Local elections were held in Scotland in May 1973, as part of that year's wider British local elections. The elections were the last to the local authorities created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929, and were replaced in 1975 by a uniform system of regions and districts.
Elections to the 4 city corporations, 21 town councils of large burghs and 176 town councils of small burghs took place on 1 May 1973; elections to the 33 county councils took place a week later on 8 May 1973. [1]
Council | Seats up | Lab | Con [lower-alpha 1] | Lib | SNP | Turnout | Control | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aberdeen | 12 (of 36) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 27.4% | Labour hold | Details | |
Dundee | 13 (of 36) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37.0% | Labour hold | Details | |
Edinburgh | 26 (of 69) | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | No overall control hold | Details | ||
Glasgow | 37 (of 111) | 26 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 30.5% | Labour hold | Details |
Council | Seats up | Lab | Con [lower-alpha 1] | Lib | SNP | Ind | Other | Turnout | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Airdrie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43.4% | Details |
Arbroath | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 41.6% | Details |
Ayr | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% [lower-alpha 2] | Details |
Clydebank | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 41.0% | Details |
Coatbridge | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Details | |
Dumbarton | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29.8% | Details |
Dumfries | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32.0% | Details |
Dunfermline | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.5% | Details |
East Kilbride | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.2% | Details |
Falkirk | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Details | |
Greenock | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.0% | Details |
Hamilton | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.5% | Details |
Inverness | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 31.2% | Details |
Kilmarnock | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.0% | Details |
Kirkcaldy | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 39.3% | Details |
Motherwell and Wishaw | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28.7% | Details |
Paisley | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29.9% | Details |
Perth | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 37.6% | Details |
Port Glasgow | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 35.9% | Details |
Rutherglen | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Details | |
Stirling | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 40.3% | Details |
Ayrshire is a historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety of the historic county as well as the island of Arran, formerly part of the historic county of Buteshire. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire to the north-east, Dumfriesshire to the south-east, and Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire to the south. Like many other counties of Scotland, it currently has no administrative function, instead being sub-divided into the council areas of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. It has a population of approximately 366,800.
East Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It was formed in 1996, as a successor to the Eastwood district of the Strathclyde region. The northeastern part of the council area is close to Glasgow and many of the council area's northern settlements fall into the Greater Glasgow urban area.
North Lanarkshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north-east of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns, and villages. It also borders East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Stirling, South Lanarkshire, and West Lothian. The council area covers parts of the historic counties of Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, and Stirlingshire. The council is based in Motherwell.
Renfrewshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for Glasgow City council area, Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Glasgow was formerly governed by a corporation, also known as the town council, from the granting of its first burgh charter in the 1170s until 1975. From 1975 until 1996 the city was governed by City of Glasgow District Council, a lower-tier authority within the Strathclyde region.
Ayr is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population of 46,982 Ayr is the 16th largest settlement in Scotland and second largest town in Ayrshire by population. The town is contiguous with the smaller town of Prestwick to the north.
Local government in Scotland comprises thirty-two local authorities, commonly referred to as councils. Each council provides public services, including education, social care, waste management, libraries and planning. Councils receive the majority of their funding from the Scottish Government, but operate independently and are accountable to their local electorates. Councils raise additional income via the Council Tax, a locally variable domestic property tax, and Business rates, a non-domestic property tax.
A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United Kingdom. Following local government reorganisation in 1975, the title of "royal burgh" remains in use in many towns, but now has little more than ceremonial value.
East Dunbartonshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster). It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. The seat is possibly best known for formerly being the constituency of Jo Swinson, the former Leader of the Liberal Democrats who was defeated at the 2019 general election. The current MP for the constituency is Amy Callaghan of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
Central Ayrshire is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the south-west of Scotland within the North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire council areas. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years using the first-past-the-post system of voting.
Ayr is a burgh constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering the town of Ayr in the council area of South Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) via the plurality electoral system. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region which elects seven additional members to the Scottish Parliament via a proportional electoral system known as the Additional Members System which allows for greater accuracy in representation for the region as a whole.
Kilmarnock was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
The politics of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city by population, are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of Glasgow City Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament.
Scottish local elections were held in 1967 to elect members to the various Corporations, Burghs, and County Boards of Scotland.
Arthur Walker Brady was a Scottish politician.
Elections to Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council were held on 7 May 1974, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the first election to the district council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
Elections to Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council were held on 7 May 1974, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the first election to the district council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.