2022 Aberdeen City Council election

At the previous election in 2017, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won the most seats on the council for the first time. The SNP gained four seats to hold 19, four shy of an overall majority, while Labour lost eight seats which left them with nine as they fell from the largest party to third place. The Conservatives gained eight seats to record their best result in Aberdeen since 1980 with 11 seats while the Liberal Democrats lost one seat to hold four.[3][4] Two independent councillors were also elected. As a result, a coalition was formed between Labour, the Conservatives and independent councillors to run the council[5] however, this resulted in the suspension of Labour councillors from the party as the party's executive had not approved the coalition. The suspended councillors took on the Aberdeen Labour moniker following their suspension.[1]

Source:[3][4]

The election used the 13 wards created following the fifth statutory review of electoral arrangements conducted by Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland in 2016, with 45 councillors elected. Each ward elected either three or four councillors, using the STV electoral system where candidates are ranked in order of preference.[6]

Following the 2017 election, there were two changes in the political composition of the council. Conservative councillor Alan Donnelly was suspended from the party and subsequently resigned after he was convicted of sexual assault[7] and Liberal Democrat councillor Jennifer Stewart resigned from the party to become an independent.[8] Following the coalition agreement between Labour and the Conservatives, the nine Labour councillors were suspended and sat as Aberdeen Labour.[1]

Three by-elections were held for four seats. These resulted in an SNP/Conservative hold[9] and two SNP holds.[10][11]

Source:[4][12]

The total number of candidates fell from 101 in 2017 to 99. As was the case five years previous, the SNP fielded the highest number of candidates at 23 (two less than in 2017) across the 13 wards. The Conservatives overtook Labour by fielding 17 candidates – three more than five years previous. Following the split with the Aberdeen Labour branch as a result of the coalition deal with the Conservatives in 2017, Labour, which had put forward 20 candidates in 2017, did not stand any candidates. However, Aberdeen Labour did stand 15 candidates. The 13 candidates fielded by the Liberal Democrats was one less than in 2017. For the first time in an Aberdeen City election, the Greens contested every ward by fielding 13 candidates – almost double the number they had put forward in 2017. The number of independent candidates fell from 13 to six while two Libertarian candidates contested the election – an increase of one. Contesting elections in Aberdeen City for the first time were the Alba Party (four candidates), the Scottish Family Party (five) and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) (one). Unlike the 2017 election, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), the National Front and Solidarity did not put forward any candidates. [4][12]

Below is a list of seats which elected a different party or parties from 2017 in order to highlight the change in political composition of the council from the previous election. The list does not include defeated incumbents who resigned or defected from their party and subsequently failed re-election while the party held the seat. Aberdeen Labour gains from Labour have been considered as Labour holds.

Notes

The SNP (2), Labour (1) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Source:[16][17]

The SNP (2) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election while Labour gained one seat from an independent.

Source:[18][19]

The Liberal Democrats and the SNP retained the seats they had won at the previous election while Labour gained one seat from the Conservatives.

Source:[20][21]

The SNP (2) and Labour (1) retained the seats they won at the previous election.

Source:[22][23]

The SNP retained the seat they won at the previous election and gained one seat from the Conservatives while Labour retained their only seat.

Source:[24][25]

The SNP (2) and Labour (1) retained the seats they won at the previous election.

Source:[26][27]

The SNP, Labour and the Conservatives retained the seats they won at the previous election.

Source:[28][29]

The SNP (2) and Labour (1) retained the seats they won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats gained a seat from the Conservatives.

Source:[30][31]

Labour, the Conservatives and independent candidate Marie Boulton retained the seats they won at the previous election.

Source:[32][33]

The Liberal Democrats retained one of their two seats and lost one to independent candidate Jennifer Stewart, while the Conservatives and the SNP retained the seats they won at the previous election. Cllr Stewart was elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor in 2017 but subsequently left her party to join the minority Conservative-Aberdeen Labour administration.

Source:[34][35]

The Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP retained the seats they won at the previous election.

Source:[36][37]

The SNP (2), Labour (1) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Source:[38][39]

The SNP (2), Labour (1) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they won at the previous election.

Source:[40][41]

Conservative councillor Avril MacKenzie died on 1 December 2022.[46] A by-election was held to fill the vacancy on 23 February 2023 and was won by Labour's Graeme Lawrence.[47]

Source:[48][49]