Expect West Dunbartonshire to remain a hard fought SNP-Labour battleground. A local socialist party add some further flavour to what is the Conservative’s weakest mainland council.
Articles
Wards Worth Watching: South Ayrshire
A traditionally Conservative-leaning council that is likely to remain that way, there could nonetheless be advances for the SNP and Labour, who have been running the council together.
Wards Worth Watching: Clackmannanshire
There’s surprising capacity for excitement in the Wee County, with both the Conservatives and Labour at risk of losing “councillor in every ward” status, whilst the Greens eye up a breakthrough.
Wards Worth Watching: Falkirk
The SNP look secure in their lead here, making this more a battle for second. Conservative hopes of converting their 2017 vote lead over Labour into seats may be deflated by the ongoing stramash down south.
Wards Worth Watching: Inverclyde
A seemingly classic Central Belt council, the SNP will be seeking to fix a “wrong winner” outcome in 2017 where Labour held a lead, in part due to the Conservatives’ inability to turn votes into seats.
Wards Worth Watching: Angus
This mix of countryside farming and coastal fishing communities spent decades as an SNP stronghold before narrowly swinging Conservative. SNP chances of retaking a lead in votes seem strong.
Wards Worth Watching: West Lothian
West Lothian has spent the entire STV era on a knife-edge between the SNP and Labour, with neither managing more than a single seat lead over the other. Could that change this year?
Wards Worth Watching: East Renfrewshire
Combining a cluster of affluent Glasgow suburbs with a strong Conservative history with two working class towns, East Renfrewshire has had an electorally mixed few years.
Local Elections 2022: An Entirely Different Beast
In 12 weeks’ time, we’ll know who all 1226 of Scotland’s new councillors are. But local elections are a unique part of our electoral cycle, so here’s a little bit about what to expect.
Term in Review: 2017-22 By-Elections
One final look back across the sum of the by-elections in this local government term. Some light-hearted awards balance out some more thoughtful personal reflections.