The first elections to South Lanarkshire Council were held on 6 April 1995, on the same day as the 28 other Scottish local government elections. The council was created from the former Clydesdale, East Kilbride and Hamilton district councils plus the four wards of the City of Glasgow District Council in Rutherglen and CambuslangPeople power kept the heart of a burgh beating, Daily Record, 19 April 2021 and assumed some of the responsibilities of the former Strathclyde Regional Council following the implementation of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.
The election was the first since the Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements which was initially meant to decide boundaries for the district and regional councils. After the district councils were abolished by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, the review was instead used to decide boundaries for the newly created unitary authority in Clydesdale, East Kilbride and Hamilton. As a result, there remained 16 seats covering the former Clydesdale District while 20 seats were established for the former East Kilbride District, an increase of four, and 25 seats were established for the former Hamilton District, five more than had been in use since the Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1981. In Rutherglen and Cambuslang, the proposed new wards were disregarded by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland Allan Stewart who created 13 new wards.
Labour took control of the council after winning 60 of the 72 wards which were up for election. The Scottish National Party (SNP) took eight seats while the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives both won two seats.
Results
Notes: Net gains/losses are compared against the combined results of the Hamilton, East Kilbride, Clydesdale and City of Glasgow district council wards which became South Lanarkshire following the implementation of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. Only 72 of the 73 seats were up for election after the election in Forth was postponed following the death of a candidate.
Source:
Ward results Lanark North
Lanark South
Lesmahagow
Blackwood
Clyde Valley
Biggar
Duneaton
Carnwath
Carmichael
Douglas
Lanark/Carstairs
Carluke/Whitehill
Carluke/Crawforddyke
Carluke West
Forth Following the death of SNP candidate Mary Ann Tait, the election in Forth was postponed and a by-election was held on 8 June 1995.
Law/Carluke
Long Calderwood
Calderglen
Blacklaw
Whitemoss
Morrishall
Maxwellton
East Mains
West Mains
Duncanrig
Westwoodhill
Headhouse
Kelvin
The Murray
Greenhills
Lickprivick
Hairmyres
Stewartfield
Lindsay
Avondale North
Avondale South
Blantyre West
Coatshill/Low Blantyre
Blantyre/Stonefield
Burnbank/Springwells
High Blantyre
Hamilton Centre North
Whitehill
Bothwell South
Uddingston South/Bothwell
Uddingston North The Uddingston ward was renamed Uddingston North following the Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements. There were changes to the boundaries. This was the only time the name Uddingston North was used as it was switched back following the Third Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 1999 election.
Hillhouse
Udston
Wellhall/Earnock
Earnock
Laighstonehall/Woodhead The Woodhead ward was renamed Laighstonehall/Woodhead following the Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements. There were minor changes to the boundaries.
Hamilton Centre/Ferniegair
Low Waters
Fairhill
Silvertonhill
Cadzow
Dalserf
Larkhall East
Larkhall West
Larkhall South
Stonehouse
Rutherglen West
Stonelaw
Bankhead
Spittal/Blairbeth
Burgh
Cairns
Hallside
Cambuslang Central
Cathkin/Springhall
Burnside
Fernhill
Kirkhill/Whitlawburn
Eastfield
Aftermath Forth by-election
Notes
References