Voters in two Aberdeen wards will go to the polls today to elect the city’s newest councillors.
A total of 10 candidates are battling it out for the chance to represent the Kincorth-Nigg-Cove and Hilton-Woodside-Stockethill areas.
The contests have been triggered by the election in May of former SNP councillors Kirsty Blackman and Callum McCaig as the new MPs for Aberdeen North and South.
They will be the first by-elections at the city council since June 2011, when the SNP’s Gordon Townson won in Airyhall, Broomhill and Garthdee.
That election was triggered by the jailing of former councillor Scott Cassie for embezzlement, and led to the resignation of former local authority leader John Stewart after the SNP overtook the Liberal Democrat group to become the biggest city council group.
The results from today’s by-elections are unlikely to cause any such drama, however, with the ruling Labour-Independent-Conservative administration currently enjoying a five-seat lead over the SNP and Liberal Democrat opposition groups.
The names of the two wards have changed since the last council elections in 2012, but the boundaries remain the same.
Both seats were effectively a straight shoot-out between Labour and the SNP three years ago.
In the formerly-named Hilton and Stockethill seat, Labour’s George Adam topped the first preference votes, followed by SNP candidates in second and third.
The previously-titled Kincorth and Loirston ward was won by Nationalist Mr McCaig, with Labour’s Neil Cooney not far behind, and independent Andy Finlayson in third.
With the SNP continuing to ride high in the national polls, the party is considered the clear front-runner to retain both seats.
Polling stations will open today at 7am and close at 10pm.
In Hilton-Woodside-Stockethill, the Conservative candidate is Roy Alastair Begg, the SNP’s is Neil Copland, Peter Kennedy for the Green Party, Charlie Pirie is Labour’s candidate, Jonathan Waddell is for the Liberal Democrats.
In Kincorth-Nigg-Cove, the Labour candidate will be Donna Clark, the SNP’s is Stephen Flynn, Ken McLeod is the Lib Dems’ , Philip Patrick Sellar for the Conservatives, and Dan Yeats for the Greens.
The votes will be counted and the results will be announced at the Beach Ballroom tomorrow morning.
Two further by-elections are expected to be held in October, with SNP George Street and Harbour councillor Andy May planning to retire, and “non-aligned” Midstocket and Rosemount member Fraser Forsyth due to quit, having relocated his family to York.