This was the first election to the district council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
[1] Labour took control of the council after winning a majority of the seats – 13 – and taking nearly half the popular vote.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) took more than a quarter of the popular vote but only returned two seats.
As a large burgh, powers over planning, local taxation, building control, housing, lighting and drainage as well as further powers over the police, public health, social services, registration of births, marriages and deaths and electoral registration rested with the burgh council.
The rest of the local government responsibility fell to the county council which had full control over the areas which were not within a burgh.