# 2022 Argyll and Bute Council election

Elections to Argyll and Bute 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. New ward boundaries were proposed by Boundaries Scotland in 2021, which would have reduced the total number of councillors to 34. However, these were rejected by the Scottish Parliament and the boundaries used at the previous election remained in place.
For the second consecutive election, the Scottish National Party (SNP) were returned as the largest party with 12 seats—one more than in 2017 but seven short of an overall majority. The Conservatives solidified the gains they had made at the previous election and increased their number by one to return 10 councillors and become the second-largest group on the council. The number of independent councillors fell by almost one third to seven while the Liberal Democrats lost one seat to return four councillors. The remaining two seats were won by Labour and the Greens.
The incumbent Conservative-Liberal Democrat-independent coalition—known as The Argyll, Lomond and Islands group (TALIG)—retained control of the council, with Cllr Robin Currie re-elected as council leader and Maurice Corry elected as Provost.

## Background
### Previous election

At the previous election in 2017, the Scottish National Party (SNP) became the largest party despite losing two seats, overtaking the number of independents which fell by five. A coalition of independents, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats retained control of the council after the Conservatives made five gains and the Liberal Democrats increased their number by two.
2017 Argyll and Bute Council election result :
| Party | Seats | Vote share |
| SNP | 11 | 27.7% |
| Independent | 10 | 30.4% |
| Conservatives | 9 | 25.1% |
| Liberal Democrats | 6 | 10.8% |
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

After the 2017 election, a few changes in the composition of the council happened. Changes in the political affiliation of councillors occurred when Conservative councillor Alastair Redman was suspended over Islamophobia allegations and independent councillor Roddy McCuish joined the Independence for Scotland Party. In the run-up to the election, Conservative councillors Donald Kelly and Jamie McGrigor were deselected by the party but continued on as independents. Cllr McGrigor was subsequently expelled by the party for standing as an independent. Three by-elections were held and resulted in an independent hold, a Conservative gain from the Lib Dems and a Conservative hold.
Composition of Argyll and Bute Council :
| Party | 2017 result | Dissolution |
| SNP | 11 | 11 |
| Independents | 10 | 12 |
| Conservative | 9 | 7 |
| Liberal Democrats | 6 | 5 |
| ISP | 0 | 1 |

### Retiring councillors

Retiring councillors :
| Ward | Party | Retiring councillor |
| Kintyre and the Islands | SNP | Anne Horn |
| Mid Argyll | SNP | Sandy Taylor |
| Oban South and the Isles | Independent | Mary-Jean Devon |
| Oban South and the Isles | ISP | Roddy McCuish |
| Oban North and Lorn | Independent | Elaine Robertson |
| Cowal | Liberal Democrats | Alan Reid |
| Dunoon | Independent | Jim Anderson |
| Dunoon | Conservative | Bobby Good |
| Isle of Bute | SNP | Jim Findlay |
| Lomond North | Conservative | Paul Collins |
| Helensburgh Central | SNP | Lorna Douglas |
| Helensburgh Central | Liberal Democrats | Aileen Morton |
| Helensburgh and Lomond South | SNP | Richard Trail |
Source:

### Proposed boundary changes

Following the passing of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, a review of the boundaries was undertaken in North Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute, Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. The Act allowed single- or two-member wards to be created to provide better representation of island communities. New ward boundaries were proposed by Boundaries Scotland in 2021 which would have increased the number of wards by one to 12 but reduced the number of councillors by two to 34. Two new two-member, island-only wards would have been created to represent Islay, Jura and Colonsay and Mull, Iona, Coll and Tiree. As a result, the Kintyre peninsula would have been represented by a single ward instead of multiple wards which cover a mix of mainland and island communities.
The proposals would have made no changes to the boundaries or numbers of councillors in Cowal; Dunoon and Lomond North. The boundaries in Isle of Bute would have remained the same, but the number of councillors would have been reduced from three to two. Minimal changes would have been made to the boundaries of Helensburgh Central and Helensburgh and Lomond South, but the number of councillors in Helensburgh Central would have been reduced by one from four to three. Oban would have been placed in its own ward with four members, and a new two-member Lorn ward including the inhabited island of Lismore would have been created. However, the proposals in Argyll and Bute were rejected by the Scottish Parliament and the 11 wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 remained in place.

### Candidates

The total number of candidates increased from 77 in 2017 to 79. The number of independent candidates—25—outstripped any individual party but fell by four from the previous election. The SNP and Conservatives both stood 13 candidates; more than any other party. The SNP's total was a reduction of three from the previous election whereas the Conservatives increased their number by two. Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour increased their number of candidates by one from the previous election—standing 11 and eight respectively—while the Greens stood five candidates, two more than five years previous. For the first time, the Independence for Scotland Party (ISP) (two), the Scottish Family Party (one) and the Alba Party (one) fielded candidates in an Argyll and Bute election. Unlike the 2017 election, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) did not field any candidates.

## Results

2022 Argyll and Bute Council election result :
| Party | Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| | SNP | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33.3 | 31.0 | 10,729 | 3.3 |
| | Conservative | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 27.8 | 22.7 | 7,845 | 2.4 |
| | Independent | 7 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 19.4 | 25.3 | 8,742 | 2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13.9 | 9.6 | 3,325 | 1.1 |
| | Labour | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.8 | 6.4 | 2,218 | 2.3 |
| | Scottish Green | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 1,334 | 2.1 |
| | Alba | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 0.5 | 172 | New |
| | ISP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 0.5 | 156 | New |
| | Scottish Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 0.1 | 43 | New |
| Total | Total | 36 | | | | | | 34,564 | |

### Ward summary

Results of the 2022 Argyll and Bute Council election by ward :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | SNP | SNP | Ind | Ind | Con | Con | Lib Dem | Lib Dem | Lab | Lab | Green | Green | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| South Kintyre | 32.8 | 1 | 35.9 | 1 | 22.5 | 1 | 8.7 | 0 | | | | | | | 3 |
| Kintyre and the Islands | 29.9 | 1 | 39.9 | 1 | 9.6 | 0 | 16.4 | 1 | 4.2 | 0 | | | | | 3 |
| Mid Argyll | 31.2 | 1 | 46.6 | 1 | 11.6 | 1 | 3.3 | 0 | 4.9 | 0 | | | 2.4 | 0 | 3 |
| Oban South and the Isles | 38.2 | 2 | 29.8 | 1 | 12.4 | 1 | 5.2 | 0 | 4.7 | 0 | 9.7 | 0 | | | 4 |
| Oban North and Lorn | 30.6 | 1 | 31.6 | 1 | 18.7 | 1 | 6.5 | 0 | | | 9.7 | 1 | 2.9 | 0 | 4 |
| Cowal | 41.9 | 1 | 5.2 | 0 | 26.1 | 1 | 16.8 | 1 | 7.7 | 0 | | | 2.4 | 0 | 3 |
| Dunoon | 40.9 | 1 | 16.2 | 0 | 17.9 | 1 | 16.9 | 1 | 6.5 | 0 | | | 1.6 | 0 | 3 |
| Isle of Bute | 25.4 | 1 | 46.1 | 1 | 17.8 | 1 | 1.1 | 0 | 4.3 | 0 | 3.0 | 0 | 2.4 | 0 | 3 |
| Lomond North | 24.3 | 1 | 34.1 | 1 | 26.4 | 1 | 2.8 | 0 | 12.4 | 0 | | | | | 3 |
| Helensburgh Central | 21.4 | 1 | 2.2 | 0 | 37.1 | 1 | 11.1 | 1 | 21.3 | 1 | 6.8 | 0 | | | 4 |
| Helensburgh and Lomond South | 26.0 | 1 | | | 47.7 | 1 | 17.8 | 1 | | | 8.6 | 0 | | | 3 |
| Total | 31.0 | 12 | 25.3 | 7 | 22.7 | 10 | 9.6 | 5 | 6.4 | 1 | 3.9 | 1 | 1.1 | 0 | 36 |

### 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 the 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 |
| South Kintyre | | Liberal Democrats | Rory Colville | | Independent | Donald Kelly |
| Kintyre and the Islands | | Conservative | Alastair Redman | | Independent | John McAlpine |
| Mid Argyll | | Independent | Donnie MacMillan | | Conservative | Garret Corner |
| Oban South and the Isles | | Independent | Roddy McCuish | | SNP | Willie Hume |
| Oban North and Lorn | | Independent | Elaine Robertson | | Green | Luna Martin |
| Dunoon | | Independent | Jim Anderson | | Liberal Democrats | Ross Moreland |
| Isle of Bute | | Independent | Jean Murray Moffat | | Conservative | Peter Wallace |
| Helensburgh Central | | Liberal Democrats | Aileen Morton | | Labour | Fiona Howard |

#### Notes

* ^ Note 1: In 2017, Cllr Kelly was elected as a Conservative candidate but was later deselected by the party. The Conservatives held their seat in South Kintyre at the 2022 election.
* ^ Note 2: In 2017, Alastair Redman was elected as a Conservative candidate but was later expelled from the party. He did not retain his seat as an independent candidate at the 2022 election.

## Ward results
### South Kintyre

The SNP and Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Donald Kelly gained a seat from the Lib Dems. In 2017, Cllr Kelly was elected as a Conservative candidate, however, he was deselected by the party in the run-up to the 2022 election and chose to stand as an independent.
South Kintyre − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 |
| | Independent | Donald Kelly (incumbent) | 35.9 | 848 | |
| | SNP | John Armour (incumbent) | 32.8 | 773 | |
| | Conservative | Tommy MacPherson | 22.5 | 531 | 615 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rory Colville (incumbent) | 8.7 | 206 | 310 |
| Electorate: 5,123 Valid: 2,358 Spoilt: 47 Quota: 590 Turnout: 46.9% ||||||
Source:

### Kintyre and the Islands

The SNP and Lib Dems retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Conservatives lost their seat to independent candidate John McAlpine. In 2017, independent candidate Alastair Redman was elected as a Conservative candidate before being suspended by the party. He did not retain his seat but was subsequently re-elected following a by-election in September 2022.
Kintyre and the Islands − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Dougie McFadzean | 29.9 | 863 | | | | | |
| | Independent | John McAlpine | 23.5 | 680 | 705 | 739 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robin Currie (incumbent) | 16.4 | 474 | 515 | 580 | 583 | 670 | 987 |
| | Independent | Alastair Redman (incumbent) | 16.4 | 474 | 493 | 502 | 505 | 623 | |
| | Conservative | Alec McNeilly | 9.6 | 276 | 277 | 284 | 286 | | |
| | Labour | Jane B. Kelly | 4.2 | 122 | 140 | | | | |
| Electorate: 5,377 Valid: 2,889 Spoilt: 49 Quota: 723 Turnout: 54.9% ||||||||||
Source:

### Mid Argyll

The SNP and independent candidate Douglas Trevor Philand retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Conservatives gained a seat from independent candidate Donnie MacMillan.
Mid Argyll − 3 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 |
| | Independent | Douglas Trevor Philand (incumbent) | 35.9 | 1,148 | | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Jan Brown | 31.2 | 993 | | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Garret Corner | 11.6 | 371 | 402 | 404 | 406 | 419 | 427 | 460 | 502 | 661 |
| | Labour | Lesley Burt | 4.9 | 157 | 178 | 204 | 215 | 271 | 292 | | | |
| | Independent | Donnie MacMillan (incumbent) | 4.7 | 149 | 249 | 273 | 280 | 299 | 329 | 365 | | |
| | Independent | Andy Cameron | 4.4 | 140 | 209 | 228 | 249 | 271 | 314 | 385 | 496 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Barton | 3.3 | 107 | 135 | 152 | 162 | | | | | |
| | ISP | Ross Alistair Weir | 2.4 | 78 | 107 | 153 | 164 | 172 | | | | |
| | Independent | Abisola Adepetun | 1.9 | 54 | 68 | 74 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 6,222 Valid: 3,197 Spoilt: 37 Quota: 800 Turnout: 52.0% |||||||||||||
Source:

### Oban South and the Isles

The SNP and Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP and independent candidate Andrew Kane gained a seat from former independent councillors Roddy McCuish and Mary-Jean Devon. In 2017, Jamie McGrigor was elected as a Conservative candidate, however, he was deselected by the party in the run-up to the 2022 election and chose to stand as an independent. Roddy McCuish was elected as an independent candidate at the 2017 election before joining the Independence for Scotland Party. He stood down prior to the 2022 election.
Oban South and the Isles − 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 |
| | SNP | Jim Lynch (incumbent) | 21.3 | 773 | | | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Willie Hume | 16.9 | 615 | 645 | 648 | 657 | 667 | 705 | 724 | 777 | | |
| | Conservative | Amanda Hampsey | 12.4 | 452 | 452 | 460 | 479 | 522 | 538 | 601 | 645 | 646 | 667 |
| | Scottish Green | Phyl Stuart Meyer | 9.7 | 353 | 357 | 368 | 392 | 401 | 436 | 491 | 520 | 539 | |
| | Independent | Andrew Kane | 8.1 | 295 | 295 | 304 | 314 | 354 | 393 | 439 | 529 | 540 | 698 |
| | Independent | Colin Kennedy | 7.0 | 256 | 257 | 269 | 276 | 309 | 378 | 405 | | | |
| | Independent | Donnie Campbell | 6.5 | 235 | 235 | 247 | 257 | 280 | | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Henry Drummond Boswell | 5.2 | 188 | 188 | 197 | 255 | 282 | 302 | | | | |
| | Independent | Jamie McGrigor (incumbent) | 4.9 | 179 | 180 | 214 | 226 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Gopi Ageer | 4.7 | 169 | 169 | 176 | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | John Watson | 3.2 | 118 | 120 | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 8,092 Valid: 3,633 Spoilt: 62 Quota: 727 Turnout: 45.7% ||||||||||||||
Source:

### Oban North and Lorn

The SNP, Conservatives and independent candidate Kieron Green retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Greens gained one seat from retiring independent councillor Elaine Robertson.
Oban North and Lorn − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Julie McKenzie (incumbent) | 30.6 | 1,254 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Andrew Vennard (incumbent) | 18.7 | 767 | 772 | 779 | 788 | 842 | | |
| | Independent | Kieron Green (incumbent) | 15.4 | 632 | 679 | 703 | 748 | 811 | 819 | 1,107 |
| | Independent | Linda Battison | 11.4 | 466 | 490 | 519 | 571 | 631 | 637 | |
| | Scottish Green | Luna Martin | 9.7 | 396 | 583 | 624 | 716 | 784 | 785 | 897 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Veronica Davis | 6.5 | 267 | 290 | 305 | 318 | | | |
| | Independent | Kyle Campbell-Renton | 4.8 | 198 | 223 | 245 | | | | |
| | Alba | Angus Files | 2.9 | 117 | 158 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 8,369 Valid: 4,097 Spoilt: 33 Quota: 820 Turnout: 49.3% |||||||||||
Source:

### Cowal

The SNP, Conservatives and Lib Dems retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Cowal − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Gordon Blair (incumbent) | 33.3 | 1,090 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Yvonne McNeilly (incumbent) | 26.1 | 855 | | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | William Sinclair | 16.8 | 551 | 563 | 577 | 587 | 669 | 857 |
| | SNP | Lachie MacQuarie | 8.6 | 282 | 503 | 503 | 532 | 566 | 596 |
| | Labour | Mark Feinmann | 7.7 | 251 | 262 | 267 | 273 | 303 | |
| | Independent | Kenneth White | 5.2 | 170 | 174 | 179 | 201 | | |
| | ISP | Fiona Nelson | 2.4 | 78 | 83 | 85 | | | |
| Electorate: 5,991 Valid: 3,277 Spoilt: 64 Quota: 820 Turnout: 55.8% ||||||||||
Source:

### Dunoon

The SNP and Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Lib Dems gained a seat from retiring independent councillor Jim Anderson.
Dunoon − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Audrey E. Forrest (incumbent) | 40.9 | 1,126 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Daniel Hampsey | 17.9 | 493 | 501 | 512 | 528 | 556 | 560 | 747 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ross Moreland | 16.9 | 464 | 539 | 544 | 646 | 710 | | |
| | Independent | Gordon Graham McKinven | 10.1 | 279 | 324 | 336 | 365 | 485 | 492 | |
| | Labour | Kaitlin Wallace | 6.5 | 180 | 247 | 254 | | | | |
| | Independent | George Darroch | 6.1 | 168 | 249 | 266 | 296 | | | |
| | Scottish Family | Susan Watling | 1.6 | 43 | 62 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 5,613 Valid: 2,753 Spoilt: 39 Quota: 689 Turnout: 49.7% |||||||||||
Source:

### Isle of Bute

The SNP and independent candidate Liz McCabe retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Conservatives gained a seat from independent candidate Jean Murray Moffat.
Isle of Bute − 3 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 |
| | SNP | Reeni Kennedy-Boyle | 25.4 | 591 | | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Liz McCabe (incumbent) | 23.7 | 553 | 554 | 557 | 573 | 590 | | | | |
| | Conservative | Peter Wallace | 17.8 | 414 | 414 | 418 | 418 | 422 | 422 | 438 | 485 | 633 |
| | Independent | Jean Murray Moffat (incumbent) | 13.7 | 320 | 321 | 326 | 344 | 358 | 361 | 384 | 483 | |
| | Independent | Fraser Gillies | 8.7 | 202 | 202 | 205 | 209 | 213 | 215 | 241 | | |
| | Labour | Dawn Malcolm | 4.3 | 101 | 101 | 106 | 108 | 128 | 129 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Ewan Stuart | 3.0 | 70 | 71 | 73 | 79 | | | | | |
| | Alba | Robert McGowan | 2.4 | 55 | 55 | 55 | | | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Derek John McFarlane | 1.1 | 25 | 25 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 4,866 Valid: 2,331 Spoilt: 32 Quota: 583 Turnout: 48.6% |||||||||||||
Source:

### Lomond North

The SNP and Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Mark Irvine gained a seat from independent candidate George Freeman.
Lomond North − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Conservative | Maurice Corry | 26.4 | 843 | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Shonny Iain Paterson (incumbent) | 24.3 | 777 | 777 | 786 | 813 | | | |
| | Independent | Mark Irvine | 14.9 | 475 | 481 | 497 | 550 | 553 | 680 | 1,021 |
| | Independent | George Freeman (incumbent) | 14.6 | 466 | 478 | 489 | 521 | 524 | 672 | |
| | Labour | Watson Robinson | 12.4 | 397 | 404 | 442 | 461 | 464 | | |
| | Independent | Robert Graham MacIntyre | 4.7 | 149 | 151 | 161 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nigel Ford Millar | 2.8 | 91 | 95 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 6,257 Valid: 3,198 Spoilt: 38 Quota: 800 Turnout: 51.7% |||||||||||
Source:

### Helensburgh Central

The SNP and Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Lib Dems held one of their two seats and Labour gained a seat from the Lib Dems.
Helensburgh Central − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Conservative | Gary Mulvaney (incumbent) | 30.5 | 1,205 | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Ian James MacQuire | 21.4 | 843 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Fiona Howard | 21.3 | 841 | | | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Graham Hardie (incumbent) | 11.1 | 440 | 480 | 485 | 505 | 530 | 716 | 1,009 |
| | Scottish Green | Sarah Davies | 6.8 | 268 | 274 | 305 | 314 | 341 | | |
| | Conservative | Alison Willmot | 6.6 | 262 | 601 | 603 | 610 | 627 | 645 | |
| | Independent | James Alexander Robb | 2.2 | 88 | 93 | 95 | 98 | | | |
| Electorate: 7,759 Valid: 3,947 Spoilt: 55 Quota: 790 Turnout: 51.6% |||||||||||
Source:

### Helensburgh and Lomond South

The SNP, Conservatives and Lib Dems retained the seats they had won at the previous election. Following a by-election gain from the Lib Dems in 2021, the Conservatives held two of the three seats immediately prior to the election.
Helensburgh and Lomond South − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Gemma Penfold (incumbent) | 29.6 | 854 | | | | |
| | SNP | Math Campbell-Sturgess | 26.0 | 749 | | | | |
| | Conservative | David Kinniburgh (incumbent) | 18.1 | 522 | 633 | 633 | 647 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Donald Kennedy | 17.8 | 512 | 522 | 525 | 701 | 1,054 |
| | Scottish Green | Howard Green | 8.6 | 247 | 250 | 268 | | |
| Electorate: 5,800 Valid: 2,884 Spoilt: 41 Quota: 722 Turnout: 50.4% |||||||||
Source:

## Aftermath

Despite losing seats, the incumbent Conservative-Liberal Democrat-independent coalition—known as The Argyll, Lomond and Islands group (TALIG)—retained control of the council and Liberal Democrat councillor Robin Currie was re-elected as council leader while Conservative councillor Gary Mulvaney was elected as deputy leader. Cllr Maurice Corry was elected as Provost and Cllr Liz McCabe was elected as deputy Provost.
Following the first meeting of the council, SNP group leader Jim Lynch accused the Liberal Democrats of "betrayal" after it emerged that Cllr Currie had approached the SNP group about coalition talks. However, Cllr Currie denied there had been a betrayal, adding it was "not how I see things on the ground" and that "naturally" TALIG would form the administration as the largest group.
In December 2022, South Kintyre councillor Tommy MacPherson resigned from the ruling TALIG coalition citing concerns with the way the group operates. Cllr MacPherson had been elected as a Conservative councillor but sat as an independent following his resignation after being suspended from the Conservative group. In February 2023, the suspension was made permanent. Despite sitting as an independent, Cllr MacPherson remained a member of the Conservative Party.
After a national freeze in council tax was announced by First Minister Humza Yousaf, Argyll and Bute Council voted to raise council tax by 10 per cent in February 2024. A row between the ruling TALIG administration and the Strategic Opposition Partnership resulted in an attempt by the opposition to take control of the council on 4 April 2024. A tied-vote for both council leader and Provost saw the opposition group take control of the council following a cut of a deck of cards. SNP councillor Jim Lynch took over as council leader from Cllr Currie and independent councillor Dougie Philand took over as Provost from Cllr Corry. The council subsequently voted to freeze the council tax.
In February 2025, Cllr Alastair Redman was suspended by the Standards Commission for two months after making disrespectful and discriminatory comments about a child.

### 2022 Kintyre and the Islands by-election

Independent Kintyre and the Islands councillor John McAlpine died on 18 July 2022. A by-election took place on 29 September 2022 and was won by independent candidate Alastair Redman who had previously represented the ward between 2017 and 2022.
Kintyre and the Islands − 1 seat (29 September 2022) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Independent | Alastair Redman | 32.7 | 591 | 597 | 618 | 701 | 826 | 1,029 |
| | SNP | Lachie Macquarie | 29.0 | 525 | 536 | 623 | 626 | 694 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kenny MacKenzie | 14.6 | 265 | 283 | 313 | 375 | | |
| | Conservative | Hamish Stewart | 10.7 | 194 | 200 | 207 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Tom Skinner | 9.7 | 176 | 179 | | | | |
| | Labour | Gopi Ageer | 0.3 | 55 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 5,368 Valid: 1,806 Spoilt: 25 Quota: 904 Turnout: 34.1% ||||||||||
Source:

### South Kintyre by-election

Independent South Kintyre councillor Donald Kelly resigned his seat in August 2023 in protest at how the council operated. A by-election took place on 2 November 2023 and was won by his daughter, Jennifer Kelly, who also stood as an independent.
South Kintyre − 1 seat (2 November 2023) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 |
| | Independent | Jennifer Kelly | 57.3 | 913 |
| | SNP | John Richardson | 17.0 | 271 |
| | Conservative | Joe Cunningham | 13.0 | 208 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kenny MacKenzie | 11.4 | 183 |
| | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Alan McManus | 0.4 | 7 |
| Electorate: 5,088 Valid: 1,582 Spoilt: 10 Quota: 792 Turnout: 31.3% |||||
Source:

### 2024 Kintyre and the Islands by-election

Liberal Democrat Kintyre and the Islands councillor and former council leader Robin Currie died suddenly in May 2024. A by-election was held on 18 July 2024 and was won by SNP candidate Anne Horn.
Kintyre and the Islands − 1 seat (18 July 2024) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | SNP | Anne Horn | 43.4 | 728 | 731 | 793 | 832 | 1,013 |
| | Independent | Donald Kelly | 19.2 | 322 | 327 | 397 | 531 | |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Redman | 19.2 | 322 | 326 | 369 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Douglas MacDonald | 16.7 | 281 | 286 | | | |
| | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Alan McManus | 1.5 | 25 | | | | |
| Electorate: 5,406 Valid: 1,678 Spoilt: 17 Quota: 840 Turnout: 31.4% |||||||||
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