Elections 2022: Taking a look at voter turnout in Glasgow

Thousands of seats are to be contested on Thursday, May 5, when residents up and down the country will decide who they want to make important decisions on their behalf.

In Scotland, those on the electoral roll in every council area will be able to take part in the elections in just a few days’ time.

We’ve taken a look at what turnout was like across Glasgow when voters last headed to the polls to vote for their chosen ward councillors.

Electoral Commission data shows that at the last local council elections in 2017, 453,930 people in the area were eligible to vote, with 171,465 of them returning valid ballot papers – equating to a valid voter turnout of 37.8%.

Around 42,800 postal votes were included in the count, while 5,730 votes were rejected, which can occur if a paper is not marked properly or has been spoiled.

Including votes rejected at the count, the ballot box turnout in Glasgow that year was 39.0%, which was lower than the Scotland average of 46.9%.

National issues such as the surging cost of living, Ukraine and partygate will be on voters’ minds this year – but residents across Great Britain still want councils to focus on improving local roads and housing, according to a poll.

A survey carried out by Ipsos ahead of the May 5 elections found 50% of Britons thought improving the condition of roads and pavements should be a top priority for councils.

That figure rose to 60% in Wales and 63% in Scotland, while in London only a third of people thought roads were a priority.

Second on the list was providing affordable, decent housing, with 39% of voters telling Ipsos this area was most in need of improvement.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos, said: “Although most people are pretty happy with where they live, they still want to see improvements, particularly on roads, housing, high streets and the local cost of living – all of which are regular bugbears for residents.

“And these can all vary by where you live, for example, crime is a particular issue in London, while in the rest of the South East of England, traffic congestion is a bigger priority.”