# 1956 Aberdeen Corporation election

An election to the Aberdeen Corporation was held on 1 May 1956, alongside municipal elections across Scotland. 12 of the corporation's 37 seats were up for election, although only 6 were contested.
This election set a record for low turnout rate for the third year in a row, with turnout dropping to below 20% for the first time ever. While just shy of 13,000 electors voted in this election, the estimated attendance at the Aberdeen F.C. match just three days prior was 16,000. From 1952 to 1955, the Scottish nationalist vote was captured by the Scottish Self-Government Party. In this election, members and former candidates switched to supporting either the Scottish National Party or the Scottish National Congress. These new affiliations and record low turnout resulted in a much closer race in the St. Nicholas ward, with Labour's majority dropping from 921 to 366.

## Ward results

Cairncry :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | John McM. Watt (incumbent) | 2,058 | 81.06 |
| | Scottish National Congress | William Sinclair | 481 | 18.94 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,577 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,539 | 14.41 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Ferryhill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressives | A. McRobb (incumbent) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold |
Holburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressives | W. D. Reid (incumbent) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold |
Rosemount :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressives | James Thomson (incumbent) | 2,091 | 76.76 |
| | Labour | Norman D. Fraser | 633 | 23.24 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,458 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,724 | 31.58 |
| | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold |
Rubislaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressives | J. Scott MacLachlan (incumbent) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold |
Ruthrieston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressives | T. Scott Sutherland (incumbent) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold | Progressives hold |
St. Andrews :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | R. McG. Bruce (incumbent) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
St. Clements :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | William K. Park (incumbent) | 1,326 | 87.01 |
| | Communist | Margaret Rose | 198 | 12.99 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,128 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,524 | 16.18 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
St. Machar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | John D. Burgoyne (incumbent) | 1,304 | 82.12 |
| | Communist | Andrew Smith | 284 | 17.88 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,020 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,588 | 17.40 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
St. Nicholas :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Robert A. McIntyre (incumbent) | 892 | 62.91 |
| | SNP | Thomas W. Crockett | 526 | 37.09 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 366 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,418 | 12.67 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Torry :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ellen Williamson | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Woodside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Sidney Fyfe | 1,655 | 52.37 |
| | Progressives | Thomas H. Murdoch | 1,505 | 47.63 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 150 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,160 | 29.29 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |