The SNP has suffered yet more council by-election defeats after its votes slumped by up to -8% in seats in Aberdeenshire and Moray in the north of Scotland earlier this month, in the latest electoral humiliation for the Nats.
The party lost seats in Central Buchan and Mearns in Aberdeenshire as well as Elgin City South in Moray to the Scottish Conservatives in council by-elections held on November 7.
The Tories claimed a seat in former SNP stronghold Elgin City South by a particularly small margin, with Elaine Kirby emerging triumphant after a tight race that was initially thought to be between the SNP and Labour.
Ms Kirby claimed victory with a total of 1,160 votes to the SNP’s 1,093. Addressing the electorate after her win, the mum-of-seven said she was “very keen to start the trusted role of representing local people and making what’s already a fantastic place to live even better”.
Meanwhile, Peter Chapman and Tracey Smith took Central Buchan and Mearns respectively, becoming the Conservatives’ newest additions to Aberdeenshire Council after also pulling ahead of their SNP rivals.
Mr Chapman won 41% of the vote and Ms Smith won 39%, marking downticks of -2.6% and -8% in the SNP’s vote share for the wards compared with 2022.
Ms Smith, who co-founded the Save Our Mearns campaign against a new SSEN substation in the region, told Aberdeen Live: “At a time when the SNP government is continuing to inflict huge cuts on our council, I will always focus on the priorities that matter to people by best serving their interest on a range of issues (including) strengthening public services and supporting industries such as oil and gas, farming and fishing.”
The SNP has been under increased financial pressure in recent years, exacerbated by its shrinkage to just nine seats in Westminster at this year’s general election.
The party has also struggled to obtain donations in the last decade, forcing a reliance on membership fees from its status as Scotland’s largest party.
According to the PA News Agency, 81% of the SNP’s funding this year came from membership fees compared to 35% in 2015, when it won 56 of Scotland’s seats in the general election under then-leader Nicola Sturgeon.
First Minister John Swinney still insists that the party is “financially strong”, however. Speaking to PA this week, the SNP leader said a move to cut staff numbers from 26 to 16 would “streamline” staffing and create a “financially sustainable” position from which to face the 2026 Holyrood election.
