# 2022 Angus Council election

Elections to Angus Council took place on 5 May 2022, the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. As with other Scottish council elections, it was held using single transferable vote (STV) – a form of proportional representation – in which multiple candidates are elected in each ward and voters rank candidates in order of preference.
For the 11th consecutive election, the Scottish National Party (SNP) were returned as the largest party with 13 seats – two shy of an overall majority. The Conservatives lost much of the ground they had made up in the previous election as their vote share fell by 7.3%, losing one seat to return seven councillors. The number of independents fell by two to seven, and the remaining seat was won by Labour. The Liberal Democrats lost both their seats.
The outgoing Conservative–Liberal Democrat–independent coalition was replaced by an SNP–independent administration with Cllr Beth Whiteside elected as council leader and Cllr Brian Boyd elected as Provost.

## Background
### Previous election

At the previous election in 2017, the Scottish National Party (SNP) remained the largest party – tied with the number of independents – despite losing 40 per cent of their seats. As a result, they lost control of the council to a coalition of independents, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives came third despite recording the largest share of first preference votes as they gained four seats to double their number of councillors. The Liberal Democrats also gained one seat to double their representation, while Labour – who received a larger vote share than the Liberal Democrats – lost their only seat.
2017 Angus Council election result :
| Party | Seats | Vote share |
| SNP | 9 | 31.2% |
| Independent | 9 | 25.0% |
| Conservatives | 8 | 33.9% |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | 4.6% |
Source:

### Electoral system

The election used the eight wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 28 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system – a form of proportional representation – where candidates are ranked in order of preference.

### Composition

No by-elections were held following the previous election in 2017. The only change in the political composition of the council came when Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim councillor Richard Moore resigned from the Liberal Democrats and sat as an independent after he was found to have inappropriately touched several women.
Angus Council composition :
| Party | 2017 result | Dissolution |
| SNP | 9 | 9 |
| Independent | 9 | 10 |
| Conservative | 8 | 8 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | 1 |

### Retiring councillors

Retiring councillors :
| Ward | Party | Retiring councillor |
| Kirriemuir and Dean | Conservative | Angus Macmillan-Douglas |
| Brechin and Edzell | Independent | Bob Myles |
| Forfar and District | Conservative | Braden Davy |
| Monifeith and Sidlaw | SNP | Shelia Harris |
| Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim | SNP | Alex King |
| Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim | Conservative | David Lumgair |
| Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim | Independent | Richard Moore |
| Montrose and District | Conservative | Ron Sturrock |
Source:

### Candidates

The total number of candidates increased from 53 in 2017 to 56. As with the previous election, the SNP fielded the most candidates at 14 – one fewer than in 2017. After their success in the 2017 election, the Conservatives fielded a total of 11 candidates – two more than the previous election – while the number of independent candidates fell from 14 to 11. The Liberal Democrats maintained a total of eight candidates and Labour a total of seven as they both had in 2017. For the first time, the Alba Party (three) fielded candidates in Angus.

## Results

2022 Angus Council election result :
| Party | Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| | SNP | 13 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 46.43 | 38.3 | 16,025 | 7.1 |
| | Conservative | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25.00 | 26.6 | 11,142 | 7.3 |
| | Independent | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 25.00 | 19.0 | 7,932 | 6.0 |
| | Labour | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.57 | 6.9 | 2,870 | 1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00 | 5.1 | 2,133 | 0.5 |
| | Scottish Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.00 | 3.4 | 1,436 | New |
| | Alba | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.00 | 0.7 | 276 | New |
| Total | Total | 28 | | | | | | 41,814 | |
Source:

### Ward summary

2022 Angus Council election by ward :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | SNP | SNP | Con | Con | Ind | Ind | Lab | Lab | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Kirriemuir and Dean | 42.0 | 2 | 38.4 | 1 | | | 6.7 | 0 | 12.9 | 0 | 3 |
| Brechin and Edzell | 34.1 | 1 | 32.3 | 1 | 20.4 | 1 | 7.2 | 0 | 5.9 | 0 | 3 |
| Forfar and District | 38.4 | 2 | 21.4 | 1 | 28.9 | 1 | 5.5 | 0 | 5.9 | 0 | 4 |
| Monifieth and Sidlaw | 39.7 | 2 | 30.7 | 1 | | | 13.5 | 1 | 16.1 | 0 | 4 |
| Carnoustie and District | 35.9 | 1 | 17.3 | 0 | 36.8 | 2 | | | 10.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim | 36.2 | 2 | 31.4 | 1 | 17.0 | 1 | 6.5 | 0 | 9.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Arbroath East and Lunan | 41.5 | 1 | 17.7 | 1 | 31.0 | 1 | 7.0 | 0 | 2.8 | 0 | 3 |
| Montrose and District | 39.3 | 2 | 22.3 | 1 | 25.6 | 1 | 6.5 | 0 | 7.6 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 38.3 | 13 | 26.6 | 7 | 19.0 | 7 | 6.9 | 1 | 9.2 | 0 | 28 |
Source:

### Seats changing hands

Below is a list of seats which elected a different party or parties from 2017 in order to highlight the change in political composition of the council from the previous election. The list does not include defeated incumbents who resigned or defected from their party and subsequently failed re-election while the party held the seat.
Seats changing hands :
| Seat | 2017 | 2017 | 2017 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Seat | Party | Party | Member | Party | Party | Member |
| Kirriemuir and Dean | | Conservative | Angus Macmillan-Douglas | | SNP | George Meechan |
| Forfar and District | | Independent | Colin Brown | | SNP | Linda Clark |
| Monifieth and Sidlaw | | Liberal Democrats | Ben Lawrie | | Labour | Heather Doran |
| Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim | | Liberal Democrats | Richard Moore | | SNP | Martin Shephard |
| Montrose and District | | Independent | Mark Salmond | | SNP | Kenny Braes |
Source:

#### Notes

* ^ Note 1: Cllr Braes was councillor for Brechin and Edzell from 2017 to 2022.

## Ward results
### Kirriemuir and Dean

The SNP retained the seat they had won at the previous election and gained one from the Conservatives while the Conservatives retained one of their two seats.
Kirriemuir and Dean – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Julie Bell (incumbent) | 29.3 | 1,321 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Ronnie Proctor (incumbent) | 21.3 | 962 | 965 | 1,007 | 1,072 | 1,126 | 1,856 |
| | Conservative | Euan Walker-Monroe | 17.1 | 772 | 774 | 801 | 833 | 864 | |
| | SNP | George Meechan | 12.7 | 574 | 728 | 740 | 792 | 990 | 1,007 |
| | Scottish Green | Ian Whyte | 7.8 | 353 | 369 | 417 | 523 | | |
| | Labour | Rachel Grieve | 6.7 | 303 | 310 | 384 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sandra O'Shea | 5.1 | 230 | 233 | | | | |
| Electorate: 8,907 Valid: 4,515 Spoilt: 81 Quota: 1,129 Turnout: 51.6% ||||||||||
Source:

### Brechin and Edzell

The SNP and Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Jill Scott gained a seat from retiring independent councillor Bob Myles.
Brechin and Edzell – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | SNP | Chris Beattie | 34.1 | 1,341 | | |
| | Conservative | Gavin Nicol (incumbent) | 32.3 | 1,271 | | |
| | Independent | Jill Scott | 20.4 | 804 | 914 | 1,020 |
| | Labour | Dawn Barrowman | 7.2 | 283 | 356 | 390 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alison Andrews | 6.0 | 234 | 293 | 363 |
| Electorate: 8,877 Valid: 3,933 Spoilt: 54 Quota: 984 Turnout: 44.9% |||||||
Source:

### Forfar and District

The SNP and Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP gained one seat from independent candidate Colin Brown.
Forfar and District – 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | SNP | Linda Clark | 23.4 | 1,270 | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Ross Greig | 21.4 | 1,158 | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Ian McLaren (incumbent) | 16.0 | 869 | 872 | 893 | 925 | 959 | 961 | 1,082 | 1,709 |
| | SNP | Lynne Devine (incumbent) | 14.9 | 810 | 973 | 976 | 984 | 1,098 | | | |
| | Independent | Colin Brown (incumbent) | 12.9 | 698 | 702 | 716 | 727 | 754 | 756 | 833 | |
| | Labour | Ed McAdam | 5.5 | 298 | 300 | 309 | 334 | 366 | 368 | | |
| | Scottish Green | Marley Hunter | 4.2 | 228 | 235 | 237 | 249 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Samuel Struth | 1.7 | 90 | 91 | 99 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,325 Valid: 5,421 Spoilt: 107 Quota: 1,085 Turnout: 44.9% ||||||||||||
Source:

### Monifieth and Sidlaw

The SNP (2) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election while Labour gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats.
Monifieth and Sidlaw – 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | Conservative | Craig Fotheringham (incumbent) | 23.2 | 1,670 | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Lloyd Melville | 21.7 | 1,562 | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Beth Whiteside (incumbent) | 18.0 | 1,294 | 1,297 | 1,401 | 1,427 | 1,557 | | | |
| | Labour | Heather Doran | 13.4 | 968 | 980 | 984 | 988 | 1,033 | 1,060 | 1,199 | 1,791 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ben Lawrie (incumbent) | 11.2 | 804 | 825 | 829 | 835 | 907 | 930 | 1,150 | |
| | Conservative | Calum Nicol | 7.5 | 542 | 724 | 724 | 730 | 743 | 745 | | |
| | Scottish Green | James Whitehead | 4.0 | 287 | 288 | 292 | 300 | | | | |
| | Alba | Blake Sharp | 0.9 | 67 | 67 | 68 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 14,214 Valid: 7,194 Spoilt: 132 Quota: 1,439 Turnout: 51.5% ||||||||||||
Source:

### Carnoustie and District

The SNP and independent candidates David Cheape and Brian Boyd retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Carnoustie and District – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Mark McDonald (incumbent) | 35.9 | 1,939 | | | | | |
| | Independent | David Cheape (incumbent) | 19.1 | 1,034 | 1,108 | 1,148 | 1,212 | 1,326 | 1,684 |
| | Independent | Brian Boyd (incumbent) | 17.7 | 956 | 1,033 | 1,060 | 1,097 | 1,187 | 1,449 |
| | Conservative | Robert Galloway | 17.3 | 933 | 944 | 949 | 997 | 1,028 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Matthias Glenday | 4.5 | 242 | 272 | 286 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Robbie Kelly | 3.2 | 174 | 359 | 429 | 504 | | |
| | Alba | Laura Tierney | 2.3 | 123 | 202 | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,206 Valid: 5,401 Spoilt: 70 Quota: 1,351 Turnout: 48.8% ||||||||||
Source:

### Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim

The SNP, Conservatives and independent candidate David Fairweather retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats.
Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim – 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| | Conservative | Louise Nicol | 25.6 | 1,663 | | | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Serena Cowdy | 22.1 | 1,440 | | | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Martin Shephard | 14.0 | 913 | 915 | 1,027 | 1,058 | 1,136 | 1,161 | 1,236 | 1,337 | | |
| | Independent | Ian Wren | 8.9 | 578 | 585 | 587 | 599 | 617 | 665 | 749 | | | |
| | Independent | David Fairweather (incumbent) | 8.1 | 524 | 538 | 541 | 556 | 589 | 635 | 752 | 1,013 | 1,021 | 1,320 |
| | Labour | Pamela Ruddy | 6.5 | 423 | 433 | 434 | 438 | 464 | 560 | | | | |
| | Conservative | Juliet Vivers | 5.8 | 376 | 671 | 671 | 674 | 683 | 729 | 807 | 895 | 896 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rod Falconer | 4.4 | 286 | 297 | 299 | 302 | 338 | | | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Anne Campbell | 3.3 | 214 | 216 | 227 | 241 | | | | | | |
| | Alba | Lisa Keogh | 1.3 | 86 | 86 | 89 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 14,052 Valid: 6,503 Spoilt: 98 Quota: 1,301 Turnout: 47.0% ||||||||||||||
Source:

### Arbroath East and Lunan

The SNP, Conservatives and independent candidate Lois Speed retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Arbroath East and Lunan – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Independent | Lois Speed (incumbent) | 31.0 | 1,177 | | | | | |
| | SNP | Brenda Durno (incumbent) | 28.6 | 1,085 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Derek Wann (incumbent) | 17.7 | 671 | 717 | 718 | 744 | 844 | 1,054 |
| | SNP | Graham Smith | 13.0 | 492 | 548 | 671 | 688 | 753 | |
| | Labour | Luke Andrew Stronach | 7.0 | 265 | 303 | 306 | 371 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jane Atkins | 2.8 | 108 | 139 | 142 | | | |
| Electorate: 10,486 Valid: 3,798 Spoilt: 76 Quota: 950 Turnout: 36.9% ||||||||||
Source:

### Montrose and District

The SNP, Conservatives and independent candidate Tommy Stewart retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP gained a seat from independent candidate Mark Salmond.
Montrose and District – 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | Conservative | Iain Gall | 22.3 | 1,124 | | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Kenny Braes | 21.6 | 1,090 | | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Bill Duff (incumbent) | 17.7 | 894 | 896 | 966 | 972 | 976 | 1,059 | | | |
| | Independent | Tommy Stewart (incumbent) | 14.5 | 732 | 749 | 750 | 763 | 784 | 808 | 815 | 903 | 1,377 |
| | Independent | Mark Salmond (incumbent) | 9.9 | 499 | 532 | 534 | 554 | 587 | 612 | 620 | 729 | |
| | Labour | John Ruddy | 6.5 | 330 | 341 | 342 | 344 | 392 | 426 | 433 | | |
| | Scottish Green | Jamie Adams | 3.6 | 180 | 183 | 185 | 192 | 209 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Angela Noble | 2.7 | 139 | 154 | 155 | 163 | | | | | |
| | Independent | James Boag | 1.2 | 61 | 66 | 66 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,016 Valid: 5,049 Spoilt: 84 Quota: 1,010 Turnout: 42.7% |||||||||||||
Source:

## Aftermath

Following the election, the outgoing Conservative–Liberal Democrat–independent administration was replaced after the SNP group formed a coalition with independent councillors Brian Boyd and David Cheape. At the first meeting of the new council on 24 May 2022, SNP councillor Beth Whiteside was elected as leader of the council – the first woman to hold the role – replacing independent councillor David Fairweather. Cllr Boyd was elected as Provost – the first openly gay man to hold the role – and Cllr Linda Clark was elected deputy Provost. Provost Boyd said the new council should seek to end the "petty politics that have blighted Angus Council in its entirety".
In July 2024, Cllr Boyd resigned as Provost after behaviour which he described as falling "below personal standards". Cllr Boyd was called "an absolute disgrace" and "a bully" after interrupting Cllr Lois Speed and making her cry.

### Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim by-election

In October 2023, former council leader and Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim councillor David Fairweather announced his intention to retire from the council. He formally stood down in February 2024 and a by-election was held on 25 April 2024. The seat was won by the Conservative candidate, Jack Cruickshanks.
Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim by-election (25 April 2024) – 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | James Cruickshanks | 41.9 | 1,682 | 1,691 | 1,759 | 1,997 | 2,450 |
| | SNP | Kathleen Wolf | 29.3 | 1,175 | 1,237 | 1,279 | 1,467 | |
| | Labour | Mark Hilton | 16.0 | 644 | 676 | 833 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sandra O'Shea | 8.3 | 333 | 375 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Mark David Findlay | 4.4 | 176 | | | | |
| Electorate: 13,810 Valid: 4,010 Spoilt: 45 Quota: 2,006 Turnout: 29.4% |||||||||
Source: