GRAEME SMITH, DAVID ROSS, ROBBIE DINWOODIE and KEVIN SCHOFIELD

There were capital gains for the Liberal Democrats yesterday as they emerged the biggest party in Edinburgh City Council.

The LibDems captured 17 of the 58 seats up for grabs, meaning Labour lost overall control. The latter returned 15 councillors, half the number they got in 2003. However, they had only put forward 24 candidates at this election.

The SNP saw their numbers boosted from one to 12 thanks to the PR voting system, while the Tories' representation fell from 13 to 11. The Greens were also celebrating last night after securing three council seats - their first in Edinburgh.

Ewan Aitken, the council leader, was re-elected, as were Labour former provosts Lesley Hinds and Eric Milligan.

One big-name casualty was Tom Ponton, a former Conservative who defected to the LibDems and who became one of the most controversial councillors in Edinburgh when he attempted to block Vladimar Romanov's plans to expand Tynecastle Stadium.

A Labour source last night said their councillors planned to meet over the weekend to discuss their next step.

The source said: "It's still all to play for. The Labour group will meet to discuss which parts of our manifesto we would want to see implemented if we entered any coalition."

With no parties winning overall control in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray the horse-trading is expected to begin almost immediately.

In Aberdeen, the SNP doubled its councillors to 12, while the LibDems dropped five to 15 and Labour lost three to 10.

The new SNP councillors include brother and sister John West, 18, and Kirsty West, 21.

In Aberdeenshire, the Nationalists also enjoyed significant success, increasing their number by seven to 22 at the expense of four from the LibDems who dropped to 24. There are also now three fewer independents at eight and three more Conservatives at 14.

Moray was representative of the national swing to the SNP. It tripled its numbers to nine as the independents lost overall, control dropping to 12.

Anyone looking at post-election politics in Dundee, meanwhile, will see traces of Holyrood writ small. The city council was led by a Labour-LibDem administration. As of yesterday, the SNP has a block of 13 seats, two up on the previous council. Labour remain on 10 and the LibDems on two, with one Independent ex-Labour councillor in the mix.

But it is the Conservatives who will be kingmakers, despite being down from five to three seats. The likelihood is that Labour, the LibDems and Conservatives will unite to stop the SNP - under Councillor Willie Sawers - from forming an administration. The provost of Inverness, William Smith, was one of the high-profile casualties in the Highland Council elections, which produced the largest party political groupings yet.

Twenty-two multi-member council wards have replaced the 80 single-member constituencies which have always returned an overwhelming majority of independent councillors on Highland Council and its predecessor bodies.

The Independents still dominate with 35, but for the first time they are outnumbered by those with a party allegiance.

The LibDems have 21 councillors; the SNP 17; and Labour seven. The jockeying has already begun for the 20 chairmanships and other council positions attracting a special responsibility allowance which will almost double councillors' basic salaries of £15,495.

12:10am Saturday 5th May 2007

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