Aberdeen’s ruling council administration will do “all it can” to hold on to power, its co-leader has today claimed.

A by-election is due to take place after Conservative councillor Brett Hunt, who represented the Bridge of Don ward, handed in his letter of resignation to Aberdeen City Council’s chief executive Angela Scott, as revealed in yesterday’s Evening Express.

The announcement came following news that SNP councillor Sandy Stuart, who also represented the Bridge of Don ward, died on Wednesday evening.

This leaves the ruling administration of Conservative, suspended Labour and Independent members, who only have a slim majority of one, at risk.

However, Aberdeen City Council co-leader Douglas Lumsden, has vowed his party will do “all it can” to make sure it continues to keep its majority.

He said: “We will approach this by-election and do all we can to make sure that we still have a majority at the end of it because we are delivering the improvements for Aberdeen.

“We have got Union Terrace Gardens that we’re committed to and redeveloping the city centre as much as we can and we want to continue with that programme.”

Mr Lumsden claimed it would be a “backwards step” for the city if the current SNP and Liberal Democrat groups joined to form a coalition to run the Town House.

He added: “One of the projects we have committed to is Union Terrace Gardens and Provost Skene’s House, which could then be stopped by the opposition, who seem to have no new ideas of their own.”

Councillor Jackie Dunbar, SNP group depute leader, said: “If Douglas Lumsden wants to campaign on a ticket of delivering projects which are already late and over budget, then he might get an unwelcome surprise.”

And Liberal Democrat group leader Ian Yuill added: “I think it’s deplorable that Conservatives in Aberdeen are talking about by-elections before the funeral of the late Sandy Stuart has even taken place and I’m not going to comment beyond that on the by-election.”