# 2022 Aberdeenshire Council election

Elections to Aberdeenshire Council took place on Thursday 5 May 2022 on 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 second consecutive election, the Conservatives were returned as the largest party on the council, however they fell short of an overall majority despite gaining three seats on a reduced vote share. The Scottish National Party (SNP) remained the second largest party with 21 seats on an increased vote share from 2017. The Liberal Democrats also recorded no change in councillors, returning 14, on a slightly higher vote share than in 2017. Labour and the Greens lost their only seats on the council and the number of independent councillors returned decreased by one despite the number of votes being cast for these candidates increasing slightly.
The incumbent Conservative-Liberal Democrat-independent administration retained control of the council with Cllr Mark Findlater taking over from the retiring Andy Kille as leader of the council.

## Background
### Previous election

At the previous election in 2017, the Conservatives were returned as the largest party for the first time. The Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party (SNP) had won every previous election in Aberdeenshire following the local government reforms in the 1990s. The Conservatives gained nine seats to hold 23 and leapfrog the SNP who lost seven seats, returning 21 councillors. The Liberal Democrats remained the third-largest party as they gained two seats to hold 14 while the number of independents fell by one to 10. Labour lost one seat to return one councillor and the Greens held their only seat.
2017 Aberdeenshire Council election result :
| Party | Seats | Vote share |
| Conservatives | 23 | 40.1% |
| SNP | 21 | 28.2% |
| Liberal Democrats | 14 | 14.4% |
| Independent | 10 | 10.9% |
| Labour | 1 | 4.4% |
| Green | 1 | 1.9% |
Source:

### Electoral system

The election used the 19 wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 70 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either three or four councillors, using the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system – a form of proportional representation – where candidates are ranked in order of preference.

### Composition

Since the previous election, several changes in the composition of the council occurred. Most were changes to the political affiliation of councillors including Conservative councillors Colin Pike, Jim Gifford, Lesley Berry, Jeff Hutchison, Mike Roy and Dianne Beagrie; SNP councillor Geva Blackett and Labour councillor Alison Evison, who resigned from their respective parties to become independents. Conservative councillors Sebastian Leslie and Robbie Withey were suspended from the party over unpaid council tax and assault allegations, respectively.
Conservative councillor Sandy Wallace, who resigned from the party and initially became an independent, defected to the Libertarian Party. Independent councillor Iain Sutherland joined the Conservatives and SNP councillors Alastair Bews and Leigh Wilson resigned from the party and initially became independents before defecting to the Alba Party. SNP councillor Brian Topping also defected to the Alba Party.
Four by-elections were held. The first was in Inverurie and District in October 2017 and resulted in a Conservative hold. This was followed by an SNP hold in Ellon and District in October 2020. The Conservatives gained a seat from the Lib Dems in East Garioch in June 2021. Finally, the Conservatives gained a second seat, this time from the SNP, in Mid-Formartine in August 2021.
Composition of Aberdeenshire Council :
| Party | 2017 result | Dissolution |
| Conservative | 23 | 18 |
| SNP | 21 | 16 |
| Liberal Democrats | 14 | 13 |
| Independents | 10 | 18 |
| Labour | 1 | 0 |
| Green | 1 | 1 |
| Alba | N/A | 3 |
| Libertarian | 0 | 1 |

### Retiring councillors

Retiring councilors :
| Ward | Party | Retiring councillor |
| Troup | Independent | Hamish Partridge |
| Fraserburgh and District | SNP | Charles Buchan |
| Fraserburgh and District | Conservative | Andy Kille |
| Central Buchan | Conservative | Marion Buchan |
| Central Buchan | SNP | Jim Ingram |
| Peterhead North and Rattray | SNP | Anne Allan |
| Peterhead South and Cruden | Independent | Stephen Calder |
| Peterhead South and Cruden | Conservative | Alan Fakley |
| Turriff and District | Independent | Sandy Duncan |
| West Garioch | SNP | Victoria Harper |
| Inverurie and District | Independent | Lesley Berry |
| East Garioch | Green | Martin Ford |
| Westhill and District | Conservative | Alistair McKelvie |
| Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford | Conservative | Moira Ingleby |
| Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford | Liberal Democrats | John Latham |
| Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside | Conservative | Paul Gibb |
| Banchory and Mid-Deeside | Liberal Democrats | Rosemary Bruce |
| North Kincardine | Liberal Democrats | Ian Mollison |
| Stonehaven and Lower Deeside | Libertarian | Sandy Wallace |
| Mearns | Liberal Democrats | Bill Howatson |
Source:

### Candidates

The total number of candidates increased from 116 in 2017 to 135. Unlike the previous election, the SNP did not field the highest number of candidates. After their success in the 2017 election, the Conservatives fielded a total of 33 candidates – 10 more than the previous election – while the number of SNP candidates fell from 34 to 26. Both parties, along with the Liberal Democrats, contested every ward. The number of independent candidates increased by three to 22 while the Lib Dems fielded one candidate in each of the 19 wards – the same as they did five years previous. Labour only contested 11 wards, three fewer than 2017 while the number of Green candidates increased from five to 10. For the first time, the Alba Party (seven), the Scottish Family Party (five) and the Independence for Scotland Party (ISP) (one) fielded candidates in an Aberdeenshire election. The Libertarians again put forward one candidate however the Social Democratic Party (SDP) did not contest the election as they had done in 2017.

## Results

2022 Aberdeenshire Council election result :
| Party | Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| | Conservative | 26 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 37.1 | 33.9 | 30,586 | 6.2 |
| | SNP | 21 | 2 | 2 | | 30.0 | 30.8 | 27,826 | 2.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 14 | 2 | 2 | | 20.0 | 14.7 | 13,269 | 0.3 |
| | Independent | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 12.8 | 13.3 | 11,967 | 2.4 |
| | Labour | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 3,717 | 0.3 |
| | Scottish Green | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1,815 | 0.1 |
| | Alba | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.7 | 464 | New |
| | Scottish Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.6 | 419 | New |
| | ISP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.0 | 36 | New |
| | Scottish Libertarian | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.0 | 34 | 0.0 |
| Total | Total | 70 | | | | | | 90,133 | |
Source:
Note: Votes are the sum of first preference votes across all council wards. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 4 May 2017. This is because STV has an element of proportionality which is not present unless multiple seats are being elected. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at the dissolution of Scotland's councils.

### Ward summary

Results of the 2022 Aberdeenshire Council election by ward :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | Con | Con | SNP | SNP | Lib Dem | Lib Dem | Ind | Ind | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Banff and District | 27.8 | 1 | 31.9 | 1 | 3.8 | 0 | 27.0 | 1 | 9.4 | 0 | 3 |
| Troup | 50.2 | 2 | 37.3 | 1 | 8.5 | 0 | | | 4.1 | 0 | 3 |
| Fraserburgh and District | 32.4 | 1 | 20.0 | 1 | 4.8 | 1 | 36.0 | 1 | 6.7 | 0 | 4 |
| Central Buchan | 33.3 | 1 | 31.1 | 2 | 13.0 | 1 | 11.3 | 0 | 11.3 | 0 | 4 |
| Peterhead North and Rattray | 26.7 | 1 | 29.1 | 1 | 3.7 | 0 | 38.1 | 2 | 2.4 | 0 | 4 |
| Peterhead South and Cruden | 41.3 | 1 | 46.5 | 1 | 12.2 | 1 | | | | | 3 |
| Turriff and District | 39.1 | 2 | 33.9 | 1 | 23.5 | 1 | | | 3.5 | 0 | 4 |
| Mid-Formartine | 33.3 | 1 | 33.7 | 1 | 14.9 | 1 | 18.2 | 1 | | | 4 |
| Ellon and District | 35.6 | 2 | 31.7 | 1 | 22.0 | 1 | | | 10.7 | 0 | 4 |
| West Garioch | 27.1 | 1 | 29.4 | 1 | 12.7 | 1 | 17.0 | 0 | 13.6 | 0 | 3 |
| Inverurie and District | 25.7 | 1 | 31.1 | 1 | 17.0 | 1 | 22.5 | 1 | 3.8 | 0 | 4 |
| East Garioch | 27.4 | 1 | 41.0 | 1 | 9.4 | 1 | 14.5 | 1 | 7.7 | 0 | 4 |
| Westhill and District | 39.6 | 2 | 25.1 | 1 | 26.3 | 1 | | | 9.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford | 40.4 | 2 | 34.5 | 1 | 13.9 | 1 | 2.7 | 0 | 8.4 | 0 | 4 |
| Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside | 34.5 | 1 | 21.7 | 1 | 17.5 | 0 | 22.7 | 1 | 3.7 | 0 | 3 |
| Banchory and Mid-Deeside | 42.7 | 1 | 24.0 | 1 | 21.5 | 1 | | | 11.8 | 0 | 3 |
| North Kincardine | 26.9 | 1 | 36.2 | 2 | 15.5 | 1 | 14.3 | 0 | 7.1 | 0 | 4 |
| Stonehaven and Lower Deeside | 32.0 | 2 | 27.0 | 1 | 22.7 | 1 | 8.3 | 0 | 10.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Mearns | 31.8 | 2 | 29.0 | 1 | 6.5 | 0 | 21.0 | 1 | 11.8 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 33.9 | 26 | 30.8 | 21 | 14.7 | 14 | 13.3 | 9 | 7.5 | 0 | 70 |
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 |
| Troup | | Independent | Hamish Partridge | | Conservative | Richard Menard |
| Fraserburgh and District | | SNP | Brian Topping | | Liberal Democrats | Ann Bell |
| Central Buchan | | Independent | Norman Smith | | SNP | Geoff Crowson |
| Peterhead South and Cruden | | Independent | Stephen Calder | | Liberal Democrats | Colin Alexander Simpson |
| Turriff and District | | Independent | Sandy Duncan | | Conservative | Gordon Lang |
| Ellon and District | | SNP | Anouk Kloppert | | Conservative | John Crawley |
| East Garioch | | Green | Martin Ford | | Independent | Jim Gifford |
| Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside | | Liberal Democrats | Peter Argyle | | Independent | Geva Blackett |
| North Kincardine | | Labour | Alison Evison | | SNP | Catherine Mary Victor |
| Mearns | | Liberal Democrats | Bill Howatson | | Independent | Alison Evison |

#### Notes

* ^ Note 1: In 2017, Brian Topping was elected as an SNP candidate but later defected to Alba.
* ^ Note 2: Cllr Kloppert successfully stood for election in Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside.
* ^ Note 3: In 2017, Geva Blackett was elected as an SNP candidate but later resigned from the party. The SNP held their seat in Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside at the 2022 election.
* ^ Note 4: In 2017, Cllr Evison was elected as a Labour candidate but later resigned from the party. She successfully stood for election in Mearns.

## Ward results
### Banff and District

The SNP, Conservatives and independent candidate John Cox retained the seats they won at the previous election.
Banff and District − 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 | Glen Reynolds (incumbent) | 31.9 | 1,265 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Stewart Adams | 27.8 | 1,103 | | | | | | |
| | Independent | John Cox (incumbent) | 19.8 | 787 | 834 | 862 | 892 | 921 | 950 | 1,023 |
| | Independent | Mike Roy (incumbent) | 7.2 | 285 | 299 | 318 | 326 | 368 | 401 | 487 |
| | Labour | James Low | 5.0 | 200 | 224 | 234 | 238 | 294 | 365 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sandy Leslie | 3.8 | 150 | 167 | 181 | 199 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Neil Woodward | 2.6 | 105 | 182 | 185 | 214 | 239 | | |
| | Alba | Iain Cameron | 1.8 | 73 | 106 | 108 | | | | |
| Electorate: 9,185 Valid: 3,968 Spoilt: 34 Quota: 993 Turnout: 43.6% |||||||||||
Source:

### Troup

The SNP retained the seat they won at the previous election while the Conservatives held their seat and gained one from retiring independent councillor Hamish Partridge.
Troup − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Mark Findlater (incumbent) | 42.5 | 1,305 | | | | |
| | SNP | Ross Cassie (incumbent) | 37.3 | 1,144 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Bailey | 8.5 | 260 | 299 | 378 | 546 | |
| | Conservative | Richard Menard | 7.7 | 236 | 647 | 675 | 697 | 894 |
| | Scottish Green | Simon Scott | 4.1 | 125 | 135 | 300 | | |
| Electorate: 7,641 Valid: 3,070 Spoilt: 54 Quota: 768 Turnout: 40.9% |||||||||
Source:

### Fraserburgh and District

The Conservatives and independent candidate Doreen Mair retained the seats they won at the previous election while the SNP held one of their two seats and the Liberal Democrats gained one seat from the SNP. In 2017, Brian Topping was elected as an SNP candidate before defecting to the Alba Party.
Fraserburgh and District − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Conservative | James Adams | 32.4 | 1,526 | | | | | |
| | Independent | Doreen Mair (incumbent) | 32.1 | 1,509 | | | | | |
| | SNP | Seamus Logan | 20.0 | 941 | | | | | |
| | Alba | Brian Topping (incumbent) | 5.8 | 274 | 312 | 385 | 396 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann Bell | 4.8 | 228 | 402 | 557 | 574 | 650 | 883 |
| | Independent | Paul Greenall | 3.9 | 182 | 269 | 423 | 444 | 553 | |
| | Scottish Family | John McColl | 0.9 | 43 | 76 | 94 | | | |
| Electorate: 11,604 Valid: 4,703 Spoilt: 40 Quota: 941 Turnout: 40.9% ||||||||||
Source:

### Central Buchan

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP held their only seat and gained one from independent candidate Norman Smith.
Central Buchan − 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 | Hannah Powell | 18.7 | 871 | 883 | 885 | 889 | 902 | 1,020 | | | |
| | SNP | David Mair | 16.0 | 744 | 750 | 774 | 797 | 812 | 862 | 864 | 866 | 901 |
| | SNP | Geoff Crowson | 15.1 | 705 | 710 | 740 | 788 | 810 | 843 | 844 | 845 | 881 |
| | Conservative | Steve Owen | 14.6 | 679 | 690 | 693 | 697 | 714 | 759 | 831 | 834 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Simpson (incumbent) | 13.0 | 607 | 613 | 617 | 641 | 715 | 946 | | | |
| | Independent | Norman Smith (incumbent) | 11.3 | 527 | 535 | 551 | 561 | 597 | | | | |
| | Labour | Arif Mahmood | 4.6 | 213 | 215 | 223 | 239 | | | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Jamie Cole-Hamilton | 2.9 | 135 | 138 | 145 | | | | | | |
| | Alba | Charlotte Diana Cross | 2.4 | 111 | 117 | | | | | | | |
| | Scottish Family | Joanna Moore | 1.4 | 65 | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,170 Valid: 4,657 Spoilt: 85 Quota: 932 Turnout: 42.5% |||||||||||||
Source:

### Peterhead North and Rattray

The SNP and independent candidate Alan S. Buchan retained the seats they had won at the previous election. In 2017, independent candidate Dianne Beagrie was elected as a Conservative candidate and Conservative candidate Iain Sutherland was elected as an independent candidate. Cllr Beagrie retained her seat as an independent and the Conservatives retained their seat although Iain Sutherland was not re-elected.
Peterhead North and Rattray − 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 | Leanne McWhinnie | 29.1 | 1,222 | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Dianne Beagrie (incumbent) | 23.2 | 974 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Matthew James | 14.3 | 599 | 610 | 626 | 633 | 637 | 665 | 1,125 |
| | Independent | Alan S. Buchan (incumbent) | 13.0 | 548 | 605 | 631 | 679 | 741 | 823 | 877 |
| | Conservative | Iain Sutherland (incumbent) | 12.5 | 523 | 536 | 554 | 563 | 571 | 589 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kevin Robert Anderson | 3.7 | 156 | 202 | 208 | 225 | 258 | | |
| | Alba | Trish McPherson | 2.4 | 99 | 189 | 194 | 215 | | | |
| | Independent | Sharon Bradford | 1.9 | 79 | 116 | 141 | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,821 Valid: 4,200 Spoilt: 68 Quota: 841 Turnout: 36.1% |||||||||||
Source:

### Peterhead South and Cruden

The SNP and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats gained one seat from retiring independent councillor Stephen Calder.
Peterhead South and Cruden − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | SNP | Stephen William Smith (incumbent) | 46.5 | 1,578 | | | |
| | Conservative | George Hall | 32.5 | 1,105 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Colin Alexander Simpson | 12.2 | 414 | 783 | 796 | 1,110 |
| | Conservative | Neil Johnstone | 8.8 | 298 | 371 | 595 | |
| Electorate: 9,135 Valid: 3,395 Spoilt: 59 Quota: 849 Turnout: 37.8% ||||||||
Source:

### Turriff and District

The SNP and Liberal Democrats retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Conservatives retained one seat and gained one from retiring independent councillor Sandy Duncan.
Turriff and District − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Iain Walker Taylor (incumbent) | 23.8 | 1,075 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Stirling (incumbent) | 23.5 | 1,059 | | | | |
| | SNP | Alastair Forsyth (incumbent) | 17.5 | 792 | 798 | 825 | 869 | 1,624 |
| | SNP | Susan Dubois | 16.4 | 740 | 741 | 751 | 823 | |
| | Conservative | Gordon Lang | 15.3 | 690 | 839 | 881 | 895 | 904 |
| | Scottish Green | Kathryn Louise Vincent | 3.5 | 159 | 161 | 186 | | |
| Electorate: 10,429 Valid: 4,515 Spoilt: 105 Quota: 904 Turnout: 44.3% |||||||||
Source:

### Mid-Formartine

The SNP, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and independent candidate Paul Johnston retained the seats they won at the previous election.
Mid-Formartine − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | SNP | Jenny Nicol | 19.2 | 971 | 1,597 | | | |
| | Independent | Paul Johnston (incumbent) | 18.2 | 916 | 959 | 1,131 | | |
| | Conservative | Derek Ritchie | 17.4 | 876 | 879 | 897 | 910 | 1,648 |
| | Conservative | Sheila Powell (incumbent) | 15.9 | 803 | 809 | 827 | 837 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Hassan (incumbent) | 14.9 | 752 | 782 | 934 | 1,000 | 1,048 |
| | SNP | Kenny Hutchison | 14.4 | 728 | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,612 Valid: 5,046 Spoilt: 85 Quota: 1,010 Turnout: 44.2% |||||||||
Source:

### Ellon and District

The Liberal Democrats retained the seat they had won at the previous election while the Conservatives held one and gained one from the SNP and the SNP retained one of their two seats.
Ellon and District − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Isobel Davidson (incumbent) | 22.0 | 1,205 | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Louise McAllister (incumbent) | 20.8 | 1,139 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | John Crawley | 19.1 | 1,050 | 1,063 | 1,064 | 1,070 | 1,140 | | |
| | Conservative | Gillian Owen (incumbent) | 16.5 | 906 | 935 | 936 | 946 | 993 | 1,028 | 1,202 |
| | SNP | Josh Gall | 10.9 | 599 | 612 | 645 | 772 | 871 | 873 | |
| | Labour | Mark Lappin | 6.3 | 348 | 370 | 371 | 444 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Craig William Stewart | 4.4 | 241 | 255 | 258 | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,837 Valid: 5,488 Spoilt: 76 Quota: 1,098 Turnout: 47.0% |||||||||||
Source:

### West Garioch

The SNP, Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
West Garioch − 3 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 | Moray Grant | 29.4 | 1,247 | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Sam Payne | 27.1 | 1,150 | | | | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hazel Smith (incumbent) | 12.7 | 539 | 561 | 588 | 598 | 683 | 736 | 956 | 1,318 |
| | Independent | Sheena Lonchay | 10.6 | 451 | 468 | 480 | 493 | 536 | 696 | 773 | |
| | Labour | Sasha Brydon | 7.6 | 324 | 348 | 357 | 365 | 425 | 451 | | |
| | Independent | Sebastian Leslie (incumbent) | 6.4 | 273 | 282 | 299 | 306 | 326 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Anne Mansfield | 4.3 | 182 | 251 | 253 | 279 | | | | |
| | Alba | Elaine Mitchell | 1.7 | 71 | 88 | 89 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 9,227 Valid: 4,237 Spoilt: 44 Quota: 1,060 Turnout: 46.4% ||||||||||||
Source:

### Inverurie and District

The SNP, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and independent candidate Judy Margaret Whyte retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Inverurie and District − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 |
| | Conservative | David Keating | 25.7 | 1,276 | |
| | SNP | Neil Baillie (incumbent) | 24.1 | 1,200 | |
| | Independent | Judy Margaret Whyte (incumbent) | 22.5 | 1,120 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marion Ewenson (incumbent) | 17.0 | 843 | 1,003 |
| | SNP | Archie Peebles | 6.9 | 343 | 348 |
| | Scottish Green | Denise May Rothnie | 3.8 | 187 | 195 |
| Electorate: 12,128 Valid: 4,969 Spoilt: 83 Quota: 994 Turnout: 41.7% ||||||
Source:

### East Garioch

The SNP, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Jim Gifford gained a seat from the Greens. In 2017, Cllr Gifford was elected as a Conservative candidate in Mid-Formartine.
East Garioch − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | SNP | Glen Reid (incumbent) | 41.0 | 1,727 | | | | |
| | Conservative | Dominic Lonchay (incumbent) | 27.4 | 1,156 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Trevor Booth Mason | 9.4 | 398 | 564 | 649 | 720 | 1,041 |
| | Labour | Rosanna Dobbin | 7.7 | 323 | 496 | 538 | 595 | |
| | Independent | Jim Gifford | 7.6 | 321 | 441 | 502 | 763 | 871 |
| | Independent | Drew Cullinane | 6.9 | 290 | 438 | 476 | | |
| Electorate: 10,414 Valid: 4,215 Spoilt: 24 Quota: 844 Turnout: 40.7% |||||||||
Source:

### Westhill and District

The Conservatives (2), the SNP (1) and the Liberal Democrats (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Westhill and District − 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Conservative | Ron McKail (incumbent) | 29.0 | 1,655 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Iris Margaret Walker (incumbent) | 26.3 | 1,498 | | | |
| | SNP | Fatima Joji | 25.1 | 1,430 | | | |
| | Conservative | Craig Miller | 10.6 | 605 | 1,050 | 1,135 | 1,144 |
| | Labour | Lesley Young | 7.6 | 434 | 455 | 604 | 705 |
| | Alba | Colin MacKay | 0.8 | 48 | 53 | 61 | 101 |
| | ISP | Stephen Cameron | 0.6 | 36 | 38 | 47 | 105 |
| Electorate: 12,033 Valid: 5,706 Spoilt: 58 Quota: 1,142 Turnout: 47.9% ||||||||
Source:

### Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford

The Conservatives (2), the SNP (1) and the Liberal Democrats (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford − 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 | Gwyneth Petrie (incumbent) | 34.5 | 1,945 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Lauren Knight | 26.5 | 1,491 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Robbie Withey (incumbent) | 14.0 | 788 | 820 | 1,047 | 1,055 | 1,092 | 1,094 | 1,277 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeff Goodhall | 13.9 | 784 | 976 | 1,021 | 1,033 | 1,143 | | |
| | Labour | Bryan Scott Begg | 7.8 | 441 | 630 | 651 | 655 | 728 | 735 | |
| | Independent | Rosie Leagas | 2.7 | 152 | 264 | 276 | 298 | | | |
| | Scottish Libertarian | Stuart Whitby | 0.6 | 34 | 58 | 62 | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,148 Valid: 5,635 Spoilt: 79 Quota: 1,128 Turnout: 47.0% |||||||||||
Source:

### Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside

The Conservatives and the SNP retained the seats they had won at the previous election. In 2017, Geva Blackett was elected as an SNP candidate but subsequently resigned from the party. She retained her seat as an independent candidate while the Liberal Democrats lost their seat.
Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Independent | Geva Blackett (incumbent) | 22.7 | 1,098 | 1,127 | 1,173 | 1,272 | | |
| | SNP | Anouk Kloppert | 21.7 | 1,049 | 1,091 | 1,098 | 1,104 | 1,118 | 1,459 |
| | Conservative | Sarah Brown | 21.3 | 1,029 | 1,040 | 1,571 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Argyle (incumbent) | 17.5 | 846 | 908 | 950 | 1,064 | 1,091 | |
| | Conservative | Claudia Leith | 13.2 | 640 | 653 | | | | |
| | Labour | John Lawson | 3.7 | 179 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 9,066 Valid: 4,841 Spoilt: 40 Quota: 1,211 Turnout: 53.8% ||||||||||
Source:

### Banchory and Mid-Deeside

The Conservatives, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats retained the seats they won at the previous election.
Banchory and Mid-Deeside − 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Conservative | Ann Ross (incumbent) | 25.1 | 1,211 | | | |
| | SNP | Eileen Durno (incumbent) | 24.0 | 1,158 | 1,158 | 1,161 | 1,264 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Yi-Pei Chou Turvey | 21.5 | 1,040 | 1,040 | 1,049 | 1,340 |
| | Conservative | Harriet Cross | 17.6 | 852 | 854 | 867 | 924 |
| | Labour | Andy Brown | 11.1 | 536 | 536 | 542 | |
| | Scottish Family | Graeme Craib | 0.7 | 35 | 35 | | |
| Electorate: 9,105 Valid: 4,832 Spoilt: 38 Quota: 1,209 Turnout: 53.5% ||||||||
Source:

### North Kincardine

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP retained their seat and gained one from Labour. In 2017, independent candidates Colin Pike and Alastair Bews were elected as Conservative and SNP councillors respectively before resigning from their parties. Neither was re-elected.
North Kincardine − 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 |
| | SNP | David Aitchison | 21.6 | 1,182 | | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Shirley Burnett | 15.6 | 855 | 856 | 863 | 898 | 906 | 1,457 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mel Sullivan | 15.5 | 850 | 852 | 864 | 896 | 993 | 1,016 | 1,126 | | |
| | SNP | Catherine Mary Victor | 14.6 | 799 | 865 | 870 | 903 | 1,052 | 1,053 | 1,059 | 1,064 | 1,214 |
| | Conservative | Jeff Hutchison | 11.3 | 620 | 621 | 626 | 633 | 637 | | | | |
| | Independent | Colin Pike (incumbent) | 9.6 | 527 | 528 | 534 | 649 | 684 | 718 | 804 | 815 | |
| | Scottish Green | Louise Claire Ross | 5.7 | 314 | 319 | 335 | 348 | | | | | |
| | Independent | Alastair Bews (incumbent) | 4.7 | 255 | 259 | 269 | | | | | | |
| | Scottish Family | Elizabeth Wilson Leslie | 1.4 | 75 | 76 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,478 Valid: 5,477 Spoilt: 80 Quota: 1,096 Turnout: 44.5% |||||||||||||
Source:

### Stonehaven and Lower Deeside

The Conservatives (2), the SNP (1) and the Liberal Democrats (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Stonehaven and Lower Deeside − 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 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sarah Dickinson (incumbent) | 22.7 | 1,263 | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Wendy Agnew (incumbent) | 20.6 | 1,147 | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Dawn Black | 17.1 | 951 | 968 | 969 | 1,024 | 1,104 | 1,215 | | |
| | Conservative | Alan Turner | 11.3 | 630 | 652 | 677 | 681 | 721 | 852 | 854 | 1,018 |
| | SNP | Dennis Robertson (incumbent) | 9.9 | 550 | 564 | 564 | 601 | 644 | 721 | 808 | |
| | Independent | Ma Simpson | 8.3 | 462 | 489 | 491 | 518 | 631 | | | |
| | Labour | Raymond James Christie | 6.9 | 383 | 412 | 415 | 453 | | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Rachel Katherine Shanks | 3.1 | 173 | 192 | 192 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,356 Valid: 5,559 Spoilt: 86 Quota: 1,112 Turnout: 49.7% ||||||||||||
Source:

### Mearns

The Conservatives (2) and the SNP (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Alison Elizabeth McBean Evison gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats. Cllr Evison was previously a councillor for North Kincardine. In 2017, Alba Party candidate Leigh Wilson was elected as an SNP candidate. He was not re-elected.
Mearns − 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 | Kevin Stelfox | 29.0 | 1,677 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | George Carr (incumbent) | 21.0 | 1,217 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Alison Elizabeth McBean Evison | 10.8 | 623 | 663 | 667 | 674 | 699 | 730 | 792 | 894 | 1,111 | 1,349 |
| | Conservative | Laurie Carnie | 10.7 | 619 | 625 | 668 | 681 | 689 | 695 | 724 | 741 | 825 | 924 |
| | Independent | Dave Stewart | 8.9 | 513 | 546 | 550 | 558 | 573 | 592 | 622 | 672 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Shona Ewen | 6.5 | 377 | 413 | 415 | 418 | 422 | 430 | 561 | 680 | 789 | |
| | Labour | Yvonne Allan | 5.8 | 336 | 392 | 393 | 396 | 399 | 412 | | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Douglas Fraser | 3.4 | 194 | 375 | 376 | 380 | 398 | 447 | 506 | | | |
| | Alba | Leigh Wilson (incumbent) | 1.7 | 99 | 171 | 171 | 179 | 186 | | | | | |
| | Independent | David Allan Neill | 1.3 | 75 | 86 | 86 | 87 | | | | | | |
| | Scottish Family | Diane Elizabeth Laurenson | 0.9 | 52 | 56 | 56 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,170 Valid: 5,782 Spoilt: 57 Quota: 1,157 Turnout: 47.7% ||||||||||||||
Source:

## Aftermath

On 18 May 2022, a coalition deal was announced between the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and seven aligned independents to form the council administration. The following day, as part of the deal, Cllr Mark Findlater, Conservative councillor for the Troup ward, was appointed council leader with Cllr Anne Stirling from the Liberal Democrats becoming depute leader and Independent councillor Judy Whyte was elected Provost.
In 2023, Peterhead South and Cruden councillor George Hall left the Conservatives to sit as an independent.
The opposition SNP group suspended Cllr Catherine Victor in February 2024 for sharing an anti-Semitic post on social media.
During the council's budget meeting in February 2024, Conservative councillor Ann Ross quit the party to sit as an independent in protest at the proposed budget which would be "detrimental" to her ward.

### November 2024 by-elections

In September 2024, newly-elected Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan stood down as councillor for Fraserburgh and District. His fellow SNP councillors Kevin Stelfox - councillor for Mearns - and David Mair - councillor for Central Buchan - also announced their decisions to stand down. All three by-elections, held on 7 November 2024, were won by the Conservative candidates - Iain Sutherland, Tracey Smith and Peter Chapman.
Fraserburgh and District by-election (7 November 2024) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Iain Sutherland | 36.3 | 1,145 | 1,158 | 1,225 | 1,556 | 1,884 |
| | SNP | Mike McDonald | 28.4 | 895 | 915 | 966 | 1,113 | |
| | Reform UK | Conrad Ritchie | 25.9 | 817 | 829 | 864 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sandy Leslie | 7.0 | 222 | 233 | | | |
| | Scottish Family | Dawn Smith | 2.2 | 71 | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,584 Valid: 3,150 Quota: 1,576 Turnout: 27.4% |||||||||
Source:
Central Buchan by-election (7 November 2024) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Peter Chapman | 41.3 | 1,260 | 1,272 | 1,292 | 1,430 | 1,614 |
| | SNP | Sarah Wilken | 28.5 | 869 | 879 | 897 | 925 | 1,069 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Bailey | 14.3 | 435 | 452 | 463 | 507 | |
| | Reform UK | Andrew Curwen | 10.8 | 331 | 338 | 358 | | |
| | Scottish Family | Phil Reynolds | 2.7 | 83 | 89 | | | |
| | Independent | Dean Ward | 2.3 | 71 | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,408 Valid: 3,049 Quota: 1,525 Turnout: 27.0% |||||||||
Source:
Mearns by-election (7 November 2024) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Conservative | Tracey Smith | 39.2 | 1,347 | 1,350 | 1,494 | 1,768 |
| | SNP | Hannah Scott | 24.0 | 823 | 891 | 928 | 1,181 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Isobel Knights | 21.7 | 745 | 788 | 851 | |
| | Reform UK | Claudia Leith | 10.9 | 375 | 384 | | |
| | Scottish Green | William Linegar | 4.0 | 136 | | | |
| Electorate: 12,414 Valid: 3,435 Quota: 1,718 Turnout: 27.8% ||||||||
Source: