Harbouring ambition: Voters' hopes ahead of Aberdeen South by-election

Aberdeen South is at the heart of the offshore energy industry - but voters care about what happens on dry land too.

The constituency covers part of the city's commuter belt - Peterculter, Milltimber and Bieldside - as well as the more urban areas near the harbour, such as Torry.

That's where many residents are still dealing with the fallout from the discovery that their homes were built with a potentially dangerous building material.

Meanwhile, £420m has been invested into the South Harbour development at the nearby Port of Aberdeen in recent years.

It now means many large cruise ships can dock in the Granite City, but the port has still been affected by the fall in oil and gas activity.

Bosses say the South Harbour has yet to reach its full potential, and hope that whoever becomes Aberdeen South's new MP will fight their corner.

Voters in Aberdeen South will head to the polls on Thursday 18 June.

It is one of three UK by-elections that day. There is another in nearby Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, as well as a high-profile one in Makerfield, Greater Manchester.

That final contest could have big political ramifications, with Andy Burnham trying to get into Westminster to rock the Labour Party boat.

But the importance of Aberdeen South should not be underplayed.

It has been held by the SNP's Stephen Flynn since 2019.

In the 2024 General Election, he took 32.8% of the vote, ahead of Labour and the Conservatives.

However, after he became an MSP last month, the seat was up for grabs.

Bob Sanguinetti, the Port of Aberdeen's chief executive, wants the successful candidate to call for a more "robust and holistic energy strategy".

"We could increase the number of jobs in the region by 9,000, but we need that all-inclusive energy strategy to work right the way across from oil and gas all the way to renewables," he told BBC Scotland News.

"Last year we saw a drop in oil and gas activity of between 15% and 20%, that's quite significant.

"And at the same time, we're seeing that renewable energy - offshore wind - remains over the horizon, and we're unlikely to see activity at scale in offshore wind for a number of years yet.

"So, we've got the challenge of trying to pull those two together and what we're seeing is significant job losses in the region."

Oil and gas production in the North Sea has been in decline for more than 25 years since it peaked in 1999.

There has been a growing focus on alternative energies but many of those new roles have been created outside the north east in places like Glasgow, Edinburgh and further afield.

An energy profits levy - or windfall tax - was introduced in 2022, but the industry says thousands of jobs have been lost because of the pressures it is under.

The UK government says it plans to replace the windfall tax by 2030.

Sanguinetti added: "I would be asking the successful MP to champion Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in the energy context and to work with the government both in London and in Edinburgh for a more robust and a more holistic energy strategy."

St Fittick's Park is a stone's throw from the harbour.

It is in Torry - part of Aberdeen that has experienced significant change in recent times.

Hundreds of residents have moved from the Balnagask area of Torry to other parts of the city after their homes were found to contain potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

It has been a period of tremendous upheaval, with many wondering what can, and should, be done to preserve the history and heritage of the close-knit community they love.

Residents are campaigning to stop the further industrialisation of this green space.

Ishbel Shand is one of them. When it comes to priorities for a new MP, she has a different take on the topic of energy.

"We have to look at a genuine just transition and a genuine future for folk in Aberdeen that means diversifying the economy - not hanging on to a sunset industry," she says.

"Pay for kids to become electricians, pay for apprenticeships for real skills that we need. Our granite heritage is falling apart."

Fellow resident Ian Baird agrees.

"This is a constituency with many issues and problems to address and it's being reduced to something very specific about offshore jobs," he said.

"To sustain it depends what's happening on land.

"I wish politicians would start looking at the needs of communities."

Norman Esslemont, who owns a clothes shop in Aberdeen city centre, has one main area of focus for whoever is successful in the by-election.

"Encourage more North Sea investment, reduce the windfall tax, and that would encourage businesses to invest in the north east," he said.

But for Esslemont this cannot happen quickly enough.

"Get the North Sea sorted out," is his message.

There are seven candidates standing in the Aberdeen South by-election.

Voters will need photo ID at polling stations.