How has it changed representation in Scotland?

Proportional results

In the 2007 Scottish local council elections, STV delivered broadly proportional results in the elections to Scottish local authorities.

Parties won Council seats much more in proportion to the percentage of the vote they received.

STV. Why?

In 2003, in order to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, Labour had to concede to the Liberal Democrats' demands for the STV to be introduced to local council elections.

STV was adopted for Scottish local elections as part of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act, passed in June 2004.

Had Labour won an overall majority in the 2003 Scottish Parliament elections, STV would not have been brought in.

Labour is not dead, far from it. But, the party has to work a lot harder to win elections than it did under FPTP. Maybe not a bad thing.

Does PR increase turnout?

UK General Election2010FPTP

Scottish local councils2007STV

Scottish Parliament2007

AMS

European Parliament2009

D’Hondt Party List

VoterTurnout

65.1% 52.1% 51.7% 34%

The type of voting system, on its own, would not appear to be the decisive factor in encouraging voters to turn out and vote.

Its perhaps unfair to deliver judgement on STV local council elections until STV elections are “de-coupled from the Scottish Parliament elections in 2011.

UK voters do, though, appear to see the General Election as the most important, despite its much criticised First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system.

An end to one party politics?

In July 2008, a new coalition was formed between some Independents, Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors, after the SNP withdrew from the previous coalition.

Under the old FPTP system of electing councillors, many of Scotland’s councils were, arguably, unfairly dominated by the Labour Party.

Labour could win complete control of a local authority with just a small percentage of the overall vote.

Highland Council 2007. Labour 7 seats, Lid Dem 21, SNP 17, Ind 35 Councillors

Multi-party local government

In 2007, the STV destroyed Labour’s power base in Scottish local authorities.

The SNP now has more local councillors than any other party.

Coalition government is now the norm in Scotland.

South Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire Councils, for example, have a Labour/Conservative coalition, something which would have been unthinkable prior to devolution.

Party politics in Scottish local government

Most local authorities in Scotland are organised on a party political basis .

Most councillors are elected as party representatives.

Some also have a strong personal support in the local area.

Under STV, voters can choose between candidates of political parties. A candidate who is more popular on a local level perhaps has more chance of being elected than some one who is unknown.

So, STV has ended the days when local councillors had a “shoo-in” safe seat.

More choice for voters

In the 2003 local elections, held under the FPTP system, 4,195 candidates stood in 1,222 wards. The average elector, therefore, had a choice from among 3.4 candidates. In 61 wards there was no competition at all, the candidate was unopposed, presumably because under FPTP it was so obvious who was going to win.

In 2007 there were 2,599 candidates for 353 multi-member wards. The choice available for the average elector was therefore 7.4 candidates – more than double that of 2003. There were no unopposed returns at all.

Scottish Conservatives

David Meikle, sole Conservative councillor on Glasgow City Council. He was very active opposing (successfully)GO APE’s application to take over a section of Pollok Park

Scottish Labour

Jim McCabe (on the right), Labour leader of North Lanarkshire Council.

In 2007, Labour was the only party to win outright control of any councils, winning Glasgow and North Lanarkshire.

However, the 2007 elections, at local as well as national level, were traumatic for Labour.

The party’s vote was down across nearly all of Scotland.

Labour had enjoyed over-representation in many Scottish councils for decades and the 2007 elections represented an adjustment in terms of its true support.

Scottish Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats were supposed to be the big winners with STV. The party fought hard to have STV introduced, although, to be fair, it always claimed this was not for narrow party political advantage.

In 2007, the Liberal Democrats experienced a decline in the number of their councillors, down from 175 to 166.

The party made breakthroughs is some areas where it had previously struggled to make an impact, such as North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. It also did well in Highlands and Argyll &Bute, which has Liberal Democrat representation at Westminster and Scottish Parliament level too.

SNP

In 2009, after a by election loss, Labour lost control of Dundee Council for the first time in three decades.

The SNP took control of one of Scotland’s four big cities for the first time.

Smaller parties

 Jim Bollan of the SSP, was re-elected in the Vale of Leven ward of West Dunbartonshire Council.

In December 2007, Ruth Black showed a remarkable lack of, er, Solidarity, by defecting to Labour!

The 2007 elections saw the election of the first Green councillors in Scotland. Five candidates were successful in Glasgow and three in Edinburgh.

Alison ThewlissSNP, Glasgow

Jean McFaddenLabour, Glasgow

Amanda StewartConservative,East Dunbartonshire

Marilyne MacLarenLiberal DemocratEdinburgh

STV was supposed to create a more diverse set of councillors.

However, before voters can vote for increased numbers of women and Black Minority ethnic candidates (BMEs), parties need to select them.

In 2007, the total proportion of female Scottish councillors was more or less unchanged, falling from 21.8% to 21.6%

Female Representation

BME Representation

Khalil Malik,SNP, Glasgow

Irfan RabbaniLabour, Glasgow

Shaukat Butt,Labour,Glasgow

Jahangir Hanif, SNP, Glasgow

In terms of political representation, there are only a handful of BME councillors – 9 out of 1,222 councillors, or just below 1 per cent, elected in 2007. All are men of Asian heritage.

Conclusions

|The SNP is now the largest party in terms of seats in Scottish local government. STV has been good for the SNPFPTP in the past exaggerated Labour supportThere are no longer any “shoo in” seatsThere are more candidates standing and more choice for votersIndependents are still a forceParties are still coming to terms with coalition politicsIt is too early to say how voters have responded to STVParties need to be more diverse in selecting candidates. The voting system won’t do it on its own.