London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 17, 2026

Scottish council elections 2022: SNP finishes as biggest party

Scottish council elections 2022: SNP finishes as biggest party

The SNP has again finished as the biggest party in the Scottish council elections - with Labour finishing second after the Conservatives suffered big losses.

The SNP secured an overall majority in Dundee, while Labour won control of West Dunbartonshire.

But the Conservatives lost more than 60 councillors across the country.

Party leader Douglas Ross said he believed public anger over Partygate had played a big part.

More than 1,200 councillors have been elected across the country's 32 councils.

Each council is divided into smaller areas known as wards, with every ward electing up to five councillors.

The SNP recorded strong results in many areas of the country, increasing its total number of councillors by 22 to 453.

The party won 15 of the 29 seats to take control of Dundee and gained four seats in neighbouring Angus to become the largest party from Labour.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, the country's first minister, said the result was a "quite incredible outcome" for her party after 15 years in government.

She added: "We have not only won the election - an eighth consecutive election victory since I've been leader - but won it overwhelmingly.

"We have increased our share of the vote and the number of councillors we have and I think we're going to be the largest party in more councils than before."

Labour - which finished third behind the SNP and Conservatives in 2017 - picked up an additional 20 seats and finished well ahead of the Tories on 282 seats to 214.

The party won an overall majority in West Dunbartonshire, where the SNP had previously been the largest party and had formed the administration, after returning 12 councillors - four more than previously.

No party held a majority in any local authority area in Scotland after the last election.

Labour had been aiming to overtake the SNP as the largest party in Glasgow after picking up seats in the early results, but fell one seat short - with the SNP on 37 and Labour 36.

Leader Anas Sarwar said the results were the best Scottish Labour had seen in a decade, with his party finishing the day "comfortably" in second place across Scotland as a whole.

The Conservatives finished second last time - but finished well behind Labour in third place this time


But the Conservatives lost 63 seats, with their share of the vote falling by more than 10% in several wards.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said he was "deeply disappointed" by the results, which he said had seen the public send a clear message that "they are not happy with the prime minister, they are not happy with partygate".

He refused to call for Boris Johnson to resign, saying the situation in Ukraine called for stability in the UK government.

There was better news for the Conservatives in Moray, where they gained three seats to overtake the SNP as the largest party.


We've got used to the SNP winning elections in Scotland. In this contest they continue to resist electoral gravity. The party has seats and has won an 11th successive national victory.

They are not the only party with something to celebrate. After years of decline, Labour has also made gains including taking overall control of West Dunbartonshire council.

Labour has regained second place from the Conservatives, who have suffered significant losses and seem to be taking a bigger hit in Scotland than England.

Some Scottish Tories are blaming Boris Johnson and partygate, with others highlighting the Scottish party leader, Douglas Ross's flip-flop over whether the PM should resign.

The Liberal Democrats have also picked up seats as have the Greens who seem to have benefited from their power-sharing deal with the SNP in the Scottish government.

The Scottish Greens won their first seat in the Scottish Borders and almost doubled their total number of councillors across the country to 35.

Green candidate Holly Bruce finished first in the ward of the SNP's Susan Aitken, who was the Glasgow City Council leader - although Ms Aitken was also elected after finishing with the second-highest number of first preference votes.

The Liberal Democrats also done better than expected, winning an additional 20 seats across the country to take their total to 87, but Alex Salmond's Alba Party failed to have any of its candidates elected.

Meanwhile, the SNP's Susan Thomson and Frances Murray were elected the Western Isles' first female councillors since 2012.

Labour leader Anas Sarwar said his party's result was its best in a decade


Although the number of councillors elected for each party is now known, it will probably be next week before it becomes clear who will have control over most councils.

This is because in many councils no party has won a majority of seats and so groups of councillors will work together to form coalitions. It can take a few days for these arrangements to be made.

Local elections were also held in England and Wales on Thursday, and voters in Northern Ireland were being asked to elect their next government.


Council election results 'incredible outcome', say Sturgeon


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Russell Brand Trial Begins at Southwark Crown Court
UK Parliament to Debate Climate Risks and Council Tax Following Public Petitions
Department for Transport Demands Safety Audits Following Regional Rail Disruptions
House of Lords Scrutinizes Amendments to Armed Forces Bill
Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales Criticize Post-Brexit Funding Framework
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Defends Middle East Military Support Under Parliamentary Scrutiny
NHS Leaders Warn of Severe Pressure on Hospitals from Winter Virus Outbreaks
Retailers and Business Groups Lobby Chancellor for Relief from Rising Employment Taxes
City of London Taskforce Urges Radical Reform to Prevent UK From Becoming "Incubator Nation"
Bank of England Officials Signal Potential November Interest Rate Hike
Institute for Fiscal Studies Warns of £35 Billion Funding Gap in Upcoming Autumn Budget
IMF Upgrades UK Growth Forecast to 1.3% for 2026
Former UUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson sentenced to 15 years in prison for historical child sex offences
UK ministers adopt independent commission blueprint to fast-track AI in the NHS
Labour leadership orders local councillors to end power-sharing deals with Green Party
UK government considers regulatory intervention in proposed Sky and ITV merger
Environment Agency declares severe drought across six English regions as reservoirs hit critical lows
NHS England issues new guidance prohibiting transgender women from female-only wards
Norwegian teenager sentenced to 20 years for part of Iran-backed assassination plot in Britain
UK government threatens complete visa ban on Eritrea over refusal to accept deportees
UK Treasury lobbies UBS to move global headquarters to London amid banking sector tax threats
MI5 Warns of Growing Russian Sabotage and Espionage Threats Across Britain
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Plans Brussels Talks to Renegotiate Post-Brexit Trade Deal
MI5 Warns of Rising Russian and Iranian Sabotage Threats to British Military Facilities
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Closer EU Ties as MI5 Reveals Russian Brexit Interference
UK Orders Security Review Following Reported Killing of Former Politician Ann Widdecombe
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Meets German Chancellor Merz to Strengthen European Security Ties
Nearly 100,000 NHS Patients Treated in Hospital Corridors as England Braces for Winter Pressures
UK Government Rejects US-Russia Diesel Agreement and Reaffirms Sanctions Against Moscow
UK and Germany Agree to Deepen Security and Economic Cooperation Following Berlin Talks
British Prime Minister Burnham Pledges Closer EU Ties During Visit to Germany
UK Announces New Sanctions on 17 Russia-Linked Entities During Foreign Secretary's Ukraine Visit
UK and Germany Finalize Kensington Treaty to Strengthen Defense and Technology Cooperation
Britain Maintains Diplomatic Mission in East Jerusalem Despite Israeli Closure Deadline
English Councils Push Government to Rethink Proposed Funding Cuts
Scottish Homebuilding Falls to Lowest Level in 11 Years
BBC Chief Matt Brittin Defends Restructuring as Staff Challenge Job Cuts
UK Finance Warns High Energy Costs and Bond Yields Are Complicating Fiscal Outlook
UK Adopts All 44 Recommendations on Regulating AI in Healthcare
Chancellor John Healey Prepares Autumn Budget as Borrowing Costs Strain Public Finances
UK Investigators See Strong Indications of Iranian Link After RAF Fairford Security Operation
Laura Trott Pledges Tighter Controls on Political Activism in UK Classrooms
Welsh Ministers Launch Long-Term Review of North Wales and Anglesey Crossings
Welsh Government Orders 18-Month Study of Road Solutions Around Newport
Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin Faces Scrutiny Over £800,000 Second Home Purchase
British Households Grow More Concerned About Fuel and Energy Prices
NHS Leaders Warn of Rising Winter Pressure on Emergency Departments
Kemi Badenoch Proposes £2.3 Billion Employer National Insurance Cut for Young Workers
Middle East Conflict Could Erase UK Fiscal Headroom, Economists Warn
Manchester City Found Guilty of Multiple Premier League Financial Rule Breaches
×