2017 East Dunbartonshire Council election

Elections to East Dunbartonshire Council were held on Thursday 4 May, the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used seven wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, a reduction of one from 2012, with 22 Councillors being elected, 2 fewer overall. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system.

Main article: 2017 Scottish local elections
2017 East Dunbartonshire Council election
4 May 2017 (2017-05-04)
All 22 seats to East Dunbartonshire Council
12 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Ian Mackay Andrew Polson Vaughan Moody
Party SNP Conservative Liberal Democrats
Leader's seat Bearsden North (lost re-election) Bearsden South Bearsden South
Last election 8 seats, 33.3% 2 seats, 8.3% 3 seats, 12.5%
Seats before 8 2 3
Seats won 7 6 6
Seat change Decrease1 Increase4 Increase3
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Rhondda Geekie Duncan Cumming
Party Labour Independent
Leader's seat Lenzie & Kirkintilloch South (lost re-election) Bearsden North
Last election 8 seats, 33.3% 1 seat, 4.2%
Seats before 8 1
Seats won 2 1
Seat change Decrease6 -
Council Leader before election

Rhondda Geekie
Labour

 Council Leader after election

Gordan Low
SNP

The election saw the Scottish National Party elected as the largest group with 7 seats, replacing Labour, which lost all but 2 seats to form the fourth largest group. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party gained 4 seats to achieve their highest ever number of councillors, while the Scottish Liberal Democrats gained 3 seats. The Independent councillor Duncan Cumming retained his seat.

Labour councillor Rhondda Geekie, leader of the council since 2007, lost her seat, as did the SNP Group Leader, Ian Mackay.

Election result
East Dunbartonshire Local Election Result 2017[1]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  SNP 7 0 1 -1 31.8 28.77 13,540 +0.47
  Conservative 6 4 0 +4 27.3 26.45 12,445 +11.05
  Liberal Democrats 6 3 0 +3 27.3 15.04 7,076 +0.14
  Labour 2 0 6 -6 9.1 13.09 6,159 -15.21
  Independent 1 - - - 4.5 12.00 5,649 +5.9
  Scottish Green 0 - - - - 4.65 2,187 +3.95

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 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

Ward results

Milngavie
  • 2012: 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x SNP, 1 x Labour
  • 2017: 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x SNP, 1 x Conservative
  • 2012-2017 Change: 1 x Conservative gain from Labour
Milngavie – 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12345
Conservative Graeme McGinnigle 27.69% 1,701        
Liberal Democrats Jim Goodall 27.64% 1,698        
SNP Jim Gibbons (incumbent) 22.38% 1,375 1,381 1,393 1,486 1,957
Labour Maureen Henry (incumbent) 9.29% 571 624 684 796 838
SNP Kate Waddell 7.68% 472 473 478 560  
Scottish Green Gordon Masterton 5.32% 327 342 372    
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 6,144   Spoilt: 98   Quota: 1,537   Turnout: 58.7%  

    Bearsden North
    • 2012: 1 x Independent, 1 x Lib Dem, 1 x SNP
    • 2017: 1 x Independent, 1 x Lib Dem, 1 x Conservative
    • 2012-2017 Change: 1 x Conservative gain from SNP
    Bearsden North – 3 seats
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    12345
    Independent Duncan Cumming (incumbent) 33.23% 2,338        
    Conservative Sheila Mechan 20.78% 1,462 1,635 1,650 1,693 1,780
    Liberal Democrats Rosie O'Neil 17.97% 1,264 1,449 1,538 1,716 2,415
    SNP Ian Mackay (incumbent) 18.15% 1,277 1,343 1,496 1,588  
    Labour Eunis Jassemi-Zargani 5.39% 379 411 469    
    Scottish Green Erin Crawley 4.48% 315 355      
    Electorate: TBC   Valid: 7,035   Spoilt: 69   Quota: 1,759   Turnout: 62.1%  

      Bearsden South
      • 2012: 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x SNP, 1 x Labour
      • 2017: 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x SNP, 1 x Conservative
      • 2012-2017: Con gain one seat from Lab
      Bearsden South – 3 seats
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      123456
      Conservative Andrew Polson 27.96% 1,859          
      Liberal Democrats Vaughan Moody (incumbent) 21.62% 1,437 1,519 1,660 2,019    
      SNP Denis Johnston 18.13% 1,205 1,207 1,420 1,547 1,597 1,973
      Independent Alan Oliver 13.19% 877 919 995 1,123 1,250  
      Labour Manjinder Shergill (incumbent) 10.38% 690 711 815      
      Scottish Green Scott Ferguson 8.72% 580 585        
      Electorate: TBC   Valid: 6,648   Spoilt: 50   Quota: 1,663   Turnout: 61.7%  

        Bishopbriggs North and Campsie
        • 2017: 2 x SNP, 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x Conservative
        • 2012-2017 Change: New Ward
        Bishopbriggs North and Campsie – 4 seats
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        123456
        Conservative Billy Hendry (incumbent) † 30.27% 2,541          
        SNP Paul Ferretti 21.79% 1,829          
        SNP Mohrag Fischer 14.32% 1,202 1,228 1,356 1,498 1,587 1,793
        Liberal Democrats Gary Pews 11.40% 957 1,301 1,303 1,366 1,502 2,091
        Labour Gemma Welsh (incumbent) †† 14.18% 1,191 1,308 1,313 1,364 1,451  
        Independent Brian Reid 4.25% 357 451 454 499    
        Scottish Green Christopher Cotton 3.79% 318 341 348      
        Electorate: TBC   Valid: 8,395   Spoilt: 127   Quota: 1,680   Turnout: 54.7%  

          Notes

          Bishopbriggs South
          • 2012: 2 x Labour, 1 x SNP
          • 2017: 1 x Labour, 1 x SNP, 1 x Conservative
          • 2007-2012 Change: 1 x Conservative gain from Labour
          Bishopbriggs South – 3 seats
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          123456
          Conservative Alan Brown 26.74% 1,631          
          SNP Gordan Low (incumbent) 24.05% 1,467 1,470 1,536      
          Labour Alan Moir (incumbent) 16.27% 992 1,011 1,062 1,062 1,303 2,280
          Labour Ian Elrick 14.72% 898 926 996 996 1,194  
          SNP Irene Mackay 13.76 839 840 883 892    
          Scottish Green Connor Boyd 4.46% 272 281        
          Electorate: TBS   Valid: 6,099   Spoilt: 166   Quota: 1,525   Turnout: 50.3%  

            Lenzie & Kirkintilloch South
            • 2012: 1 x Labour, 1 x SNP, 1 x Conservative
            • 2017: 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x SNP, 1 x Conservative
            • 2012-2017 Change: 1 x Liberal Democrat gain from Labour
            Lenzie & Kirkintilloch South – 3 seats
            PartyCandidateFPv%Count
            12345678
            Conservative Sandra Thornton 24.55% 1,634 1,641 1,716          
            SNP Gillian Renwick (incumbent) 22.52% 1,499 1,576 1,611 1,612 2,093      
            Liberal Democrats Rod Ackland 12.09% 805 847 896 914 928 989 1,342 1,825
            Independent Sandy Taylor 12.19% 811 841 1,037 1,049 1,070 1,180 1,298  
            Labour Rhondda Geekie (incumbent) 10.94% 728 758 777 783 797 859    
            SNP Martin Robertson 7.59% 505 543 552 552        
            Independent Alisdair Sinclair 6.23% 415 431            
            Scottish Green Carolynn Scrimgeour 3.89% 259              
            Electorate: TBC   Valid: 6,656   Spoilt: 103   Quota: 1,665   Turnout: 56.1%  

              Kirkintilloch East & North & Twechar
              • 2012: 1 x Labour, 1 x EDIA, 1 x SNP
              • 2017: 1 x Labour, 1 x SNP, 1 x Liberal Democrat
              • 2012-2017 Change: 1 x Liberal Democrat gain from EDIA
              Kirkintilloch East & North & Twechar – 3 seats
              PartyCandidateFPv%Count
              123456
              SNP John Jamieson (incumbent) 19.80% 1,115 1,132 1,144 1,872    
              Labour Stewart MacDonald (incumbent) 19.33% 1,089 1,101 1,241 1,269 1,366 1,645
              Liberal Democrats Susan Murray 16.25% 915 931 1,183 1,215 1,281 1,678
              Independent Willie Paterson 15.11% 851 871 1,028 1,053 1,185  
              SNP Pamela Marshall 14.29% 805 849 858      
              Conservative Alison Lothian 13.16% 741 741        
              Scottish Green Emma Sheppard 2.06% 116          
              Electorate: TBC   Valid: 5,632   Spoilt: 119   Quota: 1,409   Turnout: 47.9%  

                Aftermath

                Following the election, the Conservative and LibDem groups, who together formed a majority on the council, combined to secure the civic offices and various external appointments, the position of Provost being filled by Conservative Councillor Alan Brown and Depute Provost by LibDem Councillor Gary Pews. However, with the 2017 general election just weeks away, the two groups abstained on each other's nominations for the political posts, allowing the SNP to form a minority administration with Cllr Gordan Low as Leader and Cllr Gillian Renwick as Depute.

                Thereafter, the Conservative and LibDem groups continued to vote together, and matters came to a head when a revised redundancy policy was pushed through against the opposition of the SNP administration. After a motion by the council leader calling for the policy to be withdrawn was rejected by Conservative and LibDem councillors, the administration stood down on 21 December 2017.

                For the next few months the council functioned without an official administration, and then on 20 March 2018 Conservative Leader Councillor Andrew Polson and Lib Dem Leader Vaughan Moody were elected as Co-Leaders of the new Joint Administration, a first in East Dunbartonshire. Shortly thereafter the new redundancy policy was suspended in the face of potential industrial action.

                Post Election Changes
                • On 13 November 2021, Bishopbriggs South Conservative councillor, Provost Alan Brown, died suddenly, being succeeded as Provost on 16 December 2021 by his Depute, Bishopbriggs North and Campsie LibDem councillor, Gary Pews. Both the former Provost's seat and the Depute Provost's position were left unfilled for the remainder of the council term. Provost Pews subsequently lost his seat at the 2022 council election.
                • On 4 January 2022, Bearsden North councillor, Sheila Mechan, announced her resignation from the Conservative group, citing differences with her values at UK, Scottish and Association level, and served out the remainder of the council term as an independent, before standing unsuccessfully in Bearsden South at the 2022 council election.

                References
                1. "East Dunbartonshire Election Results". East Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
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