page_title: Aberdeen City Council
section_title: Composition
hierarchical_section_title: Aberdeen City Council / Composition
caption_attribution_description: English: Aberdeen City Council Chamber in the Town House Extension. The Town House Extension was built in 1977. Photo taken when the chamber was open for Doors Open Day
context_page_description: Aberdeen City Council represents the Aberdeen City council area of Scotland.
  The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. Act 1994. However, a sense of Aberdeen as a city, with its own city council, can be traced back to 1900, when the county of the city of Aberdeen was created.
  In 1975, under the Local Government Act 1973, counties of cities were abolished. The area of the former county of a city was combined with Bucksburn, Dyce, Newhills, Old Machar, Peterculter and the Stoneywood areas of the county of Aberdeen, and the Nigg area of the county of Kincardine, to form the Aberdeen district of the Grampian region. This district became the now existing unitary council area in 1996.
  On 9 May 1995, by resolution under section 23 of the Local Government Act 1973, the City of Aberdeen Council changed the name of the local government area of "City of Aberdeen" to "Aberdeen City".
context_section_description: Between 2003 and 2007, the council was under the control of a Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition, holding 23 of the 43 seats on the council. Prior to the 2003 election, the council had been considered a Labour stronghold. Following the May 2007 election, contested for the first time using a system of proportional representation, the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party (SNP) formed a coalition to run the council, holding 27 of the 43 seats (following an SNP by election gain from the Conservatives on 16 August 2007, the coalition held 28 of the 43 seats). Two Liberal Democrat councillors became independents during this period due to personal controversies, while the Conservative group split in August 2010, with two councillors forming the Independent Alliance Group.
  After the May 2012 election, the control of the council shifted back to the Labour Party, supported in a coalition by three Conservative and three Independent councillors, giving the administration 23 seats.
  The Labour/Conservative/Independent coalition continued after the 2017 election, but with a change in the balance of power within the coalition. Labour were reduced to nine councillors (subsequently suspended from membership by the Scottish Labour Party for forming a coalition with the Conservatives), whilst the Conservatives had eleven councillors elected. These Conservative and suspended "Aberdeen Labour" councillors were joined in coalition by three Independent councillors, one of who had left the Liberal Democrats just days after the council election.
  Aberdeen City Council comprises 45 councillors, who represent the city's wards, and is headed by the Lord Provost. The Council has Co-Leaders as a result of the coalition agreement. Douglas Lumsden and Jenny Laing are the current Co-Leaders.
  Political composition:
  Scottish National Party - 19 councillors
  Independent - 12 councillors
  Conservatives - 11 councillors
  Liberal Democrats - 3 councillors
  Chief Officials:
  Chief Executive - Angela Scott
  Director of Resources - Stephen Whyte
  Chief Officer - Governance - Fraser Bell
caption: Aberdeen City Council Chamber
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