Elections for the Scottish district councils were held on Tuesday 7 May 1974, for both the new regional and district councils, between the two United Kingdom general elections of February and October in that same year.
These were the first elections held to the 53 district councils established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The Labour Party did reasonably well and the Scottish National Party (SNP) did not. The councillors acted as "shadow" councils until May 1975, when the provisions of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 came into effect.
Results National results
!colspan=2|Parties !Votes ! % !Wards
| 658,089 | 38.5 | 172
| 488,905 | 28.6 | 112
| 215,502 | 12.6 | 18
| 87,333 | 5.1 | 11 |- | style="width: 10px" bgcolor=| | style="text-align: left;" scope="row" | Independent/Other | 261,372 | 15.3 | 119 |- ! colspan=2| Total ! 1,711,201 ! 100.0 ! 432
!colspan=2|Parties !Votes !% !Wards
| 619,531 | 38.4 | 428
| 433,287 | 26.8 | 241
| 200,307 | 12.4 | 62
| 80,232 | 5.0 | 17 |- | style="width: 10px" bgcolor=| | style="text-align: left;" scope="row" | Independent/Other | 280,946 | 17.5 | 362 |- ! colspan=2|Total ! 1,614,303 ! 100.0 ! 1,110
Note: Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles were governed at the district level as unitary authorities, meaning they were not included in any larger region.
Council Results Regional Councils Region Labour Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Other Turnout Total Seats Control Details Borders0703130 29 Details Central1749031 34 Details Dumfries and Galloway2000330 35 Details Fife26100033 (1 Communist) 42 Details Grampian132802100 53 Details Highland4213370 47 Details Lothian2419311149 Details Orkney Details Shetland Details Strathclyde71205250 103 Details Tayside1522009046 Details Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) Details
District Councils
Region Labour Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Other Turnout Total Seats Borders1900440 54 Central29921080 67 Dumfries and Galloway5110612 70 Fife432421104 84 Grampian302514480 108 Highland4042990 109 Lothian62388351127 Orkney Shetland Strathclyde22592257498 406 Tayside29430021194 Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)
The seats on each district council after the election were as follows:
Borders District Labour Conservative Liberal Independent Other Control Berwickshire010020 Ettrick and Lauderdale100140 Roxburgh00013Border Independents 3 Tweeddale000100
Central District Labour Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Other Control Clackmannan51500Scottish Labour 1 Falkirk1621203Independent Labour 1Non-Party 2 Stirling784010NOC
Dumfries and Galloway District Labour Conservative SNP Independent Other Control Annandale and Eskdale000140 Nithsdale61117Non-Party 5 Stewartry000120 Wigtown000140
Fife District Labour Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Other Control Dunfermline1753140 Kirkcaldy245002Ratepayers 4Communist 1NOC North-East Fife0130050
Grampian District Labour Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Control Banff and Buchan000018 City of Aberdeen2817030 Gordon03027 Kincardine and Deeside020010 Moray001017
Highland District Labour SNP Independent Control Badenoch and Strathspey0010 hold Caithness0015 hold Inverness0015 hold Lochaber2 vacancies307 Nairn037 Ross and Cromarty0020 hold Skye and Lochalsh0010 Sutherland0014
Lothian District Labour Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Control City of Edinburgh2731231 East Lothian106001 Midlothian112101 West Lothian100803NOC
Strathclyde
District Labour Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Others Control Argyll and Bute1 vacancy0000250 Bearsden and Milngavie150040 Clydebank51300Scottish Labour 1 Cumbernauld and Kilsyth307000 Cumnock and Doon Valley81001 Cunninghame140102Moderate Conservatives 7 Dumbarton820050 East Kilbride527010 Eastwood010000Ratepayers 2 City of Glasgow5416100Independent Conservative 1 Hamilton132221Independent Labour 0 Inverclyde1420610 Kilmarnock and Loudoun1240000 Kyle and Carrick10150000 Lanark402080 Motherwell251211Communist 0 Monklands1541010 Renfrew2510103CA 1 Strathkelvin653000
Tayside District Labour Conservative SNP Independent Others Control Angus311080 City of Dundee222002Real Labour 1Monifeith Ratepayers 0NOC Perth and Kinross419060
See also Local government areas of Scotland 1973 to 1996 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
References