Vote counting begins amid low turnout fears

Parties will find out later today if they have won enough votes to take control

Votes are being counted across Scotland this morning amid fears of a record low turnout in the local elections.

Parties were battling for control of all 32 local authorities in yesterday’s election, which will see 1,227 councillors elected from more than 2,500 candidates.

The results are expected to emerge from lunchtime onwards, with the key battleground of Glasgow scheduled to announce at about 4pm.

Turnout fell to 39.6% in 2012 and it is feared the high number of elections held in Scotland since then will lead to an even smaller proportion making it out to vote.

One senior Fife politician said last night before the polls closed that he was “not optimisic” about the figures. “It’s not looking great for turnout, despite the good weather,” he said. A candidate in Dundee said it had been a “wee bit slow”.

Both the SNP and the Labour claimed victory five years ago, with the former having the highest share of the first pref- erence vote and the latter seizing overall control of the most number of councils.

Dundee and Angus were the only councils in Scotland ruled by SNP majorities from 2012, while Perth and Kinross was SNP-minority run and Labour had minority control of Fife.

Nicola Sturgeon was the first party leader to cast her vote yesterday before her main rivals Ruth Davidson and Kezia Dugdale followed suit.

The vote will determine which parties can form council administrations, either by securing majority or minority control, or by agreeing coalition deals.

In a bizarre start to election day, a polling station in Moray had to be set up in a presiding officer’s Ford Galaxy after election staff turned up to find their designated building locked.

Moray’s depute returning officer Moira Patrick said: “She did exactly what all our election staff are trained to do in the event of not being able to gain access to a polling place for whatever reason.

“It is part of their training, but as far as I can recall this is only the second time it has ever had to be put into practice.”

Picture: Steven Brown. Voters arriving to cast their vote at Main Street polling station in Thornton.