Councils across Scotland starting to take shape after days of negotiations

Elections: The negotiations have been on going since the results last week.

Councils across Scotland are starting to take shape after days of negotiations between the parties.

Most of Scotland's 32 councils ended up with no party in overall control as a result of the single transferable vote form of proportional representation used in the elections.

That means deals are under way across the country to determine where power will lie.

On Monday it was announced Labour and the SNP would be teaming up to run the City of Edinburgh Council for the next five years. Previously a Liberal Democrat and SNP coalition, the LibDems lost 14 councillors in last week’s elections.

Labour is now the largest group on the authority, with 20 councillors, ahead of the SNP's 18, 11 Tories and six Greens.

The leader and lord provost will come from the Labour party and the SNP will nominate a deputy leader and deputy lord provost. These will be decided on the first full council meeting on May 17.

In East Lothian, Labour and the Conservatives are set to work together, along with one independent councillor. Labour have ten elected members at the local authority and the Tories have three. The LibDems lost all their representatives.

A Labour minority has been agreed for West Lothian.

In Midlothian, the SNP and an independent, Peter de Vink, will join forces to run the council for the next five years. Green party councillors Ian Baxter has said he will lend his support to the coalition. It is the first time in 84 years Labour has not been in power there.

In the west, Labour is also planning to run Inverclyde Council as a minority administration.

Negotiations are still ongoing at Aberdeen City Council where Labour won the most councillors. They have 17, two more than the SNP, and need 22 to form an administration.

The LibDems have five seats and the Tories have three. It is understood Labour have ended talks with the LibDems as they could not come to an agreement over a number of issues.

Last week's elections left Labour as the largest party in 14 local authorities. This includes four local authorities where it has an overall majority.

The SNP is the largest political party in 11 councils - but this includes three authorities where there are more independent councillors, and one authority which has the same number of SNP and independents.

There are also two councils where the Tories are the largest group.

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