The 2027 Scottish local elections will be held on 6 May 2027, as part of the 2027 United Kingdom local elections. All 1,226 seats across all 32 Scottish local authorities are up for election.
Background
The last election was in 2022, which was held five years after the 2017 election.
In the 2022 election, the SNP increased its vote share and won a record high result - and secured an overall majority on Dundee City Council, whilst Labour won overall control of West Dunbartonshire Council.
Voting system and eligibility to vote
Councillors are elected to represent multi-member wards using the single transferable vote (STV) method, which has been used for all elections to local authorities in Scotland since the 2007 election. Mainland wards may have between 2 and 5 councillors, and single councillor wards are permitted where such a ward includes an inhabited island. For these elections wards represented by one, two or five councillors will only be contested in the four council areas in which ward boundaries have been redrawn after 2017, namely Na h-Eileanan an Iar, North Ayrshire, Orkney and Shetland.
Overall, the 32 local authorities have one one-seat district (Arran), seven two-seat districts and three five-seat districts (North Ayrshire) in addition to the bulk of the members elected in three- and four-seat districts.
All registered electors (British citizens and all other foreign nationals with leave to remain, including refugees) who are aged 16 or over on polling day are entitled to vote in the local elections. A person who has two homes (such as a university student who has a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) can register to vote at both addresses as long as they are not in the same electoral area, and can vote in the local elections for the two different local councils.
Opinion polling + First preference voting intention Date(s) conducted Polling organisation/client Sample size SNP Con Lab Lib Dem Green OthersLead5 May 20222022 Scottish local elections–34.1%19.7%21.7%8.6%6.0%16%12.4%
Results
Councils CouncilOutgoing2027ArticleLargest partyControlLargest partyControlAberdeen CitySNPSNP + Lib Dem coalitionAberdeenshireConservativeCon, Lib Dem + Ind coalitionAngusSNPCon, Ind + Lab coalitionArgyll and ButeSNPSNP, Lib Dem + Ind coalitionClackmannanshireSNPSNP minorityDumfries and GallowaySNPSNP minorityDundee CitySNPSNP majorityEast AyrshireSNPSNP minorityEast DunbartonshireSNPSNP minorityEast LothianLabourLabour minorityEast RenfrewshireSNP, Lab, ConLab + Ind coalitionCity of EdinburghSNPLabour minorityFalkirkSNPSNP minorityFifeSNPLabour minorityGlasgow CitySNPSNP minorityHighlandIndependentSNP + Ind coalitionInverclydeLabourLabour minorityMidlothianSNPSNP minorityMorayConservativeConservative minorityNa h-Eileanan SiarIndependentIndependent majorityNorth AyrshireSNPSNP minorityNorth LanarkshireLabourLabour minorityOrkney IslandsIndependentIndependent majorityPerth and KinrossSNPSNP minorityRenfrewshireSNPSNP minorityScottish BordersConservativeCon + Ind coalitionShetland IslandsIndependentIndependent majoritySouth AyrshireIndependentIndependent minoritySouth LanarkshireSNP, LabLabour minorityStirlingSNPSNP, Grn + Ind coalitionWest DunbartonshireLabourLabour minorityWest LothianSNPLabour minority
See also 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election 2027 United Kingdom local elections 2027 Welsh local elections Politics of Scotland
References