KIRSTEN Oswald has welcomed the outcome of the local elections in East Renfrewshire which saw SNP councillors elected in every one of the region's wards for the first time.

As the Nationalist candidate for the constituency in next month's general election, Ms Oswald was pleased to see the party increase its pool of councillors from four to five despite boundary changes meaning less councillors were elected to the local authority.

Finishing with 431 councillors nationwide, up six on the 2012 local elections, the SNP became the largest group in half of the country's 32 councils.

Notably, the SNP ended almost 40 years of Labour control in Glasgow and became the city's biggest party for the first time.

It is also the largest party in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh.

Ms Oswald, who displaced Jim Murphy when she was elected to serve East Renfrewshire at Westminster in 2015, expressed her delight at the Nationalists' success on a local and national level.

She said: "The SNP’s insistence on putting local issues first was appreciated by voters in East Renfrewshire and across the country.

"Five of our members won election in a constituency where voter turnout was much higher than in the rest of the country.

"I am delighted that Tony Buchanan has been re-elected as leader of the SNP Group. I wish him and his fellow SNP councillors every success as they work to form the first SNP-led administration in East Renfrewshire.

"The outcome of the election shows that many voters were unimpressed by the Conservatives' decision to focus solely on the constitution, with nothing to say about local issues."

The SNP councillors elected to East Renfrewshire Council were: Angela Convery (Barrhead, Liboside and Uplawmoor); Tony Buchanan (Newton Mearns North and Neilston); Colm Merrick (Giffnock and Thornliebank); Annette Ireland (Clarkston, Netherlee and Williamwood); and Caroline Bamforth (Newton Mearns South and Eaglesham).