Photo: Robert Murray · CC BY-SA 2.0South Lanarkshire sets the lowest council tax in Scotland
Hamilton is run by South Lanarkshire 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, 27 of 64. At Holyrood its MSP is Alex Kerr (SNP) for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, with part of the town in Uddingston and Bellshill, and seven more represent the South Scotland region. Its MP is Imogen Walker (Labour), member for Hamilton and Clyde Valley.
May 2027
Every council seat in Scotland. Holyrood’s next election is due in May 2031.
Who can I vote for? ↗How Hamilton is run, in three numbers
No party won a majority
In May 2022 the SNP won the most seats on South Lanarkshire Council, 27 of 64, short of the 33 a majority needs. It ran 37 candidates and 27 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 ↓
Three wards, eleven councillors
38% of Hamilton’s residents live in Hamilton South ward. Hamilton South elected 2 Labour and 2 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
South Lanarkshire’s Band D for 2026–27 is £1,468, £185 less than Scotland’s average of £1,653: the 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 South Lanarkshire Council
Seats on South Lanarkshire Council as elected in May 2022, and how Scotland’s other 31 councils compare.
- SNP2737 stood
- Labour2430 stood
- Conservative721 stood
- Liberal Democrat316 stood
- Independent211 stood
- Green114 stood
As elected on 5 May 2022, with each party’s candidates.
A majority needs 33 of the 64 seats. No party won that in 2022: the SNP won the most, 27, and Labour 24. 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 South Lanarkshire 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
Hamilton 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.southlanarkshire.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 Hamilton, from the most recent elections: council 2022, Holyrood 2026, Westminster 2024.
- 1South Lanarkshire Council3 wards · 11 councillors, 2022SNP 5 · Labour 4 · Conservative 1 · Liberal Democrat 1 · all 11
- 2Scottish Parliament2 constituencies + South Scotland region · 2026Alex KerrSteven BonnarList MSPs: Reform UK 6 · Labour 4 · Green 2 · Conservative 1 · Liberal Democrat 1 · all 14
- 3House of CommonsHamilton and Clyde Valley
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own.
11 councillors for Hamilton’s three wards
- Celine Handibode
- Gavin Wylie Keatt
- Helen Toner
- John Ross
Also stood in 2022: Lynne Nailon (Conservative).
337th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.3).
- Allan Falconer
- Graeme Horne
- Mark McGeever
- Mary Donnelly
Also stood in 2022: Graham William Fisher (Conservative), Jim Lee (Labour), Leonard Gingell (Green).
247th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (1.8).
- Colin Dewar
- Davie McLachlan
- Martin Grant Hose
Also stood in 2022: Andrew Reynolds (Liberal Democrat), Balarabe Baba (Independent), Phil Sykes (SNP).
166th of Scotland’s 355 wards by candidates per seat (2.0).
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 South Lanarkshire 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.
143 candidates stood for 64 seats across South Lanarkshire Council in May 2022, 2.2 for each seat (Scotland: 2.1). The SNP elected 27 of 37 candidates; Labour 24 of 30 and the Conservatives 7 of 21. 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.
Alex Kerr is Hamilton’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.
31,259 votes for candidates · 92% of Hamilton
Constituency vote by party
The tick is each party’s share of the constituency vote across all 73 constituencies.
Alex Kerr won Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse with 37.8% of 31,259 votes, 8.7 points ahead of Davy Russell (Labour): the 19th-narrowest margin of Scotland’s 73 constituencies.
Uddingston and Bellshill (8% of Hamilton): Steven Bonnar
28,838 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.
- Graham Simpson Mandy Lindsay Amanda Bland
- Mark Griffin Jenny Young
- Meghan Gallacher
- Gillian Audrey MacKay
The region’s 9 constituencies elected 9 SNP; the list seats went to 3 Reform UK, 2 Labour, 1 Conservative and 1 Green. 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.
Hamilton is in Hamilton and Clyde Valley 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.
42,084 votes for candidates · majority 9,472
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 42,084 votes from 75,480 registered voters. Scotland: 59%.
Majority 9,472 of 42,084 votes (22.5%): wider than in 86% of Scotland’s 57 constituencies.
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 £1,468 in South Lanarkshire for 2026–27
£185 below Scotland’s average, the 1st-lowest of 32 councils.
A Band D bill, 2026–27
A Band D home in South Lanarkshire pays £2,121 on its council tax bill for 2026–27: £1,468 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; South Lanarkshire’s is the 1st-lowest of the 32 councils.
Band D by council, 2026–27
Council tax only, cheapest first; the tick is Scotland’s average, £1,653.
South Lanarkshire 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 Hamilton 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.
southlanarkshire.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 Hamilton is run
Which council runs Hamilton?
Hamilton is run by South Lanarkshire 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 South Lanarkshire Council?
No party won a majority in May 2022: SNP 27 · Labour 24 · Conservative 7 · Liberal Democrat 3 · Independent 2 · Green 1 of 64 seats as elected. By-elections may have changed that since, and the council’s website names its current leader and administration.
Who are Hamilton’s councillors?
Hamilton is in 3 wards. Hamilton South elected Celine Handibode (Labour), Gavin Wylie Keatt (Labour), Helen Toner (SNP), John Ross (SNP); Hamilton West and Earnock elected Allan Falconer (Labour), Graeme Horne (SNP), Mark McGeever (Liberal Democrat), Mary Donnelly (SNP); Hamilton North and East elected Colin Dewar (SNP), Davie McLachlan (Labour and Co-operative), Martin Grant Hose (Conservative), all in 2022.
Who is the MSP for Hamilton?
Alex Kerr (SNP) was elected for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse on 7 May 2026. Part of Hamilton is in Uddingston and Bellshill. 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 Hamilton?
Imogen Walker (Labour) is the MP for Hamilton and Clyde Valley, which covers Hamilton.
How much is council tax in Hamilton?
Band D council tax in South Lanarkshire is £1,468 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 Hamilton?
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 Hamilton?
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.