Scots will head to the polls later this week for the first time in five years to elect more than 1,200 councillors.
Since May 2017 the political landscape in the Scotland and across the UK has changed considerably.
The UK was still in the European Union, the prime minister was Theresa May and Labour was led by Jeremy Corbyn.
While in Scotland, Ruth Davidson was the leader of the Tories and Kezia Dugdale led Scottish Labour.
Despite the big changes many of the issues that can decide local elections remain the same, such as when bins are collected, the state of parks and pavements, and access to libraries and hospitals.
This year's elections are also likely to be a verdict on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, in particular their handling of such national issues as the covid pandemic and the cost of living.
Voters will head to the polls on Thursday, May 5, while the results will be announced the next day.
Here are some of the key contests to look out for in Scotland on elections results day
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is a Conservative stronghold, but like many councils in Scotland, power is shared between several parties.
All councils in Scotland are elected using the single transferable vote ( STV ) system, where voters rank candidates and results are based on preferences rather than the winner-takes-all method used in England.
This leads to many councils ending in no overall control, but encourages parties to work together either informally or as part of a coalition.
The Tories have run Aberdeenshire in partnership with the Lib Dems and a group of Independents.
The result is expected at around 3pm on Friday, May 6.
East Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire Council is a three-way battle between the Conservatives, Labour and the SNP with each hoping to end up the largest party.
The declaration is expected at around 2pm.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh City Council has been run by a joint SNP-Labour administration for the last five years, but the Conservatives head into this election as the largest party on the council.
The Lib Dems and Greens have a smaller number of councillors but both will hope to make gains from the larger parties.
3.30pm is the expected declaration time.
Glasgow
Scotland's largest council has been run by the SNP since 2017 in what has been their first stint in control of the city, albeit as a minority administration.
The party needs only a few gains to take full control, but Labour - which had previously run the city since 1980 - is keen to stop them.
A results is expected at around 4pm.
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