Photo: Les Hull · CC BY-SA 2.0Dumfries and Galloway sets the 6th-lowest council tax in Scotland
Dumfries is run by Dumfries and Galloway Council, its only council: Scotland has one tier of local government, 32 councils. No party won a majority in May 2022; the Conservatives won the most seats, 16 of 43. At Holyrood its MSP is Finlay Carson (Conservative) for Galloway and West Dumfries, with part of the town in Dumfriesshire, and seven more represent the South Scotland region. Its MP is John Cooper (Conservative), member for Dumfries and Galloway.
May 2027
Every council seat in Scotland. Holyrood’s next election is due in May 2031.
Who can I vote for? ↗How Dumfries is run, in three numbers
No party won a majority
In May 2022 the Conservatives won the most seats on Dumfries and Galloway Council, 16 of 43, short of the 22 a majority needs. It ran 24 candidates and 16 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 ↓
Four wards, 15 councillors
41% of Dumfries’ residents live in North West Dumfries ward. North West Dumfries elected 2 Labour, 1 Conservative and 1 SNP from 5 candidates, the 337th-most contested of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat. No seat in the town’s wards has gone to a by-election since. Councillors ↓
Council tax below Scotland’s average
Dumfries and Galloway’s Band D for 2026–27 is £1,579, £75 less than Scotland’s average of £1,653: the 6th-lowest 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 Dumfries and Galloway Council
Seats on Dumfries and Galloway Council as elected in May 2022, and how Scotland’s other 31 councils compare.
- Conservative1624 stood
- SNP1112 stood
- Labour914 stood
- Independent68 stood
- Liberal Democrat15 stood
As elected on 5 May 2022, with each party’s candidates.
A majority needs 22 of the 43 seats. No party won that in 2022: the Conservatives won the most, 16, and the SNP 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 Dumfries and Galloway 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 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
Dumfries 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.dumgal.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 Dumfries, from the most recent elections: council 2022, Holyrood 2026, Westminster 2024.
- 1Dumfries and Galloway Council4 wards · 15 councillors, 2022Conservative 5 · Labour 5 · SNP 4 · Independent 1 · all 15
- 2Scottish Parliament2 constituencies + South Scotland region · 2026
- 3House of CommonsDumfries and Galloway
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own.
15 councillors for Dumfries’s four wards
- Andy Ferguson
- Emma Jordan
- Graham Bell
- Paula Stevenson
Also stood in 2022: Michelle Anne Johnston (Green).
337th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.3).
- David Robert Slater
- John Campbell
- Keith Walters
- Malcolm Johnstone
Also stood in 2022: Alastair Muir (Conservative), Angie Whitelaw (Labour), Anne McLauchlan (Green).
247th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.8).
- Ivor Hyslop
- Linda Jane Dorward
- Maureen Johnstone
- Tracey Little
Also stood in 2022: Sandy Rogerson (Green).
337th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.3).
- Davie Stitt
- Ian Blake
- Kim Lowe
Also stood in 2022: Matthew Pumphrey (Liberal Democrat), Robin Wishart (Conservative).
282nd of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.7).
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. 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 Dumfries and Galloway 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.
74 candidates stood for 43 seats across Dumfries and Galloway Council in May 2022, 1.7 for each seat (Scotland: 2.1). The Conservatives elected 16 of 24 candidates; the SNP 11 of 12 and Labour 9 of 14. 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.
Finlay Carson is Dumfries’ 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.
30,003 votes for candidates · 50% of Dumfries
Constituency vote by party
The tick is each party’s share of the constituency vote across all 73 constituencies.
Finlay Carson won Galloway and West Dumfries with 38.3% of 30,003 votes, 5.3 points ahead of Emma Harper (SNP): the 10th-narrowest margin of Scotland’s 73 constituencies.
Dumfriesshire (50% of Dumfries): Craig Hoy
32,639 votes for candidates
- Jamie Alexander Langan David Kirkwood Senga Beresford
- Carol Ann Mochan Joe Fagan
- Laura Moodie
- Duncan Angus Melville Dunlop
The region’s 10 constituencies elected 7 SNP and 3 Conservative; the list seats went to 3 Reform UK, 2 Labour, 1 Green 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.
Dumfries is in Dumfries and Galloway constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result. Scotland elects 57 of the Commons’ 650 MPs.
45,775 votes for candidates · majority 930
Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 45,775 votes from 78,541 registered voters. Scotland: 59%.
Majority 930 of 45,775 votes (2%): the 4th-narrowest of Scotland’s 57.
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 £1,579 in Dumfries and Galloway for 2026–27
£75 below Scotland’s average, the 6th-lowest of 32 councils.
A Band D bill, 2026–27
A Band D home in Dumfries and Galloway pays £2,231 on its council tax bill for 2026–27: £1,579 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; Dumfries and Galloway’s is the 6th-lowest of the 32 councils.
Band D by council, 2026–27
Council tax only, cheapest first; the tick is Scotland’s average, £1,653.
Dumfries and Galloway 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 Dumfries 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.
dumgal.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 Dumfries is run
Which council runs Dumfries?
Dumfries is run by Dumfries and Galloway 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 Dumfries and Galloway Council?
No party won a majority in May 2022: Conservative 16 · SNP 11 · Labour 9 · Independent 6 · Liberal Democrat 1 of 43 seats as elected. By-elections may have changed that since, and the council’s website names its current leader and administration.
Who are Dumfries’ councillors?
Dumfries is in 4 wards. North West Dumfries elected Andy Ferguson (SNP), Emma Jordan (Labour), Graham Bell (Conservative), Paula Stevenson (Labour); Nith elected David Robert Slater (Independent), John Campbell (SNP), Keith Walters (Labour), Malcolm Johnstone (Conservative); Lochar elected Ivor Hyslop (Conservative), Linda Jane Dorward (Labour), Maureen Johnstone (Conservative), Tracey Little (SNP); Abbey elected Davie Stitt (Labour), Ian Blake (Conservative), Kim Lowe (SNP), all in 2022.
Who is the MSP for Dumfries?
Finlay Carson (Conservative) was elected for Galloway and West Dumfries on 7 May 2026. Part of Dumfries is in Dumfriesshire. Seven list MSPs also represent the South Scotland region: Jamie Alexander Langan (Reform UK), David Kirkwood (Reform UK), Senga Beresford (Reform UK), Carol Ann Mochan (Labour), Joe Fagan (Labour), Laura Moodie (Green), Duncan Angus Melville Dunlop (Liberal Democrat).
Who is the MP for Dumfries?
John Cooper (Conservative) is the MP for Dumfries and Galloway, which covers Dumfries.
How much is council tax in Dumfries?
Band D council tax in Dumfries and Galloway is £1,579 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 Dumfries?
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 Dumfries?
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.