control over the 3 island councils. The 23 other councils remained under no overall control.

Background

The election was due to be held on 5 May 2011, but Scottish Ministers heeded the advice of the Gould Report and split the Holyrood and local elections - in order to avoid a repeat of the 2007 fiasco. These local elections were the second since the Single Transferable Vote (STV) was first introduced for the 2007 local government elections. This election was the first since the SNP won a majority in the Scottish Parliament. They were also the first local elections in Scotland since

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not to take place at the same time as a Scottish parliamentary election.

New eCounting system

In October 2010 a new company -

Logica Logica plc was a multinational IT and management consultancy company headquartered in London and later Reading, United Kingdom. Founded in 1969, the company had offices in London and in a number of major cities across England, Wales and Sc ...

was awarded the contract for the vote counting system for the 2012 council elections, and since January 2011 testing has been under way to sort out many issues. On the 5 August 2011, A Dummy election was set up in Perth to test out new "eCounting" system, as part of robust test, in which 160,000 ballot papers run through the machine. This forms third stage of rigorous testing of the system in partition of these elections.

Party performance

Both the SNP and Labour performed well, increasing both share of the vote and their numbers of councillors. The SNP gained control of two councils from No Overall Control:

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...

and Dundee. Labour gained majority control over two councils, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire, also from No Overall Control, and held on to their overall majority in both Glasgow and North Lanarkshire councils. The Conservative & Unionist Party lost significant ground, but did gain a seat in

Argyll & Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

and managed to come third. The Liberal Democrats continued to experience a political meltdown following on from the previous year's

Scottish elections Scotland has elections to several bodies: the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, Local government of Scotland, local councils and community councils. Before the United Kingdom Brexit, left the European Union, Scotland elected mem ...

, losing 57% of their councillors. In one Edinburgh ward, Pentland Hills, Mike 'Professor Pongoo' Ferrigan who intended to dressed as a penguin to council meetings received 444 first-preference votes, 74 more than the Liberal Democrat candidate, Stuart Bridges, and 122 more than the Green Party candidate. In Edinburgh, where the Liberal Democrats had previously been in a ruling coalition with the SNP, they lost 13 of their 16 seats. In the Fife Council ward of 'Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages', the party's candidate, Lois Lothian, received just 21 votes. The

Scottish Greens The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; gd, Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Green Pairtie) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the ...

boosted their councillor numbers from 8 to 14, including doubling their representation in Edinburgh (where they topped the poll in two wards for the first time) and electing councillors for the first time to

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, ...

, Midlothian and

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area includ ...

local authorities (note: Cllr Martin Ford, re-elected in 2012 as a Green, won in 2007 as a Liberal Democrat). The Scottish Socialist Party held its sole seat, that of

Jim Bollan Jim Bollan (born c. 1950) is a councillor in West Dunbartonshire, representing the West Dunbartonshire Community Party. Until 2016 he was a member of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), having been the only elected representative from that party ...

in West Dunbartonshire. Meanwhile, the UK Independence Party lost its sole councillor in Scotland on Fife Council.

s retained majority control over the three island councils (

Na h-Eileanan Siar The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coas ...

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) nort ...

and Shetland).

Aftermath

Talks took place to decide who would control of the 23 remaining councils This resulted in Labour taking control of Fife, East and West Lothian, Inverclyde and South Lanarkshire and forming a grand coalition with the SNP in the City of Edinburgh and an anti-Conservative alliance in East Renfrewshire. The SNP took control of Clackmannanshire, North Ayrshire and Perth and Kinross and became the largest party in controlling coalitions in Argyll and Bute, Highland, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and East Ayrshire. They also joined the Scottish Conservatives in a coalition arrangement in Dumfries and Galloway.

Results

Results to follow: , -style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" !colspan="2" rowspan="2" width="175", Party !colspan="3", First-preference votes !colspan="3", Seats won , -style="background-color:#E9E9E9" !width="75", # !% !Swing ( pp) !width="35", # !Net Gain !% , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Scottish National Party , 503,233 , 32.33 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +4.48 , 425 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +62 , 34.75 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Labour , 488,703 , 31.39 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +3.26 , 394 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +46 , 32.22 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" ,

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 ...

, 206,599 , 13.27 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −2.35 , 115 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −28 , 9.40 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Independents , 183,329 , 11.78 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +1.27 , 196 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +12 , 16.03 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Liberal Democrats , 103,087 , 6.62 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −6.05 , 71 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −95 , 5.81 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Green , 36,000 , 2.31 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.11 , 14 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +6 , 1.14 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" ,

UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest par ...

, 4,289 , 0.28 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.22 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Scottish Socialist Party , 4,183 , 0.27 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −0.61 , 1 , ±0 , 0.08 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Borders Party , 3,755 , 0.24 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.12 , 2 , ±0 , 0.16 , - style="text-align:right;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Action to Save St John's Hospital , 3,474 , 0.22 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.03 , 0 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −3 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , , style="text-align:left;" ,

East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance The East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance was a minor political party operating in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, represented on East Dunbartonshire Council until October 2012 by Jack Young, one of the three councillors for Kirkintilloch East ...

, 2,973 , 0.19 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −0.09 , 2 , ±0 , 0.16 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" ,

Glasgow First Glasgow First was a political party based in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in March 2012 after a series of Labour members of Glasgow City Council, said to be a fifth of their number, either resigned or lost the whip. The immediate cause was ...

, 2,547 , 0.16 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.16 , 1 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +1 , 0.08 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" ,

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is a socialist electoral alliance launched in Britain for the 2010 general election. TUSC's co-founder was the RMT union general secretary Bob Crow. Members of the PCS, NUT, FBU and POA un ...

, 2,485 , 0.16 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.16 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Christian Party , 2,344 , 0.15 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.12 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , All Scotland Pensioners Party , 2,328 , 0.15 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.08 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Cumbernauld Independent Alliance , 1,894 , 0.12 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.02 , 1 , ±0 , 0.08 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Unionist , 864 , 0.06 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −0.09 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Perth Independent Candidates , 805 , 0.05 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.05 , 1 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +1 , 0.08 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Solidarity , 787 , 0.05 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −0.81 , 0 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −1 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Socialist Labour Party , 714 , 0.05 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.03 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , , style="text-align:left;" , East Kilbride Alliance , 681 , 0.04 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −0.03 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" ,

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and ...

, 595 , 0.04 , style="background-color:#ffe8e8;" , −0.02 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , National Front , 369 , 0.02 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.02 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" ,

Pirate Party Pirate Party is a label adopted by political parties around the world. Pirate parties support civil rights, direct democracy (including e-democracy) or alternatively participation in government, reform of copyright and patent law, free shari ...

, 292 , 0.02 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.02 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" ,

Christian Peoples Alliance The Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) is a Christian rightist political party in the United Kingdom. The party was founded in its present form in 1999, having grown out of a cross-party advocacy group called the Movement for Christian Democracy. T ...

, 209 , 0.01 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.01 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Communist Party of Britain , 94 , <0.01 , style="background-color:#dfd" , +0.01 , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Britannica , 73 , <0.01 , , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , - style="text-align:right;" , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" , Official Monster Raving Loony Party , 67 , <0.01 , , 0 , ±0 , 0.00 , -style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" ! colspan="2" style="text-align:left;" , Total !1,556,773 !100.00 ! ±0.00 !1,223 ! +1 ! 100.00 Note: The net gain/loss and percentage change in number of votes relates to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This differs from the table in the reference above which shows gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

Analysis

Councils

, NOC (Ind + LD + Lab) , (SNP + LD + Lab) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" ,

Inverclyde Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the hi ...

, (Lab minority) , , (Lab minority) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , Midlothian , (Lab minority) , Labour , (SNP + Green + Ind) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" ,

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...

, (Ind + Con) , , (Ind + Con) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" ,

, , , , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , North Ayrshire , (Lab minority) , , (SNP minority) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , North Lanarkshire , , Labour , , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" ,

, , , , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , Perth and Kinross , (SNP + LD) , , (SNP minority) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , Renfrewshire , (SNP + LD) , , , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , Scottish Borders , (Con + LD + Ind) , , (SNP + Ind + LD) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , Shetland , , , , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , South Ayrshire , (Con + Lab + Ind) , , (Con + Lab + Ind) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , South Lanarkshire , (Lab + LD + Con) , , (Lab minority) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" ,

, (Lab minority) , NOC (SNP minority) , (Lab + Con) , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , West Dunbartonshire , (SNP + Ind) , , , Details , - ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" , West Lothian , (SNP + Ind) , , (Lab minority) , Details Name of party shows the largest group within each council. However, the party names in brackets identify members of a coalition leading the council. In some cases, the largest party is shown, but is not in charge of the council.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scottish Local Elections, 2012

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Local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...

May 2012 events in the United Kingdom