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 3 May 2012, the same day as the

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

. The election was the second using 17 new wards created as a result of the

Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (asp 9) is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, amongst other things, for the election of councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the single transferable vote system. The Commissi ...

, each ward elected 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 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 ...

system of election. The main feature of the elections was the near obliteration of the

Scottish Liberal Democrats The Scottish Liberal Democrats ( gd, Pàrtaidh Libearal Deamocratach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Leeberal Democrats) is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, a part of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats. The party currently holds 4 of ...

as they collapsed from 17 seats on the city council to just 3, which saw them occupying the position as the smallest party. Their leader, and the leader of the council, Jenny Dawe, lost her seat in Meadows/Morningside, epitomising the poor performance.

Scottish Labour Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak of ...

replaced the Lib Dems as the largest party as they made 5 gains, winning 20 seats in total. The

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from th ...

became the second largest party, gaining 6 seats and 18 seats in total. The

Scottish Conservatives The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...

retained 11 seats on the council while 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 ...

doubled their seat numbers to 6. After the election a coalition was formed between the Labour Party and the SNP. This replaced the previous Lib Dem – SNP Coalition which had existed from 2007 to 2012.

Election result

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

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 !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 in ...

!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 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

!colspan=2 , Lib Dem !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 genu ...

, 14.92 , 0 , 32.55 , 1 , 26.24 , 1 , 6.17 , 0 , 15.89 , 1 , 4.22 , 0 , 3 , - , 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 Pentla ...

, 28.85 , 1 , 29.16 , 1 , 27.70 , 1 , 4.05 , 0 , 4.66 , 0 , 5.59 , 0 , 3 , - , align="left", Drum Brae/Gyle , 26.46 , 1 , 27.00 , 1 , 16.04 , 0 , 3.62 , 0 , 18.77 , 1 , 8.12 , 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 ...

, 34.01 , 2 , 29.06 , 1 , 22.64 , 1 , 7.08 , 0 , 5.06 , 0 , 2.14 , 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 ...

, 24.99 , 1 , 20.22 , 1 , 29.50 , 1 , 14.92 , 1 , 10.38 , 0 , - , - , 4 , - , align="left", Corstorphine/Murrayfield , 20.45 , 0 , 24.74 , 1 , 24.96 , 1 , 6.11 , 0 , 22.77 , 1 , 1.96 , 0 , 3 , - , align="left", Sighthill/Gorgie , 42.1 , 2 , 37.4 , 2 , 9.2 , 0 , 8.2 , 0 , 3.2 , 0 , - , - , 4 , - , align="left", Colinton/Fairmilehead , 17.87 , 0 , 20.59 , 1 , 52.00 , 2 , 4.91 , 0 , 3.62 , 0 , 1.01 , 0 , 3 , - , align="left", Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart , 23.24 , 1 , 23.54 , 1 , 21.15 , 0 , 24.07 , 1 , 7.34 , 0 , 0.66 , 0 , 3 , - , align="left", Meadows/Morningside , 19.64 , 1 , 15.78 , 1 , 29.90 , 1 , 19.75 , 1 , 12.30 , 0 , 2.63 , 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 ...

, 21.33 , 1 , 24.97 , 1 , 27.69 , 1 , 17.06 , 0 , 7.94 , 0 , 1.01 , 0 , 3 , - , 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 t ...

, 33.24 , 2 , 28.48 , 1 , 8.11 , 0 , 20.28 , 1 , 5.09 , 0 , 4.81 , 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 ...

, 32.1 , 1 , 32.4 , 1 , 6.5 , 0 , 18.9 , 1 , 9.0 , 0 , 1.1 , 0 , 3 , - , align="left", Craigentinny/Duddingston , 36.2 , 2 , 36.9 , 1 , 10.2 , 0 , 7.0 , 0 , 8.0 , 0 , 1.8 , 0 , 3 , - , align="left", Southside/Newington , 19.78 , 1 , 18.34 , 1 , 16.72 , 1 , 19.97 , 1 , 13.97 , 0 , 11.22 , 0 , 4 , - , align="left", Liberton/Gilmerton , 40.9 , 2 , 31.6 , 1 , 12.3 , 1 , 5.2 , 0 , 7.6 , 0 , 2.5 , 0 , 4 , - , align="left", Portobello/Craigmillar , 47.4 , 2 , 32.0 , 1 , 7.2 , 0 , 8.5 , 0 , 1.9 , 0 , 2.9 , 0 , 3 , - class="unsortable" class="sortbottom" !align="left", Total !28.13 !20 !26.87 !18 !19.75 !11 !11.55 !6 !9.34 !3 ! !0 !58 , -

Ward results

Almond

2007: 1xCon; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
2012: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLib Dem
2007-2012 Change: No Change

Pentland Hills

2007: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
2012: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon
2007-2012 Change: No Change

Drum Brae/Gyle

2007: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP
2012: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Lib Dem *=Outgoing Councillor from a different Ward.

Forth

*2007: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab *2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon *2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Lib Dem

Inverleith

*2007: 1xLab; 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem *2012: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab; 1xGreen *2007-2012 Change: Green gain one seat from Lib Dem

Corstorphine/Murrayfield

*2007: 2xLib Dem; 1xCon *2012: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem *2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem

Sighthill/Gorgie

2007: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
2012: 2xLab; 2xSNP;
2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem

Colinton/Fairmilehead

*2007: 2xCon; 1xLab *2012: 2xCon; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lab

Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart

*2007: 1xCon; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem *2012: 1xGrn; 1xLab; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: Grn and SNP gain one seat each from Con and Lib Dem

Meadows/Morningside

*2007: 1xCon; 1xLib Dem; 1xGRN; 1xLab *2012: 1xCon; 1xGRN; 1xLab; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem * = Outgoing Councillor from a different Ward.

City Centre

*2007: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLib Dem *2012: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab *2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Lib Dem

Leith Walk

*2007: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab; 1xGRN *2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xGRN *2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Lib Dem

Leith

*2007: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab *2012: 1xLab; 1xGRN; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: GRN gain one seat from Lib Dem

Craigentinny/Duddingston

*2007: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem *2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Lib Dem

Southside/Newington

*2007: 1xLab; 1xCon; 1xLib Dem; 1xGRN *2012: 1xGrn; 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon *2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem

Liberton/Gilmerton

*2007: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem *2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon *2007-2012 Change: Con gain one seat from Lib Dem

Portobello/Craigmillar

*2007: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem *2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Lib Dem

Post-election changes

*† Liberton/Gilmerton SNP councillor Tom Buchanan died on 3 April 2013. A by-election was held on 20 June 2013 and was won by Labour's Keith John Robson. *†† Craigentinny/Duddingston Labour councillor Alex Dunn defected from the Labour Party and joined the SNP on 4 December 2013. *††† On 1 March 2014 Southside/Newington SNP councillor Jim Orr resigned from the party and became an Independent citing disillusionment with internal political spats. *†††† Leith Walk SNP councillor Deidre Brock was elected as an MP for Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency) on 7 May 2015 and resigned her Council seat on 24 June 2015. Leith Walk Green councillor Maggie Chapman resigned her seat on 30 June 2015 to focus her efforts on winning a Scottish Parliament seat in North East Scotland. A by-election for both seats was held on 10 September 2015, Lewis Ritchie defending the SNP seat and Labour's Marion Donaldson taking the other. *†††††† Almond Liberal Democrat councillor Alastair Shields resigned from the party and became an Independent after having been de-selected. He originally indicated that he would contest the 2017 local elections as an Independent, but ruled this out in October 2016.

By Elections since 2012

References

External links

election results 2012
on Council homepage {{United Kingdom local elections, 2012

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

2012 Scottish local elections 2010s in Edinburgh