Elections to South Lanarkshire Council were held on 3 May 2012 on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used the twenty wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 67 Councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system. In February 2013, Labour gained overall control of South Lanarkshire Council after winning a Rutherglen South by-election from the SNP.