Photo: Bill Harrison · CC BY-SA 2.0Aberdeen Central returned one of Holyrood’s widest margins in 2026
Aberdeen is run by Aberdeen City Council, its only council: Scotland has one tier of local government, 32 councils. No party won a majority in May 2022; the SNP won the most seats, 20 of 45. At Holyrood its MSP is Jack Middleton (SNP) for Aberdeen Central, with part of the town in Aberdeen Donside and Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine, and seven more represent the North East Scotland region. Aberdeen is split between 2 Westminster constituencies.
May 2027
Every council seat in Scotland. Holyrood’s next election is due in May 2031.
Who can I vote for? ↗How Aberdeen is run, in four numbers
No party won a majority
In May 2022 the SNP won the most seats on Aberdeen City Council, 20 of 45, short of the 23 a majority needs. It ran 23 candidates and 20 were elected. Across Scotland five of the 32 councils returned a single party or independent majority; the proportional vote usually leaves councils to be run by a coalition or a minority. The council ↓
13 wards, 45 councillors
11% of Aberdeen’s residents live in George St/Harbour ward. George St/Harbour elected 2 SNP, 1 Labour and 1 Liberal Democrat from 7 candidates, the 247th-most contested of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat. Three by-elections have been held in the town’s wards since. Councillors ↓
A wide Holyrood margin
Jack Middleton (SNP) won Aberdeen Central on 7 May 2026 with 11,974 votes, 44.1%, ahead of Jenny Laing (Labour) by 25.7 points: the 8th-widest margin of Scotland’s 73 constituencies. Scottish Parliament ↓
Council tax above Scotland’s average
Aberdeen City’s Band D for 2026–27 is £1,748, £94 more than Scotland’s average of £1,653: the 5th-highest of the 32 councils. Scottish Water’s water and sewerage charges add £652 at Band D on the same bill, and there are no police, fire or parish precepts. Council tax ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results, the UK Parliament Members API and Scottish Government council tax.
No party won a majority on Aberdeen City Council
Seats on Aberdeen City Council as elected in May 2022, and how Scotland’s other 31 councils compare.
- SNP2023 stood
- Labour1115 stood
- Conservative817 stood
- Liberal Democrat413 stood
- Independent26 stood
As elected on 5 May 2022, with each party’s candidates.
A majority needs 23 of the 45 seats. No party won that in 2022: the SNP won the most, 20, and Labour 11. Councils elected by single transferable vote rarely have a majority, so most are run by a coalition or a minority administration agreed after the election. Who leads Aberdeen City Council now isn’t in this data: the council’s website names its leader and administration. Seats here are as elected in 2022; by-elections since (3 in Aberdeen’s wards) may have changed them, and Democracy Club doesn’t record whose seat each one filled.
Scotland’s 32 councils
Seats by party as elected in May 2022, largest group named. Five of the 32 returned a majority: Na h-Eileanan Siar (Independent), Orkney Islands (Independent), Shetland Islands (Independent), West Dunbartonshire (Labour) and Dundee City (SNP).
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), who was elected in each ward on 5 May 2022 (and two delayed polls on 30 June 2022).
One council, then Holyrood and Westminster
Aberdeen has no county, district or town council: since 1996 Scotland has had 32 councils, each the only council for its area.
Every local service: schools (it is the education authority), social care (with the NHS board, through a health and social care partnership), local roads, bins and recycling, planning, council housing, libraries and leisure. It sets and collects council tax.
www.aberdeencity.gov.uk ↗Holyrood makes Scotland’s laws on health, education, justice, transport and housing, sets Scottish income tax rates, and funds councils. Its national bodies run the NHS boards, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Water and trunk roads.
gov.scot ↗Westminster keeps defence, foreign affairs, immigration, the state pension and most benefits, and most taxes other than income tax rates.
gov.uk ↗Who to ask
Green: the council. Gold: the Scottish Government or one of its national bodies. Gray: the UK Government. Community councils, where they exist, pass on local views to the council but run no services and raise no money.
From the council to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Aberdeen, from the most recent elections: council 2022, Holyrood 2026, Westminster 2024.
- 1Aberdeen City Council13 wards · 45 councillors, 2022SNP 20 · Labour 11 · Conservative 8 · Liberal Democrat 4 · Independent 2 · all 45
- 2Scottish Parliament3 constituencies + North East Scotland region · 2026Jack MiddletonJackie DunbarStephen Mark FlynnList MSPs: Conservative 2 · Reform UK 2 · Green 1 · Labour 1 · Liberal Democrat 1 · all 7
- 3House of Commons2 constituencies
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own.
45 councillors for Aberdeen’s 13 wards
- Dell Henrickson
- Desmond Buchanan
- Michael Frederick Hutchison
- Sandra Macdonald
- By-election since: 25 June 2026, Leon Marwick (SNP) elected from 9 candidates.
Also stood in 2022: Guy Ingerson (Green), Mac Ahmed Chaudry (Independent), Shane Painter (Conservative).
247th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.8).
- Christian Allard
- Lee Fairfull
- Michael Kusznir
- Simon Peter Watson
Also stood in 2022: Brian Allan (Alba), Esme Houston (Green), Gregor McAbery (Liberal Democrat), Oren Katz (Scottish Libertarian Party), Paul Dawson (Independent), Simon McLean (Independent).
61st of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.5).
- Alison Alphonse
- Jessica Mennie
- Nurul Hoque Ali
- Sarah Cross
Also stood in 2022: Harald Rainer Bartl (Scottish Family Party), Matthew Watt (Conservative), Mevrick Renson Fernandes (Liberal Democrat), Sylvia Hardie (Green).
166th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.0).
- Jennifer Stewart
- John Cooke
- Ken McLeod
- Martin Greig
Also stood in 2022: Becky Rafferty (Green), Lars Frevert (Conservative), Mohamed Abdul Mosobbir (Labour).
247th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.8).
- Ciarán McRae
- Donna Clark
- Gordon Graham
Also stood in 2022: David Maitland (Alba), Graeme Stephen Lawrence (Labour), Louise McCafferty (Green), Lucas Grant (TUSC), Nestor Carlsen-Devereux (Conservative), Sam Forman (Liberal Democrat).
9th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (3.0).
- Derek Edward Davidson
- Ian Yuill
- Ryan Houghton
Also stood in 2022: Harry Rafferty (Green), Logan Andrew Machell (Labour).
282nd of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.7).
- Bill Cormie
- Emma Farquhar
- Jennifer Bonsell
- By-election since: 8 October 2026, Jeff Diack (SNP) elected from 8 candidates.
Also stood in 2022: Alex Jarvis (Green), William MacKenzie (SNP), William Sell (Liberal Democrat).
166th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.0).
- Alexander McLellan
- Kairin van Sweeden
- Ross Grant
Also stood in 2022: Ashish Malik (Green), Eileen Frances Delaney (Liberal Democrat), Graham Charles Elder (Scottish Family Party), Peter Nicol (Independent), Robert Reid (Alba), Shona Simpson (Labour), Vish Archer (Conservative).
4th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (3.3).
- Deena Tissera
- Hazel Cameron
- Neil Cameron Copland
Also stood in 2022: Freddie John (Conservative), Jakub Tomasz Kurpanik (Scottish Family Party), Peter Kennedy (Green), Sam Petchey (Liberal Democrat).
79th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.3).
- Avril MacKenzie
- Barney Crockett
- Gill Al-Samarai
- Neil MacGregor
- By-election since: 23 February 2023, Graeme Stephen Lawrence (Labour) elected from 8 candidates.
Also stood in 2022: Amy-Marie Stratton (Scottish Family Party), Braiden Smith (Conservative), Peter John Heald (Liberal Democrat), William Patrick Ball (Green).
166th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.0).
- David John Cameron
- Kate Blake
- Steve Delaney
Also stood in 2022: David John McGrath (Green), Dawn Smith (Scottish Family Party), John Wheeler (Conservative), Sam Ochola (SNP).
79th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.3).
- Alex Nicoll
- Lynn Thomson
- Miranda Radley
- Richard John Brooks
Also stood in 2022: Bryce Hope (Scottish Libertarian Party), Charlie Abel (Alba), Heather Herbert (Green), Moira Henderson (Liberal Democrat).
166th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.0).
- Duncan Massey
- M. Tauqeer Malik
- Marie Boulton
Also stood in 2022: Daniel Verhamme (Green), Ewan Anderson Ritchie (SNP), Gillian Tebberen (Conservative), Sue Mulkerrin (Liberal Democrat).
79th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.3).
Each ward elects three or four councillors by single transferable vote: voters number the candidates in order, and a candidate who reaches the quota is elected, with spare votes passed on to the next preference. The names are those elected in 2022; a seat that falls vacant goes to a by-election, and as Democracy Club doesn’t record whose seat that was, each ward lists its by-elections beside the 2022 councillors (3 in Aberdeen’s wards since 2022). First-preference votes and turnout for 2022 aren’t in the open data used here.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), who stood and who was elected on 5 May 2022 and at by-elections since; candidates per seat ranked over Scotland’s 355 wards. Democracy Club.
Who stood, and who was elected
Every candidate for Aberdeen City Council on 5 May 2022, by party: the light bar is candidates, the solid bar those elected. Vote counts for Scotland’s 2022 council elections aren’t in the open data used here, so this shows seats.
Share of candidates elected, Scotland
Parties with 20 or more candidates across all 32 councils.
99 candidates stood for 45 seats across Aberdeen City Council in May 2022, 2.2 for each seat (Scotland: 2.1). The SNP elected 20 of 23 candidates; Labour 11 of 15 and the Conservatives 8 of 17. Under single transferable vote a party that runs two candidates in a ward can split its vote, so the share elected says something about strategy as well as support.
The 2022 council election: same source as Councillors, above. Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0): candidates and who was elected, 5 May 2022 (two wards on 30 June 2022), all 355 wards.
Jack Middleton is Aberdeen’s constituency MSP
Each voter has two votes: one for a constituency MSP (73, first past the post) and one for a party list in their region (8 regions, 7 MSPs each). Results of 7 May 2026, on the new boundaries.
27,163 votes for candidates · 42% of Aberdeen
Constituency vote by party
The tick is each party’s share of the constituency vote across all 73 constituencies.
Jack Middleton won Aberdeen Central with 44.1% of 27,163 votes, 25.7 points ahead of Jenny Laing (Labour): the 8th-widest margin of Scotland’s 73 constituencies.
Aberdeen Donside (35% of Aberdeen): Jackie Dunbar
30,496 votes for candidates
Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine (23% of Aberdeen): Stephen Mark Flynn
34,561 votes for candidates
- Liam Kerr Douglas Lumsden
- Duncan Massey Mark Simpson
- Maggie Chapman
- Michael Marra
- Yi-Pei Chou Turvey
The region’s 10 constituencies elected 9 SNP and 1 Conservative; the list seats went to 2 Conservative, 2 Reform UK, 1 Green, 1 Labour and 1 Liberal Democrat. List seats top up parties whose constituency wins fall short of their share of the regional list vote. Democracy Club records who was elected from each list but not the list votes, so they aren’t shown.
- SNP5857 + 1 list
- Labour173 + 14 list
- Reform UK170 + 17 list
- Green152 + 13 list
- Conservative124 + 8 list
- Liberal Democrat107 + 3 list
Constituency seats + list seats. A majority needs 65.
Across Scotland the SNP won 58 of the 129 seats, 57 of them constituencies, short of the 65 a majority needs. The additional member system is built to keep the Parliament roughly proportional: Labour 14 of 17, Reform UK 17 of 17 and the Greens 13 of 15 seats came from the regional lists.
Scottish Parliament: same source as Councillors, above. Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0): constituency votes and who was elected, regional list members, 7 May 2026; constituencies and regions: ONS (2026 boundaries, OGL), matched to the town by NRS Census 2022 output areas.
Aberdeen is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result. Scotland elects 57 of the Commons’ 650 MPs.
42,095 votes for candidates · majority 1,760
SNP, MP since 7 May 2015.
turnout in July 2024: 42,095 votes from 75,925 registered voters. Scotland: 59%.
Majority 1,760 of 42,095 votes (4.2%): the 8th-narrowest of Scotland’s 57.
Aberdeen South
46,345 votes for candidates · majority 3,758
Conservative, MP since 18 June 2026.
turnout in July 2024: 46,345 votes from 77,328 registered voters. Scotland: 59%.
Majority 3,758 of 46,345 votes (8.1%): the 12th-narrowest of Scotland’s 57.
28,897 votes for candidates
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Band D is £1,748 in Aberdeen City for 2026–27
£94 above Scotland’s average, the 28th-lowest of 32 councils.
A Band D bill, 2026–27
A Band D home in Aberdeen City pays £2,400 on its council tax bill for 2026–27: £1,748 council tax and £652 for water and sewerage, which the council collects for Scottish Water. The council tax is the council’s alone: Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are paid for nationally, and there are no county, parish or police precepts. Scotland’s average Band D is £1,653; Aberdeen City’s is the 28th-lowest of the 32 councils.
Band D by council, 2026–27
Council tax only, cheapest first; the tick is Scotland’s average, £1,653.
Aberdeen City council tax by band, 2026–27
Council tax a year, before discounts; water and sewerage charges come on top.
Your band comes from what the home would have sold for on 1 April 1991, from up to £27,000 (A) to over £212,000 (H); the Scottish Assessors publish every home’s band. Bands E to H have paid a larger share of Band D since April 2017. Living alone takes 25% off the council tax and the water charges, and Council Tax Reduction helps on a low income.
Scottish Government, Council Tax by band 2026–27, and Scottish Water charges 2026–27 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Earlier years’ Band D and what each council spends by service aren’t loaded here.
Having a say in how Aberdeen is run
In Scotland you can vote in council and Holyrood elections from 16, and foreign nationals with leave to remain can too. No photo ID is needed at those polls; it is for UK general elections.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors, its constituency and regional MSPs and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗Volunteers elected for a neighbourhood: they are consulted on planning and licensing and pass on local views, but run no services. Most have vacancies.
communitycouncils.scot ↗Search applications near you and comment while they are open; most councils use ePlanning Scotland.
eplanning.scot ↗Anyone can lodge a petition; the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee considers each one.
petitions.parliament.scot ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, most webcast, with agendas and minutes online.
aberdeencity.gov.uk ↗The next council elections are due in May 2027 and the next Holyrood election in May 2031; the Electoral Commission has the rules and nomination papers.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Aberdeen is run
Which council runs Aberdeen?
Aberdeen is run by Aberdeen City Council, one of Scotland’s 32 councils. There is no county, district or town council; community councils speak for neighbourhoods but have no powers to run services or raise money.
Who controls Aberdeen City Council?
No party won a majority in May 2022: SNP 20 · Labour 11 · Conservative 8 · Liberal Democrat 4 · Independent 2 of 45 seats as elected. By-elections may have changed that since, and the council’s website names its current leader and administration.
Who are Aberdeen’s councillors?
Aberdeen is in 13 wards. George St/Harbour elected Dell Henrickson (SNP), Desmond Buchanan (Liberal Democrat), Michael Frederick Hutchison (SNP), Sandra Macdonald (Labour); Torry/Ferryhill elected Christian Allard (SNP), Lee Fairfull (SNP), Michael Kusznir (Conservative), Simon Peter Watson (Labour); Bridge of Don elected Alison Alphonse (SNP), Jessica Mennie (SNP), Nurul Hoque Ali (Labour), Sarah Cross (Conservative); Hazlehead/Queens Cross/Countesswells elected Jennifer Stewart (Independent), John Cooke (SNP), Ken McLeod (Conservative), Martin Greig (Liberal Democrat), all in 2022. There have been 3 by-elections in these wards since.
Who is the MSP for Aberdeen?
Jack Middleton (SNP) was elected for Aberdeen Central on 7 May 2026. Part of Aberdeen is in Aberdeen Donside and Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine. Seven list MSPs also represent the North East Scotland region: Liam Kerr (Conservative), Douglas Lumsden (Conservative), Duncan Massey (Reform UK), Mark Simpson (Reform UK), Maggie Chapman (Green), Michael Marra (Labour), Yi-Pei Chou Turvey (Liberal Democrat).
Who is the MP for Aberdeen?
Aberdeen is split between 2 constituencies: Aberdeen North (Kirsty Blackman, SNP) and Aberdeen South (Douglas Lumsden, Conservative).
How much is council tax in Aberdeen?
Band D council tax in Aberdeen City is £1,748 for 2026–27 (Scotland’s average: £1,653). Water and sewerage charges of £652 at Band D come on the same bill. Bands run from A (240/360 of Band D) to H (882/360).
Do I pay a separate water bill in Aberdeen?
No. Scottish Water’s water and sewerage charges are billed and collected by the council with council tax, and they rise with the council tax band.
When are the next elections in Aberdeen?
The next council elections are due in May 2027 and the next Scottish Parliament election in May 2031. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
Sources: National Records of Scotland Census 2022 output areas and localities, and ONS ward, constituency and Scottish Parliament boundaries (Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates and results (CC BY 4.0) · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · Scottish Government Council Tax by band 2026–27 and Scottish Water charges (OGL v3.0). Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.