Falkirk Council - Wards and Councillors

Scottish council · Scotland · 30 seats in 9 wards · All seats elected every five years · Next election 6 May 2027

The SNP run Falkirk Council as a minority administration. The council has 30 councillors in 9 wards. Seats by party: SNP 11, Labour 8, Other 6, Conservative 4, Reform 1. The next election is on 6 May 2027.

Control

Seats by party

SNP (Minority)

30 seats - 16 for a majority

Reform 1Labour 8Conservative 4SNP 11Other 6

Seat changes since the 5 May 2022 election Other +2 Reform +1 Labour −1 Conservative −1 SNP −1

Vote share at the 5 May 2022 election (30 seats, all wards)

ShareSeats won

SNP39.7%12

Labour23.0%9

Conservative19.5%5

Other12.2%4

Green4.5%0

Lib Dem1.1%0

Next election

6 May 2027

all 30 seats up, then every five years

Largest party

SNP 11

5 short of the 16 needed for a majority

Latest by-election

Falkirk South

Labour hold, 17 October 2024 (1 since 2021)

Constituencies

1 overlap

2024Now

Voted Leave in 2016

43%

GB 52%

Wards

Who holds each ward

SNPIndependent

Coloured by the party holding most of the ward's seats today; where seats are split evenly, by the party with the higher share at the last election.

All 9 wards

Councillors and last results

Select a ward for its full results, candidates and last by-election.

Ward and councillors	Last election
Bo'ness and Blackness Ann Ritchie, David Aitchison, Stacey Devine	5 May 2022 Independent 40.6% lead 19.0 pts
Bonnybridge and Larbert Bryan Deakin, Jack Redmond, William Buchanan	5 May 2022 SNP 33.9% lead 8.7 pts
Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst Jim Flynn, Margaret Anslow, Laura Murtagh, Gary Bouse	5 May 2022 SNP 44.4% lead 19.9 pts
Denny and Banknock Brian McCabe, Paul Garner, Alf Kelly, Fiona Collie	5 May 2022 SNP 46.5% lead 25.8 pts
Falkirk North Robert Bissett, Iain Sinclair, James Bundy, Cecil Meiklejohn	5 May 2022 SNP 47.4% lead 18.5 pts
Falkirk South Sarah Patrick, Claire Aitken, Lorna Binnie	5 May 2022 SNP 41.7% lead 13.1 pts
Grangemouth Alan Nimmo, Robert Spears, David Balfour	5 May 2022 SNP 44.9% lead 21.5 pts
Lower Braes Anne Hannah, James Kerr, Gordon Forrest	5 May 2022 SNP 39.3% lead 12.3 pts
Upper Braes Claire Mackie-Brown, Siobhan Paterson, Jim Robertson	5 May 2022 SNP 34.9% lead 11.8 pts

Bo'ness and Blackness

Ann Ritchie IndependentDavid Aitchison LabourStacey Devine SNP

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)

Independent40.6%

SNP21.6%

Labour18.7%

Conservative15.1%

Scottish Green2.4%

Lib Dem1.6%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Ann Ritchie Elected	Independent	2,262	40.6%
Stacey Devine Elected	SNP	1,202	21.6%
David Aitchison Elected	Labour	1,041	18.7%
Lynn Munro	Conservative	843	15.1%
Debra Pickering	Scottish Green	136	2.4%
Nicholas William Pitts	Lib Dem	90	1.6%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Bonnybridge and Larbert

Bryan Deakin SNPJack Redmond LabourWilliam Buchanan Independent

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)

SNP33.9%

Independent25.2%

Conservative18.4%

Labour17.6%

Scottish Green4.9%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Billy Buchanan Elected	Independent	1,423	25.2%
Bryan Deakin Elected	SNP	1,212	21.5%
David Grant	Conservative	1,038	18.4%
Jack Redmond Elected	Labour	993	17.6%
Jim Muir	SNP	700	12.4%
David Robertson	Scottish Green	277	4.9%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst

Gary Bouse SNPJim Flynn ConservativeLaura Murtagh IndependentMargaret Anslow Labour

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (4 seats)

SNP44.4%

Labour24.5%

Conservative24.1%

Scottish Green4.1%

Lib Dem2.9%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Gary Bouse Elected	SNP	1,961	27.3%
Margaret Anslow Elected	Labour	1,762	24.5%
Laura Murtagh Elected	SNP	1,224	17.1%
James Flynn Elected	Conservative	1,081	15.1%
Robert Kemp	Conservative	646	9.0%
Tom McLaughlin	Scottish Green	297	4.1%
Sean McCay	Lib Dem	207	2.9%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Denny and Banknock

Alf Kelly LabourBrian McCabe IndependentFiona Collie SNPPaul Garner SNP

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (4 seats)

SNP46.5%

Labour20.7%

Conservative16.2%

Independent13.5%

Scottish Green3.1%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Paul Garner Elected	SNP	1,868	29.4%
Fiona Collie Elected	SNP	1,084	17.1%
Nigel Harris	Conservative	1,026	16.2%
Alf Kelly Elected	Labour	889	14.0%
Brian McCabe Elected	Independent	860	13.5%
James Marshall	Labour	423	6.7%
Rachel Hart	Scottish Green	200	3.1%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Falkirk North

Cecil Meiklejohn SNPIain Sinclair SNPJames Bundy ConservativeRobert Bissett Labour

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (4 seats)

SNP47.4%

Labour28.9%

Conservative13.3%

Scottish Green5.9%

Alba4.6%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Cecil Meiklejohn Elected	SNP	2,260	35.0%
Robert Bissett Elected	Labour	1,464	22.7%
James Bundy Elected	Conservative	857	13.3%
Iain Sinclair Elected	SNP	801	12.4%
Robbie Burgess	Labour	399	6.2%
Judith McLaughlin	Scottish Green	381	5.9%
Zohaib Arshad	Alba	294	4.6%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Falkirk South

Claire Aitken LabourLorna Binnie SNPSarah Patrick Conservative

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)

SNP41.7%

Conservative28.6%

Labour22.3%

Scottish Green5.7%

Independent1.8%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Lorna Catherine Binnie Elected	SNP	1,843	30.2%
Sarah Patrick Elected	Conservative	1,744	28.6%
Euan Stainbank Elected	Labour	1,364	22.3%
Emma Russell	SNP	701	11.5%
Hunter Thomson	Scottish Green	346	5.7%
Richard Wilson	Independent	108	1.8%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Last by-election, 17 October 2024

SNP31.3%

Labour30.5%

Conservative14.7%

Reform9.9%

Independent5.5%

Scottish Green4.5%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Carol Anne Beattie	SNP	1,043	31.3%
Claire Aitken Elected	Labour	1,014	30.5%
David Grant	Conservative	488	14.7%
Stuart Martin	Reform	330	9.9%
Sharron McKean	Independent	184	5.5%
Tom McLaughlin	Scottish Green	151	4.5%
Sean McCay	Lib Dem	119	3.6%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Grangemouth

Alan Nimmo IndependentDavid Balfour SNPRobert Spears Independent

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)

SNP44.9%

Labour23.4%

Conservative13.6%

Independent12.1%

Independent3.1%

Scottish Green2.4%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
David Balfour Elected	SNP	1,808	35.9%
Alan Nimmo Elected	Labour	1,179	23.4%
Mandy Bryson	Conservative	685	13.6%
Robert Spears Elected	Independent	611	12.1%
John Haston	SNP	454	9.0%
Marc Bozza	Independent	157	3.1%
Rhys Stenhouse	Scottish Green	122	2.4%
Stuart Martin	UKIP	27	0.5%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Lower Braes

Anne Hannah LabourGordon Forrest SNPJames Kerr Conservative

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)

SNP39.3%

Labour27.0%

Conservative23.3%

Scottish Green5.8%

Lib Dem3.2%

Alba1.3%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Anne Hannah Elected	Labour	1,393	27.0%
Gordon Forrest Elected	SNP	1,205	23.4%
James Kerr Elected	Conservative	1,204	23.3%
Adanna Bridget McCue	SNP	825	16.0%
Doug Sheehan	Scottish Green	298	5.8%
Ashley Hunter Ward	Lib Dem	167	3.2%
Scott Fallon	Alba	67	1.3%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Upper Braes

Claire Mackie-Brown ReformJim Robertson SNPSiobhan Paterson Labour

Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)

SNP34.9%

Labour23.1%

Conservative21.9%

Independent8.3%

Scottish Green5.6%

Lib Dem2.5%

Candidate	Party	First prefs	Share
Jim Robertson Elected	SNP	1,918	34.9%
Siobhan Paterson Elected	Labour	1,272	23.1%
Claire Brown Elected	Conservative	1,202	21.9%
John McLuckie	Independent	459	8.3%
Rachel Kidd	Scottish Green	308	5.6%
Austin Reid	Lib Dem	139	2.5%
Ian Kennedy	Independent	89	1.6%
Colin Todd	Alba	63	1.1%
Mark Andrew Tunnicliff	Independent	49	0.9%

Party shares are of first-preference votes.

Councillors

Changed party since the election

2 councillors now sit for a different party from the one they were elected for.

Ward	Councillor	Elected as	Now
Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst	Laura Murtagh	SNP 2022	Independent
Grangemouth	Alan Nimmo	Labour 2022	Independent

By-elections

Every council by-election since 2021

1 by-election since July 2021, 0 of them gains.

Date	Ward	Result	Winner's share
17 October 2024	Falkirk South	Labour hold	30.5%

Parliament

Parliamentary constituencies

Constituency	Share of council	2024 winner	Projected now
Falkirk		Labour	SNP 33%

Scottish councils: seats are listed without shares. The projection is PollCheck's demographic model at current polling, not a forecast.

People

Who lives in Falkirk

96,538 residents in 44,021 households

Voted Leave in 2016

43% 9 below GB

Degree or higher

41% 7 above GB

No qualifications

17% 1 below GB

Own their home

64% 3 above GB

Rent from a council or housing association

26% 9 above GB

Rent privately

9% 11 below GB

Aged 15 to 34

28% 3 below GB

Aged 65 and over

23% 1 above GB

GB figure. 2021 Census (Scotland: 2022): age as a share of residents aged 15 and over, qualifications of residents aged 16 and over, housing as a share of households. Leave: 2016 EU referendum, Electoral Commission results by counting area.

Similar

Councils most like this one

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Closest on the measures above: the 2016 Leave vote, age, qualifications and housing. Maps show which party holds each ward.

Sources

Sources and method

Seat totals and control: PollCheck council control tracker. Councillors: Open Council Data (CC BY-SA 4.0). Election results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), with some vote counts from DCLEAPIL, Leman (2025) (CC BY-SA 4.0), and corrections checked against councils' official declarations. Ward boundaries: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Census: Office for National Statistics and National Records of Scotland.

Councillor lists and DCLEAPIL-derived vote counts on this page are available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Scottish councils use STV: party shares are of first-preference votes. The lead is the gap between the top two parties' shares.