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2022 Highland Council election

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2022 Highland Council election
← 2017 5 May 2022 (2022-05-05) 2027 →
All 74 seats to The Highland Council
38 seats needed for a majority
Turnout47.4%[note 1]
  First party Second party Third party
 
SNP
Ind
LD
Leader Raymond Bremner Margaret Davidson[note 2] Alasdair Christie
Party SNP Independent Liberal Democrats
Leader's seat Wick and East Caithness Aird and Loch Ness (stood down) Inverness Ness-side
Last election 22 seats, 24.9% 28 seats, 36.1% 10 seats, 12.9%
Seats before 19 28[note 3] 11
Seats won 22 21 15
Seat change Steady Decrease 7 Increase 5
Popular vote 25,915 22,035 16,920
Percentage 30.1% 25.6% 19.7%
Swing Increase 5.2% Decrease 10.5% Increase 6.8%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Con
Lab
Leader Andrew Jarvie Chris Ballance Jimmy Gray
Party Conservative Scottish Green Labour
Leader's seat Wick and East Caithness Aird and Loch Ness Inverness Millburn (stood down)
Last election 10 seats, 15.7% 1 seats, 3.1% 3 seats, 6.9%
Seats before 10 1 3
Seats won 10 4 2
Seat change Steady Increase 3 Decrease 1
Popular vote 12,544 3,459 4,308
Percentage 14.6% 4.0% 5.0%
Swing Decrease 1.1% Increase 0.9% Decrease 1.9%
Leader before election

Margaret Davidson
(Independent)
No overall control

Leader after election

Raymond Bremner
(SNP)
No overall control

Elections to The Highland Council were held on 5 May 2022, the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. As with other Scottish council elections, it was held using single transferable vote (STV) – a form of proportional representation – in which multiple candidates are elected in each ward and voters rank candidates in order of preference.

For the first time, a political party won the most seats in a Highland Council election as the Scottish National Party (SNP) replaced independent councillors as the largest group on the council after winning 22 seats. In total, 21 independents were elected. The Liberal Democrats gained five seats to hold 15 while the Conservatives matched their record-breaking performance at the 2017 election by holding 10 seats. The Greens overtook Labour to become the fifth-largest group on the council after gaining three seats to hold four. Labour lost one seat to hold two.

Following the election, the SNP and independent groups formed a coalition to run the council.

Background

[edit]

Previous election

[edit]
Main article: 2017 Highland Council election

At the previous election in 2017, a plurality of councillors returned were independents with 28 elected – seven fewer than the previous election. The Scottish National Party (SNP) were the largest political party elected with 22 seats while the Conservatives won their first seats on the council since 1995 as they gained 10 seats – their best ever result in the region. Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour lost five seats to hold 10 and three respectively while the Greens won their first representation on the council.[1][2]

As a result, the independent group formed a coalition administration with the Labour and Liberal Democrat groups to run the council.[3]

2017 Highland Council election result
Party Seats Vote share
Independent 28 36.1%
SNP 22 25.0%
Conservatives 10 15.7%
Liberal Democrats 10 12.8%
Labour 3 6.9%
Green 1 3.1%

Source: [1][2]

Electoral system

[edit]

The election used the 21 wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 64 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system – a form of proportional representation – where candidates are ranked in order of preference.[4]

Composition

[edit]

Since the previous election, there were several changes in the composition of the council. A number were changes to the political affiliation of councillors, including SNP councillors Calum MacLeod, Maxine Smith, Pauline Munro and Liz MacDonald who resigned from the party to become independents[5][6] and independent councillor Donnie Mackay who resigned from the independent administration to join the Conservatives.[7] Independent councillor Andrew Baxter was removed from the independent administration and initially continued under the designation "Real Independent" before joining the Conservatives.[8] SNP councillor Ken Gowans resigned from the party to become an independent in 2017 before subsequently rejoining the party the following year.[9]

In total, nine by-elections were held and resulted in an independent gain from the Liberal Democrats,[10] a Liberal Democrats gain from the SNP,[11] an SNP gain from the Liberal Democrats,[12] an SNP hold,[13] an independent hold,[14] an independent gain from the Conservatives,[15] two Liberal Democrats gains from independents[16] and an SNP gain from the Conservatives.[17] Independent councillor Ben Thompson resigned from the council in November 2021 and Tom Heggie, also an independent councillor, died in February 2022 which left vacancies on the council which would not be filled as they occurred less than six months before the election.[18][19]

Party 2017 result Final composition[Note 1]
Independents 28 28[note 3]
SNP 22 19
Conservative 10 10
Liberal Democrats 10 11
Labour 3 3
Green 1 1
Notes
  1. ^
    Note 1: Two vacancies created less than six months before the election were not filled so there were only 72 councillors prior to the poll.

Retiring councillors

[edit]

Of the 72 sitting councillors before the election, 30 did not stand for re-election. Additionally, four councillors contested different wards from the ones they previously represented. With four sitting councillors defeated at the polls, only 38 sitting councillors were re-elected in 2022.

Ward Party Retiring councillor
North, West and Central Sutherland SNP Kirsteen Currie
Liberal Democrats Linda Munro
Thurso and North West Caithness Conservative Donnie Mackay
Wick and East Caithness Liberal Democrats Jill Tilt
East Sutherland and Edderton Labour Deirdre Mackay
Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh SNP Ian Cockburn
Alexander MacInnes
Conservative Derek MacLeod
Cromarty Firth Independent Mike Finlayson
Carolyn Wilson
Dingwall and Seaforth Independent Alister MacKinnon
Black Isle Liberal Democrats Gordon Adam
Independent Jennifer Barclay
SNP Craig Fraser
Eilean a' Cheò Independent John Gordon
Calum MacLeod
Caol and Mallaig Independent Allan Henderson
Liberal Democrats Denis Rixson
Aird and Loch Ness Independent Helen Carmichael
Margaret Davidson
Inverness Central Independent Janet Campbell
SNP Emma Roddick
Inverness Ness-side Conservative Callum Smith
Inverness Millburn Labour Jimmy Gray
Culloden and Ardersier Independent Roddy Balfour
Nairn and Cawdor Independent Liz MacDonald
Conservative Peter Saggers
Inverness South Liberal Democrats Carolyn Caddick
Fort William and Ardnamurchan SNP Blair Allan
Niall McLean

[2][20]

Proposed boundary changes

[edit]

Following the passing of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, a review of the boundaries was undertaken in North Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute, Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. The Act allowed single- or two-member wards to be created to provide better representation of island communities. New ward boundaries were proposed by Boundaries Scotland in 2021 which would have reduced the number of wards by one to 20 and the number of councillors by one to 73. The proposals would have made no changes to the boundaries or numbers of councillors in Cromarty Firth; Fort William and Ardnamurchan; Nairn and Cawdor and Thurso and North West Caithness. The boundaries in Eilean a' Cheò[note 4] and North, West and Central Sutherland would have remained the same but the numbers of councillors would have been reduced from four to three and from three to two respectively. Further changes would have seen four new wards created in Inverness, with the total number of councillors representing the city rising from 16 to 18 while Caol and Mallaig would have been renamed Caol, Mallaig and the Small Isles to recognise the island communities within the ward. Boundaries Scotland said the changes would "create more recognisable ward boundaries by Inverness, Tain and Knoydart" and "better align with the historical Caithness–Sutherland county boundary". However, the proposals in Highland were rejected by the Scottish Parliament and the 21 wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 remained in place.[21][22]

Candidates

[edit]

The total number of candidates fell from 166 in 2017 to 142. The election again saw the number of independent candidates outstrip the number selected by any political party as 40 stood for election – down from 61 in 2017. However, this was less than half the number which had regularly contested elections in Highland since the local government reforms in the 1990s which peaked at 108 in 2003 – the last election before the introduction of STV.[23] The SNP fielded more candidates than any other political party at 23 – down from the 32 fielded at the previous election – but they did not contest every ward as they had in 2017. Both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives contested every ward and stood 21 candidates each as they did in 2017. Labour stood 14 candidates – down from 18 – while the Greens stood 11 candidates – up from eight – and the Libertarians stood two candidates – up from one in 2017. The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) stood a candidate for the first time since 2012. For the first time, the Alba Party (four), the Scottish Family Party (one), the Independence for Scotland Party (ISP) (one) and the Freedom Alliance (one) stood candidates in a Highland election. Neither the Scottish Socialist Party, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) nor the Scottish Christian Party, which had all contested the 2017 elections, stood any candidates.[2][20]

Uncontested seats

[edit]

After nominations closed on 30 March 2022, there were not enough candidates in Caol and Mallaig to require an election: three candidates stood for the three seats available. As a result, Green candidate Andrew Baldrey, Liberal Democrats candidate John Colin Grafton and Conservative candidate Liz Saggers were elected without a poll. This was one of a number of uncontested wards across Scotland, with a total of 18 councillors automatically elected. Despite their candidate being elected without a poll, the lack of interest in standing for election was called a "threat to local democracy" by the Greens. During the 2017 local elections in Scotland, just three council wards were uncontested, but votes were held in every ward in both 2007 and 2012 – the first elections to use multi-member wards and the Single transferable vote. Public disinterest in standing for election to local councils has been linked to the "ridiculous" size of some local authorities and the low pay councillors receive for their work.[24][25][26]

Results

[edit]
2022 Highland Council election result
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  SNP 22 3 3 Steady 29.7 30.1 25,915 Increase 5.2
  Independent 21 1 8 Decrease 7 28.3 25.6 22,035 Decrease 10.5
  Liberal Democrats 15 6 1 Increase 5 20.2 19.7 16,920 Increase 6.8
  Conservative 10 2 2 Steady 13.5 14.6 12,544 Decrease 1.0
  Scottish Green 4 4 1 Increase 3 5.4 4.0 3,459 Increase 0.9
  Labour 2 1 2 Decrease 1 2.7 5.0 4,308 Decrease 1.9
  Alba 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.6 484 New
  Scottish Family 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.2 163 New
  Scottish Libertarian 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.1 71 Increase 0.1
  Freedom Alliance 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.0 48 New
  TUSC 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.0 47 New
  ISP 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.0 46 New
Total 74 86,040

Source: [20]

Note: Votes are the sum of first preference votes across all council wards. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 4 May 2017. This is because STV has an element of proportionality which is not present unless multiple seats are being elected. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at the dissolution of Scotland's councils.[27][28]

Ward summary

[edit]
Results of the 2022 Highland Council election by ward
Ward % Cllrs % Cllrs % Cllrs % Cllrs % Cllrs % Cllrs % Cllrs Total
Cllrs
SNP Independent Lib Dem Conservative Green Labour Others
North, West and Central Sutherland 35.1 1 17.3 1 28.1 1 11.0 0 3.9 0 4.6 0 3
Thurso and North West Caithness 18.4 1 36.2 1 27.5 1 17.9 1 4
Wick and East Caithness 25.3 1 23.3 1 29.8 1 15.1 1 6.5 0 4
East Sutherland and Edderton 26.5 1 19.0 1 35.8 1 17.0 0 1.6 0 3
Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh 41.1 2 28.7 1 12.9 0 17.3 1 4
Cromarty Firth 29.1 1 29.2 2 27.9 1 6.7 0 2.9 0 4.2 0 4
Tain and Easter Ross 30.6 1 37.3 1 21.5 1 10.6 0 3
Dingwall and Seaforth 32.2 1 28.0 2 16.7 1 14.0 0 4.5 0 4.7 0 4
Black Isle 24.9 1 26.3 1 15.7 1 14.8 0 13.3 0 5.2 0 3
Eilean a' Cheò 22.6 1 56.1 2 3.5 0 10.7 1 3.5 0 3.7 0 4
Caol and Mallaig — 1 — 1 — 1 3
Aird and Loch Ness 26.2 1 31.0 1 6.6 0 21.1 1 10.2 1 4.9 0 4
Inverness West 31.2 1 8.1 0 34.2 1 9.3 0 7.5 1 8.4 0 1.3 0 3
Inverness Central 41.3 2 5.1 0 6.4 0 12.8 0 7.5 0 24.1 1 2.8 0 3
Inverness Ness-side 29.2 1 5.6 0 44.5 1 8.7 0 5.2 0 6.4 1 0.4 0 3
Inverness Millburn 40.8 1 23.8 1 21.6 1 13.9 0 3
Culloden and Ardersier 37.6 1 15.9 1 15.3 1 17.9 0 10.1 0 3.3 0 3
Nairn and Cawdor 27.2 1 43.9 2 10.5 0 16.2 1 2.2 0 4
Inverness South 35.2 1 24.8 1 8.6 1 16.9 1 5.4 0 7.3 0 1.9 0 4
Badenoch and Strathspey 22.7 1 38.4 2 8.8 0 15.6 1 10.3 0 4.2 0 4
Fort William and Ardnamurchan 33.5 1 9.3 1 37.5 1 10.1 0 9.6 1 4
Total 30.1 22 25.6 21 19.7 15 14.6 10 4.0 4 5.0 2 1.0 0 74

Source: [20]

Seats changing hands

[edit]

Below is a list of seats which elected a different party or parties from 2017 in order to highlight the change in political composition of the council from the previous election. The list does not include defeated incumbents who resigned or defected from their party and subsequently failed re-election while the party held the seat.

Seats changing hands
Seat 2017 2022
Party Member Party Member
Thurso and North West Caithness Independent Donnie MacKay[Note 1] Liberal Democrats Ron Gunn
Wick and East Caithness Independent Nicola Sinclair Liberal Democrats Jan McEwan
East Sutherland and Edderton Labour Deirdre MacKay SNP Leslie-anne Niven
Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Liberal Democrats Kate Stephen SNP Chris Birt
Cromarty Firth SNP Maxine Smith[Note 2] Liberal Democrats Molly Nolan
Eilean a' Cheò Independent John Gordon Conservative Ruraidh Stewart
Caol and Mallaig SNP Billy MacLachlan Green Andrew Baldrey
Independent Allan Henderson Liberal Democrats John Colin Grafton
Ben Thompson Conservative Liz Saggers
Aird and Loch Ness Independent Helen Carmichael Green Chris Ballance
Inverness West Independent Graham Ross Green Ryan MacKintosh
Inverness Central Independent Janet Campbell SNP Kate MacLean
Inverness Ness-side Conservative Callum Smith Labour Andrew MacKintosh
Inverness Millburn Labour Jimmy Gray Liberal Democrats David Gregg
Badenoch and Strathspey Green Pippa Hadley Independent Russell Jones
Fort William and Ardnamurchan SNP Niall McLean Green Kate Willis
Conservative Ian Ramon Liberal Democrats Angus MacDonald
Notes
  1. ^
    Note 1: In 2017, Donnie MacKay was elected as an independent candidate but later joined the Conservatives.[7]
  2. ^
    Note 2: In 2017, Cllr Smith was elected as an SNP candidate but later resigned from the party.[6] Now known as Cllr Maxine Morley-Smith, she retained her seat as an independent candidate.

Ward results

[edit]

North, West and Central Sutherland

[edit]

The SNP, the Liberal Democrats and independent candidate Hugh Morrison retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

North, West and Central Sutherland - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP Marianne Hutchison 35.1 968          
Liberal Democrats Michael Baird 28.0 773          
Independent Hugh Morrison (incumbent) 17.3 477 573 594 618 657 714
Conservative Charlotte Gibson 11.0 302 309 333 338 354 383
Labour Clive Soley 3.9 108 164 179 181 197  
Scottish Family Philipp Tanzer 2.9 80 92 96 107    
Freedom Alliance (UK) Robert Alan Jardine 1.7 48 58 61      
Electorate: 4,998   Valid: 2,756   Spoilt: 32   Quota: 690   Turnout: 55.8%  

Source:[29][30]

Thurso and North West Caithness

[edit]

The SNP, the Conservatives and independent candidate Matthew Reiss retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats gained one seat from former independent councillor Donnie MacKay. In 2017, Donnie MacKay was elected as an independent candidate but later joined the Conservatives.[7] He did not stand for re-election.

Thurso and North West Caithness - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
Liberal Democrats Ron Gunn 27.5 1,411        
Independent Matthew Reiss (incumbent) 20.4 1,049        
SNP Karl Rosie (incumbent)[note 5] 18.4 947 1,004 1,007 1,008 1,056
Conservative Struan Mackie (incumbent) 17.9 921 1,044      
Independent Iain Gregory 12.8 660 765 776 782 869
Independent Alexander Glasgow 2.9 151 174 175 177  
Electorate: 10,242   Valid: 5,139   Spoilt: 34   Quota: 1,028   Turnout: 50.5%  

Source:[33][34]

Wick and East Caithness

[edit]

The SNP, the Conservatives and independent candidate A. I. Willie MacKay retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats gained one seat from independent councillor Nicola Sinclair.

Wick and East Caithness - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
Liberal Democrats Jan McEwan 29.8 1,245        
SNP Raymond Bremner (incumbent) 25.3 1,059        
Conservative Andrew Jarvie[note 6] 15.1 632 700 705 755 873
Independent A. I. Willie MacKay (incumbent) 12.8 534 635 699 801 1,125
Independent Bill Fernie 10.5 438 518 571 669  
Labour Neil MacDonald 6.5 272 347 385    
Electorate: 10,103   Valid: 4,180   Spoilt: 45   Quota: 837   Turnout: 41.8%  

Source:[35][36]

East Sutherland and Edderton

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats and independent candidate Jim McGillivray retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP gained one seat from Labour.

East Sutherland and Edderton - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
Liberal Democrats Richard Gale (incumbent) 35.8 1,151      
SNP Leslie-anne Niven 26.5 853      
Independent Jim McGillivray (incumbent) 19.0 611 775 796 834
Conservative Max Bannerman 17.0 546 613 615 635
Scottish Libertarian Harry Christian 1.6 53 80 84  
Electorate: 6,446   Valid: 3,214   Spoilt: 39   Quota: 804   Turnout: 50.5%  

Source:[37][38]

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh

[edit]

The SNP, the Conservatives and independent candidate Biz Campbell retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP also gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats.

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
Independent Biz Campbell (incumbent) 28.7 1,552        
SNP Liz Kraft 22.8 1,234        
SNP Chris Birt 18.2 988 1,092      
Conservative Patrick Logue 17.3 937 1,029 1,032 1,032 1,479
Liberal Democrats Margot Kerr 12.9 700 882 956 960  
Electorate: 10,406   Valid: 5,411   Spoilt: 74   Quota: 1,083   Turnout: 52.7%  

Source:[39][40]

Cromarty Firth

[edit]

The SNP held one of their two seats and the Liberal Democrats gained one seat from the SNP. Independent candidate Pauline Munro also retained the seat she had won at the previous election and their remained two independents after Maxine Morley-Smith was re-elected as an independent candidate. In 2017, Cllr Smith – as she was known at the time – was elected as an SNP candidate and later resigned from the party

Cromarty Firth - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
SNP Tamala Collier 29.1 1,127                
Liberal Democrats Molly Nolan 27.9 1,079                
Independent Pauline Munro (incumbent) 17.5 679 749 804            
Independent Maxine Morley-Smith (incumbent) 7.3 283 323 355 370 383 446 498 575 705
Conservative Andrew Phillip Baxter[note 7] 6.7 261 266 315 315 322 346 350 397  
Labour Kirsty Stewart 4.2 162 194 238 239 249 267 343    
Independent Kate Stevenson 3.1 122 135 174 178 192        
Scottish Green Daniel Reat 2.9 112 223 243 244 247 260      
Independent Eric Fraser 1.1 45 54 64 65          
Electorate: 9,918   Valid: 3,870   Spoilt: 58   Quota: 775   Turnout: 39.6%  

Source:[41][42]

Tain and Easter Ross

[edit]

The SNP and the Liberal Democrats retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Alasdair Rhind gained a seat from independent candidate Fiona Robertson. Cllr Rhind was previously elected to represent the ward following a by-election in 2017 triggered by the resignation of former Liberal Democrat councillor Jamie Stone.[10]

Tain and Easter Ross - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3
SNP Derek Louden (incumbent) 30.6 1,051    
Liberal Democrats Sarah Rawlings[note 8] 21.5 739 780 922
Independent Alasdair Rhind (incumbent) 21.1 726 776 876
Independent Fiona Robertson (incumbent) 16.1 554 604 668
Conservative Veronica Morrison 10.6 364 368  
Electorate: 7,234   Valid: 3,434   Spoilt: 37   Quota: 859   Turnout: 48%  

Source:[44][45]

Dingwall and Seaforth

[edit]

The SNP, the Liberal Democrats and independent candidate Margaret Paterson retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Sean Edward Kennedy gained a seat from former independent councillor Alister MacKinnon.

Dingwall and Seaforth - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SNP Graham Alexander MacKenzie (incumbent) 32.2 1,494            
Liberal Democrats Angela MacLean (incumbent) 16.7 773 853 947        
Independent Margaret Paterson (incumbent) 15.0 698 833 863 871 1,033    
Conservative Gavin Berkenheger 14.0 650 659 688 691 701 715  
Independent Sean Edward Kennedy 12.9 599 663 694 697 741 790 1,136
Labour Les Hood 4.7 216 249          
Scottish Green Thomas Widrow 4.5 210 366 399 401      
Electorate: 10,385   Valid: 4,640   Spoilt: 60   Quota: 929   Turnout: 45.3%  

Source:[46][47]

Black Isle

[edit]

The SNP and the Liberal Democrats retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Sarah Atkin gained a seat from former independent councillor Jennifer Barclay.

Black Isle - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SNP Lyndsey Johnston 24.9 1,171 1,199            
Liberal Democrats Morven-May MacCallum 15.7 739 826 829 869 927 1,146 1,153 1,494
Conservative Theo Stratton 14.7 695 703 703 727 774 789 791  
Independent Sarah Atkin 13.4 634 660 661 769 947 1,195    
Scottish Green Anne Thomas 13.2 624 646 655 682 713      
Independent Okain John McLennan 6.7 317 338 339 402        
Independent Bev Smith 6.1 286 298 298          
Labour Margaret Bryant 5.1 243              
Electorate: 8,842   Valid: 4,709   Spoilt: 43   Quota: 1,178   Turnout: 53.7%  

Source:[48][49]

Eilean a' Cheò

[edit]

The SNP and independent candidate John Finlayson retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Conservatives and independent candidate Calum Munro gained seats from former independent councillors John Gordon and Ronald McDonald. Cllr Munro was previously elected to represent the ward following a by-election in 2020 triggered by the resignation of former independent councillor Ronald McDonald.[14]

Eilean a' Cheò - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Independent John Finlayson (incumbent) 32.1 1,450                
SNP Drew Millar 22.6 1,019                
Independent Calum Munro (incumbent) 12.9 583 792 813 838 928        
Conservative Ruraidh Stewart 10.7 485 521 522 535 538 539 595 654 806
Independent Fay Thomson 5.7 258 339 348 372 409 416 464 632  
Independent Donald MacDonald 5.3 240 319 329 342 369 376 429    
Alba Hector MacLeod 3.7 166 185 208 211          
Liberal Democrats Jack Clark 3.5 157 188 196 258 271 273      
Labour Peter Ó Donnghaile 3.5 157 180 189            
Electorate: 8,912   Valid: 4,515   Spoilt: 56   Quota: 904   Turnout: 51.3%  

Source:[50][51]

Caol and Mallaig

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and the Greens were elected unopposed. This resulted in gains from the SNP and former independent councillors Allan Henderson and Ben Thompson.

Caol and Mallaig - 3 seats
Party Candidate Votes %
Scottish Green Andrew Baldrey Unopposed
Liberal Democrats John Colin Grafton Unopposed
Conservative Liz Saggers Unopposed
Registered electors

Source:[52]

Aird and Loch Ness

[edit]

The SNP and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Greens and independent candidate David Fraser gained seats from independent former councillors Margaret Davidson and Helen Carmichael. Cllr Fraser was previously elected to represent the ward following a by-election in 2021 triggered by the death of former Conservative councillor George Cruikshank.[15]

Aird and Loch Ness - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SNP Emma Knox (incumbent) 26.2 1,364            
Independent David Fraser (incumbent) 22.7 1,182            
Conservative Helen Crawford 21.1 1,099            
Scottish Green Chris Ballance 10.2 528 706 727 730 783 924 1,165
Independent Aarron Duncan-MacLeod 8.3 430 471 535 556 596 774  
Liberal Democrats Holly Kingham 6.6 342 369 385 398 523    
Labour Michael Perera 4.9 253 276 286 291      
Electorate: 10,213   Valid: 5,198   Spoilt: 57   Quota: 1,040   Turnout: 51.5%  

Source:[53][54]

Inverness West

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats and the SNP retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Greens gained a seat from former independent councillor Graham Ross.

Inverness West - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Liberal Democrats Alex Graham (incumbent) 34.2 1,198                
SNP Bill Boyd (incumbent) 31.1 1,092                
Conservative Ryan Forbes 9.3 327 378 383 384 390 403 454 538  
Labour Shaun Alexander Fraser 8.4 295 361 389 389 401 409 453    
Scottish Green Ryan MacKintosh 7.5 262 299 381 385 416 448 483 597 690
Independent Duncan McDonald 4.9 173 226 235 236 247 286      
Independent Helen Smith 2.8 100 121.0 126.9 130.5 137.5        
ISP Iain Forsyth 1.31 46 55 96 97          
Independent David Sansum 0.3 10 15 17            
Electorate: 8,495   Valid: 3,503   Spoilt: 42   Quota: 876   Turnout: 41.7%  

Source:[55][56]

Inverness Central

[edit]

The SNP and Labour retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP gained a seat from former independent councillor Janet Campbell.

Inverness Central - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Labour Bet McAllister (incumbent) 24.1 793 793 805 811 840          
SNP Michael Cameron 23.4 769 770 772 773 796 797 809 867    
SNP Kate MacLean 17.9 589 589 591 593 612 614 628 766 807 867
Conservative Donald MacKenzie 12.8 420 421 424 437 455 457 510 526 527  
Scottish Green Arun Sharma 7.4 245 250 258 262 292 293 347      
Liberal Democrats Martin Rattray 6.4 211 211 212 218 229 234        
Independent Andrew Barnett 4.3 141 152 162 173            
TUSC Sean Robertson 1.4 47 47                
Scottish Family John William McColl 1.3 45 50 54              
Independent Luigi Andrew MacKinnon 0.8 26                  
Electorate: 8,647   Valid: 3,286   Spoilt: 76   Quota: 822   Turnout: 38.9%  

Source:[57][58]

Inverness Ness-side

[edit]

The SNP and the Liberal Democrats retained the seats they had won at the previous election while Labour gained a seat from the Conservatives. In 2017, Ron MacWilliam was elected as an SNP candidate. He stood as an independent candidate in 2022.[20]

Inverness Ness-side - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Liberal Democrats Alasdair Christie (incumbent) 44.5 1,934            
SNP Jackie Hendry 29.2 1,270            
Conservative Ric Scott 8.7 379 562 564 567 574 672  
Labour Andrew MacKintosh 6.3 276 453 482 490 606 782 1,016
Independent Ron MacWilliam (incumbent) 5.6 243 404 424 431 532    
Scottish Green Claire MacLean 5.2 226 320 405 410      
Scottish Libertarian Calum Mark Liptrot 0.4 18 29 33        
Electorate: 8,857   Valid: 4,346   Spoilt: 33   Quota: 1,087   Turnout: 49.4%  

Source:[59][60]

Inverness Millburn

[edit]

The SNP and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats gained one seat from Labour.

Inverness Millburn - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
SNP Ian Brown (incumbent) 40.8 1,430      
Liberal Democrats David Gregg 23.8 835 1,009    
Conservative Isabelle MacKenzie (incumbent) 21.6 757 781 818 1,101
Labour Lewis Whyte 13.8 486 657 722  
Electorate: 7,602   Valid: 3,508   Spoilt: 45   Quota: 878   Turnout: 46.7%  

Source:[61][62]

Culloden and Ardersier

[edit]

The SNP and the Liberal Democrats retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Morven Reid gained a seat from former independent councillor Roddy Balfour.

Culloden and Ardersier - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP Glynis Campbell-Sinclair (incumbent) 37.6 1,542          
Conservative Mary Scanlon 17.8 732 743 745 753 805  
Independent Morven Reid 15.3 626 721 740 831 960 1,148
Liberal Democrats Trish Robertson (incumbent) 15.3 626 693 695 727 931 1,298
Labour Steven Calvert 10.1 413 505 507 545    
Alba Mya Chemonges-Murzynowska 3.3 137 244 245      
Independent Mel Robertson 0.6 24 31        
Electorate: 9,107   Valid: 4,100   Spoilt: 40   Quota: 1,026   Turnout: 45.5%  

Source:[63][64]

Nairn and Cawdor

[edit]

The SNP, the Conservatives and independent councillor Laurie Fraser retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Michael Green gained a seat from former independent councillor Tom Heggie.

Nairn and Cawdor - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SNP Paul Oldham 27.2 1,401              
Independent Laurie Fraser (incumbent) 23.6 1,215              
Independent Michael Green 16.6 857 929 1,015 1,024 1,054      
Conservative Barbara Babs Jarvie 16.2 836 840 861 866 872 875 914 1,161
Liberal Democrats Kevin James Reid 10.5 540 609 631 640 666 671 783  
Independent Kevin Brooks 3.7 192 229 254 263 294 301    
Alba Marjory Smith 1.5 77 142 145 151        
Scottish Family Cal MacLeod 0.7 38 48 50          
Electorate: 10,721   Valid: 5,156   Spoilt: 62   Quota: 1,032   Turnout: 48.7%  

Source:[65][66]

Inverness South

[edit]

The SNP, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and independent councillor Duncan MacPherson retained they seats they had won at the previous election.

Inverness South - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP Ken Gowans (incumbent) 35.2 1,949          
Independent Duncan MacPherson (incumbent) 24.8 1,375          
Conservative Andrew Sinclair[note 9] 16.9 936 949 1,007 1,017 1,073 1,096
Liberal Democrats Colin Aitken[note 10] 8.6 478 550 618 640 868 1,228
Labour David Jardine 7.2 402 502 536 557    
Scottish Green Claire Filer 5.4 299 597 628 724 841  
Alba Jimmy Duncan 1.9 104 216 225      
Electorate: 12,571   Valid: 5,543   Spoilt: 37   Quota: 1,109   Turnout: 44.4%  

Source:[67][68]

Badenoch and Strathspey

[edit]

The SNP, the Conservatives and independent councillor Bill Lobban retained the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidate Russell Jones gained a seat from the Greens.

Badenoch and Strathspey - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Independent Russell Jones 23.1 1,280              
SNP Muriel Cockburn (incumbent) 16.0 886 900 914 1,210        
Conservative John Bruce (incumbent) 15.6 861 878 899 906 907 1,043 1,051 1,217
Independent Bill Lobban (incumbent) 15.2 842 895 946 962 978 1,133    
Scottish Green Pippa Hadley (incumbent) 10.3 568 593 624 655 702 850 858  
Liberal Democrats Declan Gallacher 8.8 489 503 575 596 605      
SNP Dave Fallows 6.7 371 381 397          
Labour Charlie Whelan 4.2 232 241            
Electorate: 10,899   Valid: 5,529   Spoilt: 92   Quota: 1,106   Turnout: 51.6%  

Source:[69][70]

Fort William and Ardnamurchan

[edit]

The SNP retained one of the two seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and independent candidate Thomas MacLennan gained seats from the SNP, the Conservatives and former independent councillor Andrew Baxter.

Fort William and Ardnamurchan - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
Liberal Democrats Angus MacDonald 37.5 1,500      
SNP Sarah Fanet (incumbent) 33.5 1,341      
Conservative Fiona Fawcett 10.1 404 551 570  
Scottish Green Kate Willis 9.6 385 500 798 837
Independent Thomas MacLennan 9.3 373 640 724 1,057
Electorate: 9,021   Valid: 4,003   Spoilt: 53   Quota: 801   Turnout: 45%  

Source:[71][72]

Aftermath

[edit]

For the first time, a political party won the most seats in a Highland Council election.[23] The SNP maintained the 22 seats they had won at the previous election – enough to leapfrog the total number of independent councillors elected which fell from 28 to 21.[20] As a result, the SNP group formed a coalition with independent councillors to run the council. SNP group leader, Cllr Raymond Bremner, was elected as council leader - the first person from Caithness and the first fluent Gaelic speaker to hold the role – while independent group leader Cllr Bill Lobban was elected as convener.[73]

Conservative councillor Andrew Jarvie resigned from the party to sit as an independent in December 2022 following a row over Avonlea Children's Home in Wick. He stated his desire to setup his own unionist political group.[74] Cllr Jarvie and four other independent councillors – namely Cllrs Duncan MacPherson, Maxine Morley-Smith, Matthew Reiss and Jim McGillivray – formed a new political group known as the Highlands Alliance in October 2023.[75]

In February 2024, SNP councillor Karl Rosie resigned from the party to sit as an independent citing the party's "incoherent independence strategy"[31] and Conservative councillor Patrick Logue defected to the Liberal Democrats.[76] Cllr Rosie later joined the Alba Party in March 2024.[32]

2023 Tain and Easter Ross by-election

[edit]

Tain and Easter Ross Liberal Democrat councillor Sarah Rawlings resigned in June 2023.[43] A by-election was held on 28 September 2023 with independent Maureen Ross elected.[77] Cllr Ross has joined the Highland Independent grouping on the council.[78]

Tain and Easter Ross by-election (28 September 2023) - 1 seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Independent Maureen Ross 41.5 1,022 1,025 1,033 1,058 1,131 1,312
Liberal Democrats Charles Stephen 24.5 603 605 618 644 705 801
SNP Gordon Allison 18.8 464 467 491 506 514  
Conservative Veronica Morrison 8.4 207 210 210 216    
Labour Michael Perera 3.6 88 90 96      
Scottish Green Andrew Barnett 2.3 56 58        
Scottish Libertarian Harry Christian 0.9 23          
Electorate: 7,226   Valid: 2,463   Spoilt: 25   Quota: 1,232   Turnout: 34.4%  

Source:[79][80]

Inverness South by-election

[edit]

Inverness South Liberal Democrat councillor Colin Aitken resigned in February 2024.[81] A by-election held on 11 April 2024 was won by independent candidate Duncan Cameron McDonald.[82]

Inverness South by-election (11 April 2024) - 1 seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Independent Duncan Cameron McDonald 21.9 730 740 768 798 872 1,050 1,247 1,800
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Chartier 19.6 652 658 665 699 834 1,065 1,235  
SNP Gordon Shanks 19.2 641 647 679 778 830 838    
Conservative Ryan Forbes 16.0 533 535 541 551 595      
Labour Ron Stevenson 10.9 364 365 370 404        
Scottish Green Arun Sharma 7.1 237 237 246          
Alba Jimmy Duncan 3.2 107 112            
Sovereignty Andrew Macdonald 1.2 41              
Electorate: 12,664   Valid: 3,305   Spoilt: 20   Quota: 1,653   Turnout: 26.3%  

Source:[83][84]

2024 Tain and Easter Ross by-election

[edit]

A second Tain and Easter Ross by-election of the term was called following the death of independent councillor Alasdair Rhind.[85] The election was held on 13 June 2024 and was won by independent candidate Laura Dundas.[86]

Tain and Easter Ross by-election (13 June 2024) - 1 seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Independent Laura Dundas 36.0 895 898 938 946 997 1,179 1,582
SNP Gordon Allison 25.4 630 636 643 682 689    
Liberal Democrats Barbara Cohen 25.0 621 625 637 668 708 890  
Conservative Eva Short 5.4 134 135 143 145      
Scottish Green Andrew Barnett 3.6 89 94 95        
Independent John Shearer 3.6 89 91          
Scottish Libertarian Harry Christian 1.0 25            
Electorate: 7,179   Valid: 2,483   Spoilt: 24   Quota: 1,242   Turnout: 34.9%  

Source:[87][88]

Inverness Central by-election

[edit]

Councillor Bet McAllister has announced her intention to retire in June 2024.[89] A by-election will follow.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Excludes uncontested ward.
  2. ^ For the administration group
  3. ^ a b 23 in the administration group, 3 Highland Matters, 1 Sutherland Independent, and 1 non-aligned.
  4. ^ Scottish Gaelic for Isle of Skye.
  5. ^ Cllr Rosie resigned from the SNP in February 2024 to sit as an independent.[31] He later joined the Alba Party.[32]
  6. ^ Sitting councillor for Inverness South.
  7. ^ Sitting councillor for Fort William and Ardnamurchan.
  8. ^ Cllr Rawlings resigned in June 2023.[43]
  9. ^ Sitting councillor for Wick and East Caithness.
  10. ^ Sitting councillor for Inverness West.

References

[edit]
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  13. ^ MacLennan, Scott (15 November 2019). "SNP candidate Emma Roddick wins Inverness Central ward by-election to become new Highland councillor". Inverness Courier. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  14. ^ a b MacAulay, Susy (13 March 2020). "Calum Munro elected to serve Skye and Raasay as Independent councillor". Press and Journal. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
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