2022 Inverclyde Council election

The 2022 Inverclyde Council election took place on 5 May 2022,[1] as part of the 2022 Scottish local elections on the same day as the 31 other Scottish local authorities were up for election. The election used the 7 wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, last changed in 2017, with 22 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system.[2]

2022 Inverclyde Council election
← 2017 5 May 2022 2027 →

All 22 seats to Inverclyde Council
12 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Lab
SNP
Leader Stephen McCabe Elizabeth Robertson
Party Labour SNP
Leader's seat Inverclyde East Inverclyde North
Last election 8 seats, 26.9% 7 seats, 32.8%
Seats before 8 5
Seats won 9 8
Seat change Increase 1 Increase 1
Popular vote 7,491 8,694
Percentage 32.5% 37.7%
Swing Increase 5.6% Increase 4.9%

  Third party Fourth party
 
Ind
Con
Leader Various David Wilson
Party Independent Conservative
Leader's seat Various Inverclyde East
Last election 4 seats, 16.7% 2 seats, 17.6%
Seats before 4 2
Seats won 3 2
Seat change Decrease 1 Steady
Popular vote 3,455 2,372
Percentage 15.0% 10.3%
Swing Decrease 1.7% Decrease 7.3%

Council Leader before election

Stephen McCabe
Labour

Council Leader after election

Stephen McCabe
Labour

At the previous election in 2017, the Labour Party won the most seats and formed a minority administration. The same happened at this election in 2022, with Stephen McCabe continuing as leader of the council after the election.

Background

edit

Retiring councillors

edit
Ward Party Retiring councillor
Inverclyde West Independent Ronald Ahlfeld
Inverclyde North Labour Martin Brennan
Inverclyde South West Labour Gerry Dorrian
Inverclyde South West Liberal Democrats Ciano Rebecchi

Results

edit
2022 Inverclyde Council election result
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 9 1 0   1 40.9 32.5 7,491   5.6
  SNP 8 1 0   1 36.4 37.7 8,694   4.9
  Independent 3 0 1   1 13.6 15.0 3,455   1.7
  Conservative 2 0 0   9.0 10.3 2,372   7.3
  Liberal Democrats 0 0 1   1 0.0 3.2 734   2.7
  Alba 0 0 0   0.0 1.5 342 New

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 5 May 2017. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of council.

Inverclyde East

edit
  • 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
  • 2022: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
  • 2017-2022: Unchanged.
Inverclyde East - 3 seats [1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
SNP Christopher Curley (incumbent) Unopposed
Labour Stephen McCabe (incumbent) Unopposed
Conservative David Wilson (incumbent) Unopposed
Quota:  

Inverclyde East Central

edit
Inverclyde East Central - 3 seats [1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
Labour Robert Moran (incumbent) 31.5 1,016        
SNP Kirsty Law 22.3 720 738.51 747.75 761.36 1,301.91
SNP Jim MacLeod (incumbent) 19.6 633 657.48 669.92 682.56  
Independent Drew McKenzie (incumbent) 16.8 543 603.48 615.18 718.08 843.69
Conservative James Kelly 8.6 277 296.95 300.46    
Alba Louise Williams 1.2 38 45.82      
Electorate: 8,065   Valid: 3,269   Spoilt: 69   Quota: 807   Turnout: 40.9%  

Inverclyde Central

edit
Inverclyde Central - 3 seats [1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
SNP Pam Armstrong 34.2 968        
Labour Michael McCormick (incumbent) 26.6 753        
Labour Colin Jackson (incumbent) 21.2 599 617.26 651.09 675.42 782.88
SNP Agnes McAuley 8.2 231 450.44 452.03 509.05 516.11
Conservative Ian Bryson 6.0 169 170.07 171.09 176.36  
Alba Jim McEleny (incumbent) 3.8 108 115.79 117.82    
Electorate: 7,787   Valid: 2,828   Spoilt: 108   Quota: 708   Turnout: 2,936 (37.7%)  

Inverclyde North

edit
Inverclyde North - 4 seats [1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Labour Francesca Brennan 25.5 1,284              
SNP Elizabeth Robertson (incumbent) 22.3 1,122              
Conservative Graeme Brooks (incumbent) 15.1 761 787.77 789.08 791.4 800.40 886.52 995.77 1,018
SNP Jenn Scott-McClafferty 12.0 606 615.64 713.63 738.14 744.36 766.40 826.21  
Labour Jim Clocherty (incumbent) 10.4 526 716.4 719.52 728.94 733.46 799.36 862.95 1,138.36
Liberal Democrats Jacci Stoyle 6.2 312 323.34 325.06 330.06 336.92      
Independent Gillian Maxwell 5.7 285 295.92 298.94 309.57 347.98      
Independent John Davidson * 1.5 75 77.1 78.51 85.82        
Alba Philomena Donnachie 1.4 70 71.5 73.32 74.3        
Electorate: 10,353   Valid: 5,041   Spoilt: 128   Quota: 1,009   Turnout: 5,169 (49.9%)  
  • = Running under The Pensioner's Party

Inverclyde West

edit
Inverclyde West - 3 seats [1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Independent Lynne Quinn (incumbent) 30.2 1,440
SNP Sandra Reynolds 26.6 1,271
Labour Martin McCluskey 26.1 1,247
Conservative Ted Runciman 9.5 453
Liberal Democrats John Burleigh 3.6 171
Alba Christopher McEleny (incumbent) 2.6 126
Independent William Wilson 1.4 66
Electorate: 8,773   Valid: 4,774   Quota: 1,194   Turnout: 4,804 (54.8%)  

Inverclyde South West

edit
Inverclyde South West - 3 seats [1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP James Daisley 29.7 1,206          
Labour Paul Cassidy 28.9 1,175          
SNP Innes Nelson (incumbent) 14.9 606 755.66 774.88 815.79 925.97 1,057.69
Conservative Lisa Dallas 12.5 507 510.15 540.6 632.83 727.67  
Independent Paul Travers 7.8 316 326.56 343.87 411.97    
Liberal Democrats Alasdair Higgins 6.2 251 259.82 306.77      
Electorate: 9,531   Valid: 4,061   Spoilt: 59   Quota: 1,016   Turnout: 4,120 (43.2%.)  

Inverclyde South

edit
Inverclyde South - 3 seats [1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
SNP John Crowther (incumbent) 30.8 972      
Labour Natasha McGuire (incumbent, (elected in 2017 as Natasha Murphy)) 28.2 891      
Independent Tommy McVey (incumbent) 23.1 730 743.12 777.91 915.99
SNP Irene McLeod 11.4 359 506.55 521.51 528.05
Conservative Georgina Halfnight 6.5 205 207.25 220.06  
Electorate: 7,877   Valid: 3,157   Spoilt: 62   Quota: 790   Turnout: 3,219 (40.9%)  

Aftermath

edit

On 17 May 2022, Labour announced that it had secured enough support from independent councillors to form a new minority administration. Council Leader Stephen McCabe said: "I am delighted that after a week of discussions and negotiations with the other groups on the council I have been able to secure sufficient cross-group support for Inverclyde Labour to lead the next administration."[3] Also, as part of the deal, Drew McKenzie became Inverclyde Council's first Independent Provost, with all previous Provosts being either Labour or Lib Dem councillors.[4]

Inverclyde West by-election

edit

On 3 September 2024, Labour councillor Martin McCluskey announced that he was resigning as a councillor after being elected as the Member of Parliament for the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency at the 2024 United Kingdom general election. A by-election has been scheduled for 7 November 2024.[5][6] The by-election was won by the Labour candidate Ian Hellyer.

Inverclyde West by-election (7 November 2024) - 1 seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Labour Ian Hellyer 34.0 932
SNP Robert Kirkpatrick 33.7 923
Conservative Ted Runciman 15.2 415
Alba Christopher McEleny 8.7 239
Reform UK John Burleigh 8.4 230
Electorate: TBC   Quota:   Turnout: 31.4%  

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Notice of Poll" (PDF). www.inverclyde.gov.uk. Inverclyde Council. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Local Government elections 2022". Inverclyde Council. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  3. ^ "LABOUR To Form Minority Administration On Inverclyde Council". Inverclyde Now. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  4. ^ McCracken, Gordon (6 May 2022). "Inverclyde Council has revealed who will lead its key committees for the next five years". Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Inverclyde MP Martin McCluskey steps down as councillor for Gourock ward". Greenock Telegraph. 3 September 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  6. ^ McCracken, Gordon (7 October 2024). "Five candidates confirmed for Inverclyde West by-election". Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 8 October 2024.