# 2022 West Dunbartonshire Council election

The 2022 West Dunbartonshire Council election was held on 5 May 2022, on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used the six wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 22 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system - a form of proportional representation.
The SNP minority administration formed after the 2017 election was replaced with a new Labour majority administration.

## Results

2022 West Dunbartonshire Council election result :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 12 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 54.5 | 41.9 | 12,473 | 8.3 |
| SNP | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 40.9 | 42.6 | 12,676 | 2.5 |
| West Dunbartonshire Community | 1 | 0 | 0 | | 4.5 | 4.9 | 1,462 | 2.9 |
| Conservative | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 8.9 | 2,644 | 3.6 |
| Scottish Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.7 | 206 | 0.4 |
| Scottish Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.4 | 121 | New |
| TUSC | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.2 | 73 | New |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 51 | 5.1 |
| Scottish Libertarian | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.2 | 45 | New |
| Sovereignty | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.1 | 30 | New |

## Ward results
### Lomond

* 2017: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon
* 2022: 2xLab; 1xSNP
* 2017-2022 Change: Lab gain one seat from Con
Lomond - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | SNP | Jonathan McColl (incumbent) | 34.5 | 1,494 | | | | |
| | Labour | Martin Rooney (incumbent) | 21.7 | 938 | 1,017.4 | 1,163.1 | | |
| | Labour | Hazel Sorrell | 16.6 | 719 | 782.1 | 969.3 | 1,035.0 | 1,433.5 |
| | Conservative | Sally Page (incumbent) | 15.4 | 666 | 680.9 | 731.0 | 735.2 | |
| | West Dunbartonshire Community | Drew MacEoghainn | 11.8 | 509 | 620.7 | | | |
| Electorate: 9,111 Valid: 4,326 Spoilt: 75 Quota: 1,082 Turnout: 48.3% |||||||||

### Leven

* 2017: 2xSNP; 1xWDCP; 1xLab
* 2022: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xWDCP;
* 2017-2022 Change: Lab gain one from SNP
Leven - 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 | Ian Dickson (incumbent) | 25.7 | 1,494 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | John Millar (incumbent) | 18.7 | 1,089 | 1,095.2 | 1,101.2 | 1,116.8 | 1,184.3 | | |
| | Labour | Michelle McGinty | 16.4 | 956 | 963.3 | 966.3 | 997.8 | 1,116.8 | 1,130.7 | 1,280.3 |
| | West Dunbartonshire Community | Jim Bollan (incumbent) | 16.4 | 953 | 972.2 | 988.4 | 1,047.1 | 1,136.1 | 1,138.2 | 1,500.6 |
| | SNP | Ronnie McColl | 11.2 | 653 | 913.3 | 917.3 | 1,007.6 | 1,017.3 | 1,017.9 | |
| | Conservative | Matthew Dillon | 7.2 | 420 | 421.1 | 432.1 | 439.3 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Paula Baker | 3.5 | 206 | 226.5 | 231.7 | | | | |
| | Independent | Sian Wilkie | 0.9 | 51 | 51.7 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 13,820 Valid: 5,822 Spoilt: 129 Quota: 1,165 Turnout: 43.1% |||||||||||

### Dumbarton

* 2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon
* 2022: 2xLab; 2xSNP
* 2017-2022 Change: Lab gain one from Con
Dumbarton - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Karen Conoghan (incumbent) | 33.8 | 2,171 | | | | | |
| | Labour | David McBride (incumbent) | 31.8 | 2,045 | | | | | |
| | Labour | Gurpreet Singh Johal | 14.5 | 950 | 987 | 1,546.5 | | | |
| | Conservative | Brian Walker (incumbent) | 9.4 | 601 | 602.9 | 642.4 | 682.5 | 686.5 | 696.4 |
| | SNP | Chris Pollock | 8.2 | 592 | 1,246.2 | 1,265.4 | 1,291.8 | 1,295.8 | 1,305.8 |
| | TUSC | Lynda McEwan | 1.1 | 73 | 86.9 | 99.9 | 123.0 | 127.7 | 137.4 |
| | Scottish Libertarian | Johnathan Rainey | 0.7 | 45 | 49.7 | 54.8 | 62.3 | 68.5 | |
| | Sovereignty | Kelly Wilson | 0.5 | 30 | 30.8 | 32.2 | 34.3 | | |
| Electorate: 13,336 Valid: 6,524 Spoilt: 163 Quota: 1,305 Turnout: 50.1% ||||||||||

### Kilpatrick

* 2017: 2xLab; 1xSNP
* 2022: 2xLab; 1xSNP
* 2017-2022 Change: no change
Kilpatrick - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 |
| | Labour | Douglas McAllister (incumbent) | 49.1 | 1,903 | |
| | SNP | Gordon Scanlan | 25.4 | 986 | |
| | SNP | Marina Scanlan | 12.5 | 486 | 524.2 |
| | Labour | Lawrence O'Neill (incumbent) | 7.0 | 272 | 1,020.6 |
| | Conservative | David Jardine | 5.9 | 229 | 269.7 |
| Electorate: 8,987 Valid: 4,059 Spoilt: 183 Quota: 970 Turnout: 45.2% ||||||

### Clydebank Central

* 2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
* 2022: 2xSNP; 2xLab
* 2017-2022 Change: Lab gain one seat from Independent
Clydebank Central - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | SNP | Diane Docherty (incumbent) | 41.0 | 1,903 | | | |
| | Labour | Craig Edward | 25.8 | 1,199 | | | |
| | Labour | Claire Steel | 13.9 | 645 | 717.7 | 900.7 | 1,137.8 |
| | SNP | Sophie Traynor | 11.1 | 531 | 1,367.8 | | |
| | Conservative | Liam Wilson | 7.9 | 366 | 368.6 | 384.2 | 390.5 |
| Electorate: 11,820 Valid: 4,848 Spoilt: 204 Quota: 929 Turnout: 41.0% ||||||||

### Clydebank Waterfront

* 2017: 2xSNP; 2xLab
* 2022: 2xSNP; 2xLab
* 2017-2022 Change: no change
Clydebank Waterfront - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | James McElhill | 31.8 | 1,493 | | | | | |
| | Labour | Daniel Lennie (incumbent) | 25.9 | 1,217 | | | | | |
| | SNP | Lauren Oxley | 16.3 | 767 | 1,179.9 | | | | |
| | Labour | June McKay | 11.5 | 540 | 571.5 | 811.4 | 822.1 | 868 | 1,093.5 |
| | Conservative | Holly Moscrop | 7.7 | 362 | 367.2 | 374.2 | 376.6 | 403.9 | |
| | SNP | Jacob Toland | 4.2 | 196 | 255.3 | 259.5 | 475.1 | 493.2 | 500.8 |
| | Scottish Family | Brian Michael Lally | 2.6 | 121 | 125.4 | 129.5 | 130.6 | | |
| Electorate: 11,537 Valid: 4,696 Spoilt: 158 Quota: 940 Turnout: 42.1% ||||||||||

## Aftermath

Labour won twelve seats, giving them the majority they needed to regain control of the council from the SNP, who had won control in 2017. Martin Rooney was appointed Council Leader, with Michelle McGinty serving as his deputy.
Clydebank Central SNP councillor Diane Docherty quit the SNP group in January 2023, and now sits as an Independent.
In July 2024 Labour councillor and Provost Douglas McAllister was elected to Parliament for the West Dunbartonshire constituency during the 2024 United Kingdom general election, and as such stood back from being Provost.
Ex-council leader Dumbarton SNP councillor Jonathon McColl quit the SNP group on 19 August 2024, and now sits as an Independent.
Clydebank Waterfront Labour councillors Daniel Lennie and June McKay quit the Labour group in August 2024, and now sit as Independents. This resulted in the Labour group losing control of the council. However in September 2024, it was announced that Labour will retain control of the council as a minority administration, as opposition councillors were unable to form a coalition administration.
On 28 August 2024, Dumbarton councillor Karen Murray Conaghan was elected to serve as the new Provost, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the history of the council.

### Clydebank Central by-election

A by-election was held on 13 June 2024 after Clydebank Central Labour councillor Craig Edward was removed from the party group after being charged with possession of indecent images and had resigned as a councillor after pleading guilty. It was won by the Labour candidate Fiona Hennebry.
Clydebank Central by-election (13 June 2024) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Labour | Fiona Hennebry | 49.6 | 1,398 | 1,400 | 1,404 | 1,425 |
| | SNP | Marina Scanlan | 38.9 | 1,095 | 1,099 | 1,118 | 1,127 |
| | Conservative | Ewan McGinnigle | 4.4 | 125 | 126 | 126 | 130 |
| | Independent | Andrew Muir | 3.1 | 87 | 87 | 91 | 98 |
| | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Kai Robert Murray Pyper | 1.8 | 52 | 56 | 59 | |
| | Communist | Nathan Hennebry | 1.7 | 47 | 47 | | |
| | Independent | Kelly Wilson | 0.4 | 12 | | | |
| Electorate: 11,702 Valid: 2,816 Spoilt: 29 Quota: 1,409 Turnout: 24.3% ||||||||

### Kilpatrick by-election

In September 2024 Labour councillor and newly elected Member of Parliament Douglas McAllister resigned as a councillor. A by-election was held in the Kilpatrick ward on 28 November 2024.
Kilpatrick by-election (28 November 2024) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Labour | William Rooney | 42.75 | 725 | 731 | 736 | 753 | 782 | 814 |
| | SNP | Marina Scanlan | 30.31 | 514 | 514 | 518 | 523 | 559 | 564 |
| | Reform UK | David Haydn Smith | 10.38 | 176 | 178 | 184 | 186 | 191 | 200 |
| | Conservative | Ewan McGinnigle | 5.72 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 102 | 103 |
| | Scottish Green | Paula Baker | 4.30 | 73 | 83 | 84 | 95 |
| | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Kai O'Connor | 3.71 | 63 | 64 | 66 |
| | Scottish Family | Andrew Muir | 1.47 | 25 | 25 |
| | Communist | Dylan McAllister | 1.36 | 23 |
| Electorate: 8,879 Valid: 1,696 Spoilt: 9 Quota: 849 Turnout: 19.2% ||||||||||