| Election Name: | 1995 South Lanarkshire Council election |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Next Election: | 1999 South Lanarkshire Council election |
| Next Year: | 1999 |
| Seats For Election: | All 73 seats to South Lanarkshire Council |
| Majority Seats: | 37 |
| Image1: | Lab |
| Leader1: | Tom McCabe |
| Party1: | Scottish Labour Party |
| Leaders Seat1: | Larkhall West |
| Seats1: | 60 |
| Seat Change1: | 23 |
| Popular Vote1: | 61,452 |
| Percentage1: | 57.1% |
| Swing1: | 11.6 |
| Party2: | Scottish National Party |
| Seats2: | 8 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| Popular Vote2: | 28,918 |
| Percentage2: | 26.9% |
| Swing2: | 1.6 |
| Image4: | LD |
| Party4: | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| Seats4: | 2 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| Popular Vote4: | 7,705 |
| Percentage4: | 7.1% |
| Swing4: | 2.5 |
| Image5: | Con |
| Party5: | Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party |
| Seats5: | 2 |
| Seat Change5: | 5 |
| Popular Vote5: | 7,559 |
| Percentage5: | 7.0% |
| Swing5: | 8.8 |
| Council Leader | |
| Posttitle: | Council Leader after election |
| After Election: | Tom McCabe |
| After Party: | Scottish Labour Party |
The first elections to South Lanarkshire Council were held on 6 April 1995, on the same day as the 28 other Scottish local government elections. The council was created from the former Clydesdale, East Kilbride and Hamilton district councils plus the four wards of the City of Glasgow District Council in Rutherglen and Cambuslang and assumed some of the responsibilities of the former Strathclyde Regional Council following the implementation of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.
The election was the first since the Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements which was initially meant to decide boundaries for the district and regional councils. After the district councils were abolished by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, the review was instead used to decide boundaries for the newly created unitary authority in Clydesdale, East Kilbride and Hamilton. As a result, there remained 16 seats covering the former Clydesdale District while 20 seats were established for the former East Kilbride District, an increase of four, and 25 seats were established for the former Hamilton District, five more than had been in use since the Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1981. In Rutherglen and Cambuslang, the proposed new wards were disregarded by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland Allan Stewart who created 13 new wards.[1] [2]
Labour took control of the council after winning 60 of the 72 wards which were up for election. The Scottish National Party (SNP) took eight seats while the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives both won two seats.
Notes:
Following the death of SNP candidate Mary Ann Tait, the election in Forth was postponed and a by-election was held on 8 June 1995.[5] [6]
The Uddingston ward was renamed Uddingston North following the Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements. There were changes to the boundaries. This was the only time the name Uddingston North was used as it was switched back following the Third Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 1999 election.[2] [7]
The Woodhead ward was renamed Laighstonehall/Woodhead following the Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements. There were minor changes to the boundaries.[2]