1977 Scottish local elections
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1977 Scottish local elections
| country = Scotland
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| party_colour =
| previous_election = 1974 Scottish local elections
| previous_year = 1974
| next_election = 1978 Scottish regional elections
| next_year = 1978
| seats_for_election = All 53 district councils
| election_date = 3 May 1977
| image1 = File:James Callaghan 1970 (cropped).jpg
| colour1 =
| leader1 = {{nowrap|James Callaghan}}
| leader_since1 = {{nowrap|5 April 1976}}
| leaders_seat1 =
| party1 = Labour Party (UK)
| last_election1 =
| seats1 = 282
| seat_change1 ={{decrease}} 146
| percentage1 = 31.6%
| swing1 = {{decrease}}6.8
| image2 = File:Margaret Thatcher (1983).jpg
| colour2 =
| leader2 = {{nowrap|Margaret Thatcher}}
| leader_since2 = {{nowrap|11 February 1975}}
| leaders_seat2 =
| party2 = Conservative Party (UK)
| last_election2 =
| seats2 = 259
| seat_change2 = {{increase}} 18
| percentage2 = 27.2%
| swing2 = {{increase}}0.4
| image4 =
| colour4 =
| leader4 = {{nowrap|William Wolfe}}
| leader_since4 = {{nowrap|1969}}
| leaders_seat4 =
| party4 = Scottish National Party
| last_election4 =
| seats4 = 170
| seat_change4 = {{increase}}108
| percentage4 = 24.2%
| swing4 = {{increase}}11.8
| image5 = File:DavidSteel1987 cropped.jpg
| colour5 =
| leader5 = {{nowrap|David Steel}}
| leader_since5 = {{nowrap|1976}}
| leaders_seat5 =
| party5 = Liberal Party (UK)
| last_election5 =
| seats5 = 62
| seat_change5 = {{increase}}45
| percentage5 = 4.0%
| swing5 = {{decrease}}1.0
|map_image = Scottish District local elections, 1977.svg
|map_size = 350px
|map_caption = Colours denote the winning party with outright control
}}
Elections for the Scottish district councils were held in 1977.
These were the second elections held to the 53 district councils established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The previous elections had been held in 1974 with the authorities acting as "shadow" councils until May 1975.{{cite news|title=SNP seizes 107 seats|last=Faux|first=Ronald|date=5 May 1977|work=The Times|pages=1, 4}} The elections took place when the Labour government of James Callaghan was extremely unpopular, with a subsequent collapse in the party's vote.
Background
The poll was held on 3 May and all district council seats were to be filled. Districts formed the second tier in local government in Scotland under the 1975 reorganisation, with regional councils forming the upper tier. It was intended that elections would normally take place on a four-year cycle, but as an interim measure the first two sets of district councils had terms of three years: 1974–77 and 1977–80. Regional elections were also to be on a four-year cycle, held midway between district elections.
Party performance
There was a large swing against Labour, who lost control of a number of councils in the industrial Central Belt where it had dominated local politics for decades.{{cite news|title=Labour lose control of Glasgow|last=Faux|first=Ronald|date=4 May 1977|work=The Times|page=1}} Labour lost its majority in Glasgow for the next three years (although they were still the largest party), very unusual in the late 20th century, with some high-profile casualties including the Labour group leader on the council, Dick Dynes. While they lost seats to the Scottish National Party in Glasgow and the industrial belt, the anti-Labour mood favoured the Conservatives in Edinburgh and the Liberals in Aberdeen and Inverclyde.
In retrospect these elections were the high point of the SNP's upsurge in the 1970s. Vice-chair Margo MacDonald predicted that they would make 100 net gains, but they only made 98 (winning 103, losing 5).{{cite news|title=Half shares is the most the SNP can expect in Scotland|last=Pulzer|first=Peter|date=6 May 1977|work=The Times|page=16}} Even so, this left half of Scotland under hung councils. They retained control of the council they held and gained three more. The party claimed to have secured a swing of approximately 9% since the October 1974 general election, meaning they would gain 21–27 parliamentary seats from the Labour Party, three from the Conservatives and one from the Liberal Party. Independent analysis placed the swing to the SNP of between 1 and 5 percent, giving them gains of 10–15 Labour seats and only a slight chance of making gains from the Conservatives or Liberals. In particular, the party did poorly in Nairn, putting the seat of prominent party figure Winnie Ewing at risk (she lost the seat at the next election in 1979). The SNP's advance was halted the following year, with the 1978 Glasgow Garscadden by-election, 1978 Scottish regional elections, the 1978 Hamilton by-election and the 1978 Berwick and East Lothian by-election.
This election was also the first serious test of the new Scottish Labour Party of Jim Sillars which did not do well outside his South Ayrshire base, only winning three seats.
National results
{{election table|title=Summary of the 1977 Scottish District local council election results{{cite book |last=Rallings |first=Colin |last2=Thrasher |first2=Michael |title=Local Elections in Britain |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |pages=Table 7.5 }}}}
|-
!colspan=2|Parties
!Votes
!Votes %
!Wards
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Scottish Labour}}
|285,899
|31.6
|282
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Scottish Conservatives}}
|215,817
|27.2
|259
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Scottish National Party}}
|236,913
|24.2
|170
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}}
|150,736
|9.8
|318
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Party (UK)}}
|29,214
|4.0
|62
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Scottish Labour Party (1976)}}
|
|
|3
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Communist Party of Great Britain}}
|6,133
|0.7
|2
|-
| style="width: 10px" bgcolor={{party color|Other}}|
| style="text-align: left;" scope="row" | Other
|35,595
|2.6
|17
|-
!colspan=2|Total!! !! 100 !! 1107
|}
Results by region
The seats on each council before and after the election were as follows:{{cite news|title=Results of Scottish district council elections|date=5 May 1977|work=The Times|page=4}}
=Borders=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | Conservative ! scope="col" | Liberal ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" | Other ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Berwickshire
|0 |11 (+1) |0 |1 (−1) |0 | {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} hold |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Ettrick and Lauderdale
|0 (−1) |0 |1 (+1) |14 |0 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Roxburgh
|1 (+1) |1 (+1) |2 (+2) |9 (−4) |Border Independents 3 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Tweeddale
|0 |0 |0 |10 |0 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
=Central=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | Conservative ! scope="col" | SNP ! scope="col" | Liberal ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" | Other ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Clackmannan
|3 (−2) |1 |8 (+3) |0 |0 |Scottish Labour 0 (−1) | {{Party name with colour|Scottish National Party}} gain from NOC |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Falkirk
|8 (−8) |2 |22 (+10) |0 |2 (−1) |Independent Labour 1 | {{Party name with colour|Scottish National Party}} gain from NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Stirling
|7 |8 |4 |0 |1 |0 |bgcolor=white| |NOC |
=Dumfries and Galloway=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | Conservative ! scope="col" | SNP ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" | Other ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Annandale and Eskdale
|0 |0 |0 |14 |0 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Nithsdale
|4 (−2) |0 (−1) |4 (+3) |14 (−3) |Non-Party 6 (+1) | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Stewartry
|0 |0 |0 |12 |0 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Wigtown
|0 |0 |0 |14 |0 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
=Fife=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | Conservative ! scope="col" | SNP ! scope="col" | Liberal ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" | Other ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Dunfermline
|19 (+2) |7 (+2) |2 (−1) |0 (−1) |2 (−2) |0 | {{party name with colour|Scottish Labour Party}} hold |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Kirkcaldy
|16 (−8) |5 |8 (+8) |0 |2 |Ratepayers 4 |bgcolor=white| |Labour lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | North-East Fife
|0 |14 (+1) |0 |1 (+1) |3 (−2) |0 | {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} hold |
=Grampian=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | Conservative ! scope="col" | SNP ! scope="col" | Liberal ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Banff and Buchan
|0 |0 |1 (+1) |0 |17 (−1) | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | City of Aberdeen
|22 (−6) |17 |2 (+2) |7 (+4) |0 |bgcolor=white| |Labour lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Gordon
|0 |3 |0 |2 |7 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Kincardine and Deeside
|0 |2 |0 |0 |10 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Moray
|0 |0 |4 (+4) |0 |14 (−4) | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
=Highland=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | SNP ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Badenoch and Strathspey
|0 |0 |10 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Caithness
|0 |0 |15 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Inverness
|0 |0 |15 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Lochaber 2 vacancies |3 |1 (+1) |6 (−1) | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Nairn
|0 |2 (−1) |8 (+1) | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Ross and Cromarty
|0 |0 |20 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Skye and Lochalsh
|0 |0 |10 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Sutherland
|0 |0 |14 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
=Lothian=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | Conservative ! scope="col" | SNP ! scope="col" | Liberal ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | City of Edinburgh
|23 (−4) |34 (+3) |5 (+3) |1 (−2) |1 | {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} gain from NOC |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | East Lothian
|9 (−1) |8 (+2) |0 |0 |0 (−1) | {{party name with colour|Scottish Labour Party}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Midlothian
|7 (−4) |2 |5 (+4) |0 |1 |bgcolor=white| |Labour lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | West Lothian
|9 (−1) |0 |9 (+1) |0 |3 |bgcolor=white| |NOC |
=Strathclyde=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | Conservative ! scope="col" | SNP ! scope="col" | Liberal ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" | Others ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Argyll and Bute 1 vacancy |0 |2 (+2) |0 |0 |23 (−2) |0 | {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} hold |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Bearsden and Milngavie
|1 |6 (+1) |0 |0 |3 (−1) |0 | {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} gain from NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Clydebank
|3 (−2) |1 |5 (+2) |0 |0 | {{party name with colour|Scottish National Party}} gain from Labour |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
|3 |0 |7 |0 |0 |0 | {{party name with colour|Scottish National Party}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Cumnock and Doon Valley
|6 (−4) |1 (+1) |0 |0 |1 |Scottish Labour 2 (+2) | {{party name with colour|Scottish Labour Party}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Cunninghame
|5 (−9) |0 |11 (+10) |0 |0 (−2) |Moderate Conservatives 8 (+1) |bgcolor=white| |Labour lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Dumbarton
|3 (−5) |5 (+3) |4 (+4) |0 |3 (−2) |0 |bgcolor=white| |Labour lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | East Kilbride
|1 (−4) |2 |11 (+4) |0 |1 |0 | {{party name with colour|Scottish National Party}} gain from NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Eastwood
|0 |10 |0 |0 |0 |Ratepayers 2 | {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | City of Glasgow
|30 (−24) |25 (+9) |16 (+15) |1 (+1) |0 |Independent Conservative 0 (−1) |bgcolor=white| |Labour lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Hamilton
|10 (−3) |1 (−1) |6 (+4) |2 |0 (−1) |Independent Labour 1 (+1) | {{party name with colour|Scottish Labour Party}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Inverclyde
|8 (−6) |1 (−1) |1 (+1) |13 (+7) |0 (−1) |0 | {{Party name with colour|Liberal Party (UK)}} gain from Labour |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Kilmarnock and Loudoun
|7 (−5) |7 (+3) |2 (+2) |0 |0 |0 |bgcolor=white| |Labour lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Kyle and Carrick
|7 (−3) |17 (+2) |2 (+2) |1 (+1) |0 |0 | {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Lanark
|4 |0 |3 (+1) |0 |7 (−1) |0 |bgcolor=white| |Independent lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Motherwell
|20 (−5) |5 (+4) |3 (+1) |1 |0 (−1) |Communist 1 (+1) | {{party name with colour|Scottish Labour Party}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Monklands
|13 (−2) |5 (+1) |2 (+1) |0 |1 |0 | {{party name with colour|Scottish Labour Party}} hold |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Renfrew
|14 (-11) |11 (+1) |11 (+10) |0 |3 |Independent Labour 1 (+1) |bgcolor=white| |Labour lose to NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Strathkelvin
|4 (−2) |4 (−1) |6 (+3) |0 |0 |0 |bgcolor=white| |NOC |
=Tayside=
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | District ! scope="col" | Labour ! scope="col" | Conservative ! scope="col" | SNP ! scope="col" | Independent ! scope="col" | Others ! scope="col" colspan=2| Control |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Angus
|3 |12 (+1) |0 |7 (−1) |0 | {{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} hold |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | City of Dundee
|20 (−2) |21 (+1) |0 |1 (−1) |Real Labour 1 |bgcolor=white| |NOC |
| scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Perth and Kinross
|3 (−1) |19 |2 (+2) |5 (−1) |0 | {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} hold |
Further reading
- J. M. Bochel and D. T. Denver. 1977. [https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Scottish-District-Elections-1977.pdf 1977 Scottish district council election]. University of Dundee.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Scottish elections}}
{{United Kingdom local elections, 1977}}