We asked Aberdeen council candidates and leaders to answer your burning questions about vital public services in the city – and the decisions they take in your name.
It’s all part of our effort to put local issues at the heart of the council election on May 5.
In this special one-off Aberdeen City Council election special we quizzed candidates on the debacle over the cancelled “soft reopening” of Union Terrace Gardens and the future of Union Street.
We also dug into:
- The future of the oil and gas industry and plans for the just transition
- Fairer funding for Aberdeen and the wider north-east region
- Support for the local arts scene
- Proposals to reinstate rail links across the north-east
Your questions for the Aberdeen City Council candidates:
To help you make an informed choice at the ballot box, we put your questions to:
- Alex Nicoll – SNP group leader and candidate
- Guy Ingerson – Scottish Greens candidate
- Ian Yuill – Liberal Democrat group leader and candidate
- Jenny Laing – Leader of Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen Labour councillor (not standing for re-election this year but standing in for deputy leader Ross Grant at short notice)
- Ryan Houghton – Scottish Conservative group leader and candidate
Aberdeen City Council is run – for now – by a coalition of Labour, Conservative and Independent politicians, despite the SNP being the biggest party on the council.
The controversial coalition led to the suspension of nine Labour councillors from their party for joining forces with the Tories to rule the council.
You can find a full list of the candidates standing in Aberdeen here.
Read more of our election coverage:
- All you need to know about 2022 Scottish local council elections
- What does a local authority do, and where does my tax get spent?
- How does the single transferable vote system work?
- 18 councillors are already elected ahead of May vote – here’s why you should be alarmed
- Council tax 2022-23: How your charges compare with the rest of Scotland