Councils in Scotland

One council tier, 32 council areas

Scotland has 32 councils. Their work includes education, social care, waste, libraries and planning. Council wards elect representatives to this local tier. A ward is not a Scottish Parliament or Westminster constituency. Source: Scottish Government.

Why first preferences do not tell the full result

Scottish council elections use the single transferable vote (STV). Voters rank candidates. Votes can transfer during the count. A candidate with fewer first preferences can therefore win a seat ahead of a candidate who started with more. Source: Electoral Commission, 2022 Scottish council elections.

Our council pages show first-preference votes and the declared winners from the Electoral Management Board’s 2022 file. They do not recreate the transfer rounds. Sort order in a candidate table is not the order in which candidates were elected.

Seats and council administration

The annual seat archive shows the balance of party representation. A party with the most seats does not necessarily run the council. Check the council’s current administration and committee records before you describe a coalition or minority administration.

For example, the Glasgow 2022 results show both elected status and first preferences. The Highland map shows why a large council area needs a ward map as well as a council outline.

Use the right population date

The latest population figures here are mid-2025 estimates. The Scottish census figures are rounded first-release counts from 2022. England, Wales and Northern Ireland held their census in 2021. These dates should stay visible when you compare areas.