THURSDAY, May 4, is your chance to mark a 1, 2, 3 or more to decide who runs local services in West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow for the next five years.

The 2017 Scottish Local Elections look set to usher in potentially dramatic political changes across councils.

Polls nationally have suggested an SNP sweep but the party are only running 13 candidates for 22 seats in West Dunbartonshire and 56 for 85 positions in Glasgow.

Those numbers guarantee a healthy opposition but the political colours are very much up for grabs.

And with the single transferable vote system (STV), anything is possible depending on how residents rank candidates.

In Drumchapel/Anniesland and Garscadden/Scotstounhill wards, there are 10 candidates each, meaning voters can give portions of their votes to all 10 or just one or any number in between.

Turnout will also be key. West Dunbartonshire only saw about 40 per cent of voters turn up in 2012 while some corners of north-west Glasgow had less than 30 per cent in last year’s Scottish Parliament elections.

In 2012, West Dunbartonshire returned Labour to power with Martin Rooney as leader and 12 councillors.

This year, there will inevitably be change with Councillors Kath Ryall and Patrick McGlinchey not standing again, Marie McNair standing formally for the SNP for the first time, and a number of independent candidates and the new Community Party.

The Conservatives are also standing in each ward, hoping to pick up seats as part of a national rise in the polls.

In Glasgow, Labour councillors Judith Fisher, Jonathan Findlay and Paul Rooney are all retiring from elected office.

Labour in West Dunbartonshire has very much been running on its record from the past five years, particularly in terms of new schools, the leisure centre and other projects.

The SNP has led more on changing the culture of the council towards being “people led” while the Community Party and independent candidates are fighting for better local representation.

Many projects debated in the past year have been voted through with cross-party support and councillors may have to cooperate even more if there is no overall control.

Though there have been splits along party lines, including last week over support for the Vale of Leven Hospital, they have come down to phrasing rather than marked policy divisions.

It is unclear whether the snap General Election, called in the middle of the local campaign, will affect turnout, apathy or voting intention. Added to that has been the recent dominance of the SNP at the UK and Scottish level and whether voters will hand them yet more power or pull back and favour a counterbalance.

The campaign overall has been relatively quiet locally. Compared to the loud party political divisions during February’s full council meeting, last week’s final gathering of councillors was largely good natured and subdued.

Kilpatrick ward has three positions, Clydebank Central has four spots while Clydebank Waterfront has four councillor posts.

Drumchapel/Anniesland and Garscadden/Scotstounhill will elect four councillors.

And the Victoria Park ward, which includes Whiteinch, has three Glasgow City Council positions.

Results are expected throughout Friday afternoon with new technology scanning ballots to quickly tabulate the complex STV system which can require multiple “rounds” for a candidate to get enough votes to win a seat.

Your Candidates

West Dunbartonshire Council

Dumbarton Ward (for 4 positions)

  • George Black (Community Party)
  • Karen Conaghan (SNP)
  • David McBride (Labour)
  • Iain McLaren (SNP)
  • Andrew Muir (Independent)
  • Liz Ruine (Scottish Labour)
  • Brian Walker (Conservative)

Kilpatrick Ward (for 3 positions)

  • Jim Finn (SNP)
  • Claire Gallagher (SNP)
  • Douglas James McAllister (Labour)
  • Lawrence O’Neill (Labour)
  • Hermione Spencer (Conservative)

Clydebank Central Ward (for 4 positions)

  • Denis Agnew (Independent)
  • Dean Craig Allardice (Community Party)
  • Jim Brown (SNP)
  • Diane Docherty (SNP)
  • Penny Hutton (Conservative)
  • John Mooney (Labour)
  • Alan Lewis Sorrell (Labour)

Clydebank Waterfront Ward (for 4 positions)

  • Locky Cameron (Independent)
  • Gail Casey (Labour)
  • William Hendrie (SNP)
  • Joe Henry (Independent)
  • David Jardine (Conservative)
  • Daniel Lennie (Labour)
  • Marie A McNair (SNP)
  • Frank McNiff (SNP)
  • Brian Murray (Independent)

Glasgow City Council

Garscadden/Scotstounhill (ward 13) (for 4 positions)

  • Gisela Allen (Ukip)
  • Bill Butler (Glasgow Labour)
  • Samuel Cook (Tommy Sheridan)
  • Michael Cullen (SNP)
  • Chris Cunningham (SNP)
  • Gillian MacDonald (Green)
  • Eva Murray (Labour)
  • Tariq Parvez (Conservative)
  • Roza Salih (SNP)
  • David Walker (LibDem)

Drumchapel/Anniesland (ward 14) (4 positions)

  • Malcolm Balfour (SNP)
  • Paul Carey (Labour)
  • Brian Free (Ukip)
  • Gary Kelly (Tommy Sheridan)
  • Elspeth Kerr (SNP)
  • Patrick Logue (Conservative)
  • Louisa McGuigan (Green)
  • Anne McTaggart (Labour)
  • Joe Meehan (Scottish Socialist Party)
  • Malcolm Mitchell (SNP)

Victoria Park (includes Whiteinch) (ward 12) (for 4 positions)

  • Ade Aibinu (Conservative)
  • Feargal Dalton (SNP)
  • Allan Faulds (Green)
  • Matt McGrath (Scottish Trade Unionist)
  • Maggie McTernan (Labour)
  • Deirdre Parkinson (SNP)
  • James Douglas Speirs (LibDem)

Where to vote

As well as polling cards sent to registered voters, the following locations (according to West Dunbartonshire Council’s website) are polling stations for the May 4 elections:

Kilpatrick Ward

  • Glenhead Community Centre, Duntiglennan Road, Duntocher, Clydebank, G81 6HF (covering Antonine Gardens, Braehead Road, Cunningham Drive, Dalgleish Avenue, Hillend Crescent, Hogan Court and other local electors)
  • Goldenhill Primary School, Stewart Drive, Hardgate, Clydebank, G81 6AH (covering Ailsa Drive, Dumbarton Road, Duncombe Avenue, Irving Court, Irving Quadrant and other local electors)
  • Faifley Parish Church Hall, Faifley Road, Clydebank, G81 5AR (covering East Muirhouses, Field Road, Flanders Street and other electors) St Joseph’s Church Hall, Faifley Road, Clydebank, G81 5EZ (covering Abbeylands Road, Hart Street, Langfaulds Crescent and other electors)

Clydebank Central

  • Dalmuir Barclay Parish Church, 21 Durban Avenue, Clydebank, G81 4JL (covering Auchentoshan Estate, Littleholm Place, Melbourne Avenue, Auchland Place, Dumbarton Road, and other electors)
  • Parkhall Library, Hawthorn Street, Clydebank G81 3EF (covering Alder Road, Elm Road, Glenhead Road and other electors)
  • St Stephen’s Church Hall, Park Road, Clydebank G81 3LD (covering Albert Road, Osborne Street, Overtoun Drive and other electors)
  • Kilbowie Primary School, 11 West Thomson Street, Clydebank, G81 3AE (covering Castle View, Greer Quadrant, Hawthorn Street and other electors)
  • St Eunan’s Community Hall, Gilmour Street, Clydebank, G81 2BW (covering Alloway Drive, Lochlea Avenue, McGhee Street and other electors)
  • Onslow Road Community Hall, 137 Onslow Road, Clydebank, G81 2PR (covering Alsatian Avenue, Melfort Gardens, Montrose Street and other electors)
  • Linnvale Primary, Livingstone Street, Clydebank, G81 2RL (covering Attlee Avenue, Kirkwood Avenue and other electors)

Clydebank Waterfront

  • Gavinburn Primary School, Dumbarton Road, Old Kirkpatrick, G60 5NE (covering the whole register) Napier Hall, Dumbarton Road, Old Kilpatrick, G60 5JH (covering Admiralty Gardens, Eriskay Drive, Lewis Gardens and other electors)
  • Dalmuir Community Centre, Duntocher Road, Clydebank, G81 4RQ (covering Agamemnon Street, Dunswin Avenue, Duntocher Road and other electors)
  • Abbotsford Church Hall, Abbotsford Road, Clydebank, G81 1PA (covering Aberconway Street, Dumbarton Road, Dunmore Street and other electors)
  • St Margaret’s Church Hall, Sinclair Street, Clydebank, G81 1AE (covering Abbott Crescent, Clydeholm Terrace, Cooperage Court, Lappin Street, Longden Street and other electors)

Glasgow City Council

As well as polling cards sent to all registered voters, the council website allows residents to search for their polling station by their address.

Visit https: glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=19296 to find out more.

How to vote

SCOTTISH local government elections use the single transferable vote system.

This means an elector votes using numbers.

The system is designed to achieve proportional representation through ranked voting in multi-seat organisations or constituencies.

The STV enables votes to be cast for individual candidates rather than for parties, and – compared to first-past-the-post voting – it seeks to reduce “wasted” votes (votes on sure losers or sure winners) by transferring them to other candidates.

The ballot paper will list all the candidates standing to be councillors in your ward.

Voters will be asked to number the candidates in order of your choice – put number 1 in the voting box next to your first choice, number 2 in the voting box next to your second choice, number 3 in the voting box next to your third choice and so on.

For info: yourvotematters.co.uk/how-do-i-vote/what-are-the-different-voting-systems.