| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2007 Dumfries and Galloway Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2007 |
| Next Election: | 2017 Dumfries and Galloway Council election |
| Next Year: | 2017 |
| Seats For Election: | All 47 seats to Dumfries and Galloway Council |
| Majority Seats: | 24 |
| Party1: | Scottish Labour Party |
| Leaders Seat1: | North West Dumfries |
| Seats Before1: | 17 |
| Seats1: | 15 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Leader2: | Ivor Alexander Hyslop |
| Party2: | Scottish Conservatives |
| Leaders Seat2: | Lochar |
| Seats Before2: | 17 |
| Seats2: | 14 |
| Seat Change2: | 4 |
| Leader3: | Brian Collins |
| Party3: | Scottish National Party |
| Leaders Seat3: | Castle Douglas and Glenkens |
| Seats Before3: | 10 |
| Seats3: | 10 |
| Leader4: | Jane S. Maitland |
| Party4: | Independent (politician) |
| Leaders Seat4: | Dee |
| Seats Before4: | 2 |
| Seats4: | 7 |
| Seat Change4: | 5 |
| Leader5: | Richard John Brodie |
| Party5: | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| Leaders Seat5: | Annandale South |
| Seats Before5: | 3 |
| Seats5: | 1 |
| Seat Change5: | 2 |
| Council Leader | |
| Before Election: | Ivor Alexander Hyslop |
| Before Party: | Scottish Conservatives |
| Posttitle: | Council Leader after election |
| After Election: | Ivor Alexander Hyslop |
| After Party: | Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party |
| Percentage1: | 29.3% |
| Popular Vote1: | 14,828 |
| Swing1: | 1.2% |
| Swing2: | 5.6% |
| Percentage2: | 26.6% |
| Popular Vote2: | 13,446 |
| Swing3: | 0.5% |
| Percentage3: | 19.5% |
| Popular Vote3: | 9,837 |
| Swing4: | 6.9% |
| Percentage4: | 18.1% |
| Popular Vote4: | 9,126 |
| Swing5: | 4.3% |
| Percentage5: | 4.0% |
| Popular Vote5: | 1,997 |
The 2012 Dumfries and Galloway Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Dumfries and Galloway Council.[1] The election used the thirteen wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation, with 47 councillors being elected.
The election saw Labour replace the Conservatives as the largest party on the council as they gained 1 seat while the Conservatives lost 4 seats. The Scottish National Party retained their third place on the authority but did not gain any additional seats. Independents proved to be the biggest winners as they returned to the council with 7 seats and 5 net gains which included 2 former members of the Labour party. The Liberal Democrats proved to be the worst performers of the election, being reduced to just a single seat.
Following the election the Conservative Party formed a coalition with the support of the SNP. This replaced the previous Conservative-Lib Dem coalition which existed from 2007 to 2012.
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.
On 20 September 2013 6 members of the Conservative Party quit their group and became Independents.[2]
In August 2015 Lochar SNP Cllr resigned from the party and became an Independent citing racial prejudice towards her and having lost out at a candidate selection for the Scottish Parliament election, 2016.[3] [4]
Annandale North Labour Cllr Ted Brown died on 4 September 2012.[5] A by-election was held on 15 November 2012 which was won by Graeme Tait of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
Annandale North Conservative Cllr Graeme Tait announced on 20 March 2014 that he had defected to the Labour Party stating that he felt its "policies and values" better reflect his own and resigned his Council seat on 22 September 2016.[6] A by-election was held on 17 November 2016 and was won by the Conservative Party's Douglas Fairbairn.