Aberdeenshire Council
Aberdeenshire Council is the local authority for Aberdeenshire, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council has been under no overall control since its creation in 1996. It is based at Woodhill House, which is outside its own territory in the neighbouring Aberdeen City council area.
History
The Aberdeenshire council area was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts which had been created in 1975, replacing them with single-tier council areas. Aberdeenshire covered the area of the abolished Banff and Buchan, Gordon and Kincardine and Deeside districts, all of which had been part of the Grampian region. It is named after the historic county of Aberdeenshire, but covers a larger area, also including most of the historic county of Kincardineshire and eastern parts of the historic county of Banffshire.Governance
The council is the fifth largest Scottish council by number of councillors, having 70 members.The council has devolved power to six area committees: Banff and Buchan; Buchan; Formartine; Garioch; Marr; and Kincardine and Mearns. Each area committee takes decisions on local issues such as planning applications, and the split is meant to reflect the diverse circumstances of each area.
Political control
Following the 2017 election a coalition of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and some of the independent councillors formed to run the council. The same parties continued running the council in coalition following the 2022 election.The first election to the council was held in 1995. It initially operated as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 1 April 1996. Aberdeenshire Council has been under no overall control since its creation.
Leadership
The role of provost is largely ceremonial in Aberdeenshire. They chair full council meetings and act as the council's civic figurehead. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:Composition
Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to June 2025, the composition of the council was:Of the independent councillors, seven form the 'Administration Independents' group, which forms part of the council's administration in coalition with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The next election is due in 2027. Two Conservative councillors who defected to Reform UK in October 2024 were the party's first representatives in Scotland.
Premises
The council is based at Woodhill House in Aberdeen, outside the council's own territory. The building was completed in 1977 for the former Grampian Regional Council.Elections
Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:| Year | Seats | Conservative | SNP | Liberal Democrats | Labour | Green | Independent / Other | Notes |
| Year | Seats | Notes | ||||||
| 1995 | 47 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| 1999 | 68 | 7 | 23 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 10 | New ward boundaries. |
| 2003 | 68 | 11 | 18 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 2007 | 68 | 14 | 22 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2012 | 68 | 14 | 28 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 2017 | 70 | 23 | 21 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 2022 | 70 | 26 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 9 |