SCOTTISH Labour’s vote crumbled at last week’s local elections because of increased support for the Conservatives, according to figures which were published yesterday.

Data from the body which overseas elections in Scotland showed that compared to 2012, when voters last went to the polls to elect the country’s councillors, support for Kezia Dugdale’s party fell almost to the same extent as it rose for the Tories.

Comparing first preference votes figures published by the Electoral Management Board for last Thursday with those for May 2012 it showed support for the SNP was unchanged, while it fell for Labour by 11 per cent and increased by 12 per cent for the Tories.

Many Scots were taken aback at the Tory “surge” last week with Ruth Davidson’s party taking council seats in former Labour heartlands such as Shettleston in Glasgow and Ravenscraig in North Lanarkshire.

The figures found the SNP finished the day with 32.3 per cent of first preference votes and 35.1 per cent of the 1227 seats in contention. The Tories won 25.5 per cent of first preference votes and 22.5 per cent of the seats, while Labour secured 20.2 per cent of first preference votes but won a higher share of seats, with 21.4 per cent or 262.

The Scottish Greens also managed to gain ground on Labour, with the party receiving two per cent more first preference votes than five years ago.

Overall turnout was 47 per cent – up eight points since 2012 – though following previous trends it was highest in leafy East Renfrewshire where 58 per cent of the electorate cast their votes, and lowest in Glasgow and Dundee, where, respectively, just 39 and 42 per cent of the electorate voted.

The SNP said the data showed that it had been the big winners at the council elections.

“The SNP has won the local elections emphatically, with more seats than any other party, an increased and higher share of the vote than any other party and as the largest party in more councils than any other party,” said Derek Mackay, the SNP’s campaign director for the General Election.

“The local election results are an excellent springboard for the General Election on June 8.”

In Edinburgh, the Tories won the most first preference votes with 51,212 to the SNP’s 49,798, despite the latter ending up as the biggest party in the capital, while in Glasgow the SNP secured 70,239 first preference votes compared with 51,778 for Labour and 25,018 for the Tories.

Commenting on turnout, Willie Sullivan, of the Electoral Reform Society Scotland, said: “While the lift should be welcomed on the election five years ago, 2012 was a bottom of the barrel election as far as turnout goes. So unfortunately there is little to cheer about this time, given that the majority of the public chose to stay at home.

“With 2.3 million Scots not taking part and many hundreds of thousands not registered, local democracy is not out of the danger zone – these levels of engagement are warning signs that show our democracy still needs intensive care.

“Low turnout isn’t inevitable. There is much that can be done, and much to learn from democratic innovations in Scotland and other parts of the world.”

Robin McAlpine, director of the Common Weal, said despite the low turnout in Yes supporting Glasgow and Dundee, he believed turnout would be higher in a future independence vote.

He said: “Often people from the areas that feel the most disillusioned with UK politics are the ones who are less likely to vote in local elections, but they’ll turn up to vote for independence. You can only properly measure the support once the campaign has started.

“It’s been a long time now since we had an independence campaign and we have to start soon.”