A city centre councillor's resignation is set to cast Aberdeen City Council's SNP and Lib Dem coalition majority into doubt.
Liberal Democrat Desmond Buchanan will step down as George Street and Harbour councillor on April 2 - sparking a crucial by-election.
The Press and Journal reports the seat is the difference between whether the SNP-Lib Dem coalition holds an overall majority and is able to pass decisions more easily, or if it will have to fight for votes as a minority administration.
The council has not yet confirmed a date for the key by-election vote.
Buchanan is the first Liberal Democrat to be elected to represent the George Street and Harbour ward since 2007, but has since moved to Edinburgh and been working in Ayrshire, where he will stand in May's Holyrood election.
In a statement, he said: “It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve the people of George Street and Harbour on Aberdeen City Council.”
Read the full story in the P&J.