Aberdeen Tory insiders say the party is confident of “significant gains” in council elections next May, potentially increasing their numbers fivefold.
The party currently has just two members in the ruling Labour-led administration – Torry and Ferryhill’s Alan Donnelly and Hazlehead, Ashley and Queens’ Cross representative Ross Thomson.
But now sources say they are confident they will increase their numbers to at least seven, but have high hopes of getting 10 new Tories elected on the back of a successful drive by the party nationally.
Aberdeen’s Labour group fired the starting gun on their drive to retain power at next May’s elections with high profile pledges this week to fight on a devolution ticket, arguing the likes of business rates and airport passenger duty should be controlled directly from the town house.
There are 43 elected councillors in the city, and if Tory predictions are correct they would become a major force in the Town House.
Alongside retaining the two seats they currently hold, they are confident of securing another member in Hazlehead and getting new members elected in Airyhall, Broomhill and Garthdee, Midstocket and Rosemount and Lower Deeside.
They have further identified winning seats in Bridge of Don, Kingswells and Dyce as the “best possible scenario.”
Last night, Mr Donnelly said: “Our vote went up by 50,000 (at the 2016 elections) since 2011 on the regional list so we expect significant gains at the council.
“We are certainly going to be a bigger block and our strategy will be to emphasise things like education and preserving our Victorian schools.
“I think our time as a toxic party in Scotland is now over, we have drawn a lot of support from people completely opposed to the SNP’s neverendum on Scottish independence.”
SNP group leader Stephen Flynn, who could find himself in control of the largest party in the council after May if they can improve on their current number of 16 members, said: “It sounds to me that the Tories are perhaps taking the electorate for granted with these predictions.
“I think Mr Donnelly’s comments about schools will be most interesting to his constituents in Torry who will remember that he wants Victoria Road turned into flats.”
