2012 Glasgow City Council election

Main article: 2012 Scottish local elections

2012 Glasgow City Council election
← 2007 3 May 2012 (2012-05-03) 2017 →
All 79 seats to Glasgow City Council
40 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Gordon Matheson Allison Hunter Martha Wardrop
Party Labour SNP Scottish Green
Leader's seat Anderston/City Govan Hillhead
Last election 45 seats, 43.3% 22 seats, 24.6% 5 seats, 6.5%
Seats won 44 27 5
Seat change Decrease1 Increase5 Steady0
Popular vote 67,341 46,947 7,999
Percentage 46.7% 32.6% 5.5%
Swing Increase3.4% Increase8.0% Decrease1.0%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader David Meikle Margot Clark Stephen Dornan
Party Conservative Liberal Democrats Glasgow First
Leader's seat Pollokshields Linn Govan
Last election 1 seat, 7.7% 5 seats, 7.9% New party
Seats before 6
Seats won 1 1 1
Seat change Steady0 Decrease4 Increase1
Popular vote 8,567 4,221 2,544
Percentage 5.9% 2.9% 1.8%
Swing Decrease1.8% Decrease5.0% Increase1.8%
The 21 multi-member wards
Council Leader before election

Gordon Matheson
Labour

Council Leader after election

Gordon Matheson
Labour

Elections to Glasgow City Council were held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election was the second using 21 new wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, each ward elected three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation.

The election in Glasgow attracted the most attention out of the local elections in Scotland as there were many predictions that the Scottish Labour would lose control of the council due to losses of seats to the Scottish National Party.[1] The Labour administration had suffered from a number of defections of council members to the newly formed Glasgow First party and controversy surrounding Councillor's salaries and contracts.[2] In the end, Labour remained in control, losing just one seat, while the SNP gained five. The Scottish Liberal Democrats were reduced to holding just one seat on the council, the same numbers as the Scottish Conservatives (who retained their solitary seat) and Glasgow First. The Scottish Greens retained five seats on the authority.

After the elections Labour again formed a controlling administration on the City Council.

  1. ^ Edward, Debi (7 May 2012). "SNP expected to 'snatch Glasgow from Labour' in Scottish elections". ITV News. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Two left feet". The Economist. 28 April 2012.