The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Labour beats off Nationalist challenge to hold Glasgow
Labour has fended off stiff competition from the SNP to retain control of Scotland’s biggest council.
The party won 44 out of 70 seats in Glasgow, pushing the Nationalists into second place with 27.
Labour also emerged as the biggest party in Edinburgh following a huge collapse in the Liberal Democrat vote which led to the loss of 13 seats. The party won 20 seats, followed by the SNP with 18.
The city council’s former leader, Lib Dem Jenny Dawe, failed to be reelected and her party has been reduced to a rump with only three seats.
She won just 1,285 votes in the Meadows-morningside ward, about 400 behind new SNP councillor Sandy Howat.
Ms Dawe was largely punished over her handling of the controversial tram scheme, which is running late and over-budget.
Many of the spoiled ballots had the word “trams” scrawled on them.
Labour emerged as the biggest party in North Lanarkshire, Inverclyde, West Lothian, Falkirk, Eastlothian and South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartsonshire.
The SNP has taken overall control of Dundee and Angus councils after every candidate fielded was elected.
Theparty emerged as the biggest in Stirling and Perth and Kinross.
SNP campaign director, Derek Mackay, who recently stepped down as a Renfrewshire councillor, said the party was making gains all over Scotland.
“In stark contrast to the situation south of the border, where the governing parties are suffering big losses to the opposition, the Snpare making gains from all parties and we are actually increasing our share of the vote,” he added.
The Lib Dems suffered losses in most council areas and were wiped out in Stirling, East Lothian and Clackmannanshire and returned only one councillor in Glasgow.
The Conservatives emerged as the biggest party in the Scottish Borders and South Ayrshire.
The SNP is also the biggest party in Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire.