1974 Scottish local elections explained

Election Name:1974 Scottish local elections
Country:Scotland
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1973 Scottish local elections
Previous Year:1973
Next Election:1977 Scottish local elections
Next Year:1977
Election Date:7 May 1974
Party1:Labour Party (UK)
Party2:Conservative Party (UK)
Party5:Liberal Party (UK)
Party4:Scottish National Party
Map Size:350px

Elections for the Scottish district councils were held on Tuesday 7 May 1974, for both the new regional and district councils, between the two United Kingdom general elections of February and October in that same year.

These were the first elections held to the 53 district councils established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The Labour Party did reasonably well and the Scottish National Party (SNP) did not. The councillors acted as "shadow" councils until May 1975, when the provisions of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 came into effect.[1]

Results

National results

|-!colspan=2|Parties!Votes!Votes %!Wards|-| |658,089|38.5|172|-| |488,905|28.6|112|-| |215,502|12.6|18|-| |87,333|5.1|11|-| style="width: 10px" bgcolor=|| style="text-align: left;" scope="row" | Independent/Other|261,372|15.3|114/5|-!colspan=2|Total!! !! !!|}

|-!colspan=2|Parties!Votes!Votes %!Wards|-| |619,531|38.4|428|-| |433,287|26.8|241|-| |200,307|12.4|62|-| |80,232|5.0|17|-| style="width: 10px" bgcolor=|| style="text-align: left;" scope="row" | Independent/Other|280,946|17.5|345/17|-!colspan=2|Total!! !! !!|}

Note: Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles were governed at the district level as unitary authorities, meaning they were not included in any larger region.

Council Results

Regional Councils

RegionLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOtherTurnoutTotal SeatsControl
Details
Borders070313029Details
Central174903134Details
Dumfries and Galloway200033035Details
Fife26100033 (1 Communist)42Details
Grampian13280210053Details
Highland421337047 Details
Lothian2419311149Details
OrkneyDetails
ShetlandDetails
Strathclyde71205250103Details
Tayside1522009046Details
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)Details

District Councils

RegionLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOtherTurnoutTotal Seats
Borders190044054
Central2992108067
Dumfries and Galloway511061270
Fife43242110484
Grampian302514480108
Highland4042990109
Lothian62388351127
Orkney
Shetland
Strathclyde22592257498406
Tayside29430021194
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)

The seats on each district council after the election were as follows:[2]

Borders
DistrictLabourConservativeLiberalIndependentOtherControl
Berwickshire010020
Ettrick and Lauderdale100140
Roxburgh00013Border Independents 3
Tweeddale000100
Central
DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOtherControl
Clackmannan51500Scottish Labour 1
Falkirk1621203Independent Labour 1
Non-Party 2
Stirling784010bgcolor=whiteNOC
Dumfries and Galloway
DistrictLabourConservativeSNPIndependentOtherControl
Annandale and Eskdale000140
Nithsdale61117Non-Party 5
Stewartry000120
Wigtown000140
Fife
DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOtherControl
Dunfermline1753140
Kirkcaldy245002Ratepayers 4
Communist 1
bgcolor=blackNOC
North-East Fife0130050
Grampian
DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentControl
Banff and Buchan000018
City of Aberdeen2817030
Gordon03027
Kincardine and Deeside020010
Moray001017
Highland
DistrictLabourSNPIndependentControl
Badenoch and Strathspey0010 hold
Caithness0015 hold
Inverness0015 hold
Lochaber
2 vacancies
307
Nairn037
Ross and Cromarty0020 hold
Skye and Lochalsh0010
Sutherland0014
Lothian
DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentControl
City of Edinburgh2731231
East Lothian106001
Midlothian112101
West Lothian100803bgcolor=blackNOC
Strathclyde
DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOthersControl
Argyll and Bute
1 vacancy
0000250
Bearsden and Milngavie150040
Clydebank51300Scottish Labour 1
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth307000
Cumnock and Doon Valley81001
Cunninghame140102Moderate Conservatives 7
Dumbarton820050
East Kilbride527010
Eastwood010000Ratepayers 2
City of Glasgow5416100Independent Conservative 1
Hamilton132221Independent Labour 0
Inverclyde1420610
Kilmarnock and Loudoun1240000
Kyle and Carrick10150000
Lanark402080
Motherwell251211Communist 0
Monklands1541010
Renfrew2510103CA 1
Strathkelvin653000
Tayside
DistrictLabourConservativeSNPIndependentOthersControl
Angus311080
City of Dundee222002Real Labour 1
Monifeith Ratepayers 0
bgcolor=blackNOC
Perth and Kinross419060

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Faux . Ronald . 5 May 1977 . SNP seizes 107 seats . . 1, 4 .
  2. News: Results of Scottish district council elections. 5 May 1977. The Times. 4.