The SNP has been re-elected as Edinburgh 's biggest party, with no change to the 19 seats it won in 2017, as negotiations are set to begin to form the new council administration.
Adam McVey, SNP Group leader in Edinburgh, said his party's "progressive politics" has been "endorsed by the people".
However, it was the Liberal Democrats who stole the show on Friday (May 6) as the group doubled its number of seats in the City Chambers to 12 in what one councillor said had been a 'historic' day.
READ MORE: Edinburgh Election 2022: Polls close as voters have their say on local issues
The victory, branded as the start of a 'Lib Dem revival' in Edinburgh by Scottish party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, came exactly a decade on from the election that lost it 14 City Councillors.
And it came at the expense of the Conservatives, who suffered a catastrophic defeat in the capital, losing half of their seats. Now with just nine Tory councillors left, the group has crashed from being the main opposition to the SNP to the smallest party on the council.
Conservative group leader Iain Whyte said it had been "traumatic" seeing "good colleagues lose their seats through what I think is no real fault of their own".
He said that allegations of Downing Street parties during lockdown had "reflected badly on local councillors and candidates who have worked really hard".
Labour now moves into position as the council's second biggest party with one more seat than in the last election. Whether councillors on the group will sit in opposition or form another coalition with the SNP, or other parties, is still to be seen and will become clear as discussions get underway.
Cammy Day, Labour group leader on Edinburgh Council, said the result was "way better than we expected" and that it would be "an interesting five years ahead for the council".
And it was also a good day for the Greens, who won 10 seats, two more than in 2017, as the party continues to make gains in the city. Group Co-convenor Claire Miller, who was re-elected in the City Centre, said Edinburgh's Green councillors will now push for "faster, decisive action needed to deliver net zero by 2030".
One of the most significant events of the count came early on in the day when it was announced the Lib Dems had won three out of the four seats in Almond — something never before achieved in Edinburgh electoral history.
Almond councillor Kevin Lang said: "We have made history today in Edinburgh. Never before has one party won three councillors in a single ward and we have achieved that today and I think it is a reflection of the confidence which the people of Almond have got in the Liberal Democrats, it's also a verdict I think on what has been a failing SNP/Labour administration over the five years."
While not losing a single seat across the city, the Lib Dems had new councillors elected in Drum Brae/Gyle, Forth, Corstorphine/Murrayfield, Leith Walk and Southside/Newington.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "We got 60 per cent in Almond, a ward of 27,000 voters; that's half a parliamentary constituency practically and it just goes to show. We've been working that solidly since my election and we've persuaded people that when they elect Liberal Democrats they get people who will fight for them all year round, not just at election time, we will stay up late thinking about the problems in their street and how to fix them and we've been rewarded at the ballot box.
"I always said at the start of my leadership the revival of the party would begin in local government and that revival starts today."
Sources said Lib Dem councillors were due to do an ‘F1 style’ photoshoot with champagne outside the count venue, but decided at the last minute to use an inflatable champagne bottle instead as it 'wouldn’t be a good look amidst the cost of living crisis'.
The SNP suffered losses in Forth and Leith Walk, wards where it previously held two seats, as support grew for the Greens and Lib Dems in both areas. However support remained strong for the party across the city, with long-serving members such as group leader Adam McVey, Catherine Fullerton and Frank Ross all holding onto seats.
In Pentland Hills, planning convener since 2017 Neil Gardiner is joined by new SNP councillor Fiona Glasgow, after the party picked up two seats there for the first time.
Edinburgh SNP group leader Adam McVey said: "What I think is clear from today is that the right-wing agenda of the Tories has been systematically rejected by the people of Edinburgh and the progressive politics that the SNP leads in the city has been endorsed by the people.
"People want us to tackle poverty, tackle climate change and improve our public services and that's what the SNP offered at this election and for we've for all intents and purposes won this election on this basis.
"It looks like quite an interesting set of results in that there are a number of parties that have relatively equal level of representation in the Council Chamber, we need to work across political parties to make sure we can deliver on our positive and progressive vision for Edinburgh — and that's what we'll be spending the next days, weeks and hopefully not as quite as far as months to make sure this city has a clear direction of travel."
Cllr McVey added the Conservatives should "go and sort themselves out" after a "resounding rejection".
But Conservative councillor Max Mitchell seemed in high spirits and said after his re-election in Inverleith: "It almost feels unbelievable but I'm obviously incredibly delighted, I'm just so thrilled that I get to keep going and keep serving the residents of the area I've grown up in and still live in."
Asked if he was in favour of a so-called 'rainbow coalition' between parties as mooted by Labour group leader Cammy Day, he said: "No rainbow is complete without the colour blue.
"Working collaboratively and working cross-party is how you get things done in the council, at least that's what I've found over the last five years," he added.
Tory group leader Iain Whyte appeared more sombre by the end of the day. Despite the loss of nine out of 18 councillors, the silver lining was that he succeeded in holding his own place in the council, although in a different ward to the one he previously represented.
Cllr Whyte said the Conservatives' defeat was "based on a swing that's about national mood rather than anything we've done as a really strong opposition in the City Chambers, that's quite disappointing really".
He added: "There will be those who blame party gate and the situation with the Prime Minister, I have to say in my ward it didn't come up very often in discussions with voters, but it does seem to have allowed the focus to be about national issues rather than about Edinburgh issues."
Asked if Boris Johnson should resign, Cllr Whyte replied: "I don't see how he can repair his image and reputation at this stage, regardless of the job he's doing and international relations and support for Ukraine and the great things he did do in organising the vaccine and so on. I think there comes a point where it's difficult if not impossible to turn around public opinion and I expect that will come."
Meanwhile, Labour picked up a seat from the Greens in Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart and won one back it lost in Leith Walk following a 2019 by-election.
Cammy Day, Labour group leader on Edinburgh City Council, said: "We've got an increased vote for Labour across the city and I'm really pleased about that and that's been replicated across the country."
Cllr Day said parties would now have "discussions about what numbers work best" in an attempt to form a new administration to lead the council until 2028. Earlier this week he appealed to other group leaders to have a "frank discussion" about a possible cross-party 'rainbow coalition' and invited them to the negotiating table this weekend.
He said: "For me, it's about what can we deliver best in terms of Labour's manifesto and we'll be asking other parties to join us in delivering that and if the number work.
"We've seen the Tories vote half overnight, we've seen the Lib Dems double pretty much, an increase for Greens. The losses of the Conservatives mean there's different numbers in the chamber so we'll be having discussions over the next couple of days with all the parties to see what we can deliver for the capital city."
The Greens were seen enthusiastically celebrating throughout the day as results were declared. While the group remains the second smallest party in the council, it sits in front of the Conservatives with 10 councillors putting them in a position to negotiate with other parties.
Hailing the result, Cllr Claire Miller said: “This momentous result is a clear demand from people across Edinburgh for stronger action on the climate emergency and a fairer, more equal city for everyone. With more Greens in the city chambers we will press for the faster, decisive action needed to deliver net zero by 2030 and support a Green recovery.
“Greens in the Scottish Government are already making change - from free bus travel for under 22s to banning the most harmful plastics. In Edinburgh, we will show the same commitment to working alongside others to halt climate change and address the cost of living.”
She added: “I am so proud of our candidates and volunteers who have worked so hard for this fantastic result. We have a diverse new group of councillors with a wealth of experience and I look forward to welcoming them and working alongside them in the city chambers."
