Labour win three Glasgow City Council by-elections

Voters went to the polls in the Drumchapel/Anniesland, Maryhill and North East wards on Thursday, following the resignation of three Labour councillors.

Mary McNab (North East) and Davena Rankin (Drumchapel/Anniesland) held the seats vacated by Maureen Burke and Patricia Ferguson after they were elected to Westminster in July.

Marie Garrity, an ex-Labour councillor in the east end, will return to the city chambers as she was voted in as a representative for Maryhill. She replaces Keiran O’Neill, who stepped down after taking a job with the GMB union in London.

Turnout was low in all three wards, with only 12.4% of the electorate voting in North East. There was also a strong performance from Reform UK.

Council elections are held under the single transferable vote system. Labour picked up the most first preference votes in all three wards and remained ahead after transfers had been taken into account.

The SNP was second in each ward, with Reform third. At the last council elections in 2022, Labour had the most first preference votes in Drumchapel/Anniesland and North East while the SNP took the most in Maryhill.

After Thursday’s votes, there are 36 SNP and 34 Labour councillors in Glasgow. The Greens have 11, the Conservatives have two and there is one independent. Another by-election will be held on December 5, following the death of long-serving SNP councillor Kenny McLean.

Cllr Redmond said it had been “a resounding victory” for Glasgow Labour. “The people in Glasgow have told us in no uncertain terms that they are not happy with the city council, they are not happy with the services or the state of the city centre.

“Homelessness is a serious issue, teachers being cut, the state of our roads. Cleansing services are really, really poor. They are telling us they need a change in Glasgow, and the change is Glasgow Labour.

“The people of this city, in the last number of elections, have actually said ‘we want Glasgow Labour to represent us’. You either step up or get out. That’s the message to the SNP in Glasgow.”

He admitted cuts to the winter fuel allowance by Labour at Westminster had been raised on the doorstep, but added people still had “confidence and faith in Labour and were willing to go out and put their vote there”.

On Reform’s performance and the low turnouts, he said: “There is dissatisfaction with politics and politicians.

“I think there is a real frustration in Glasgow. Frustration about the SNP administration here, but also people worried about their fuel bills, homelessness, their jobs.”

Turnout in Maryhill was 19.3% while in Drumchapel/Anniesland it was 15.3%.

Cllr Rankin, a former Conservative candidate who joined Labour in 2011, said she was “humbled” to be elected to represent “the area that I was born in and still live in”. “I cannot express how proud I am that people have put their trust in me to represent them and hopefully make a difference.”

“Voters felt neglected by the SNP, they felt let down by the city council. It’s the bread and butter issues, like the streets are a mess. There’s flooding in various areas because the gullies are not being cleaned.”

Cllr Garrity, who said she had spent over 40 years of her life in Maryhill, added she was “absolutely delighted to be back” as a councillor.

“The people of Maryhill are not happy with the service they are getting,” she said. “They deserve better and I’m going to give them better hopefully.

“I’m over the moon they put their faith in me and I’m going to do my best for them.”

Cllr McNab said she was “overwhelmed but glad” to have received the backing of the area where she is from. She promised to work hard for her community and said voters were “sick of the SNP”.