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Main article: 2012 Scottish local elections
2012 Highland Council election
← 2007 3 May 2012 (2012-05-03) 2017 →
All 80 seats to Highland Council
41 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Carolyn Wilson Drew Hendry
Party Independent SNP
Leader's seat Cromarty Firth Aird and Loch Ness
Last election 35 seats, 40.9% 17 seats, 20.4%
Seats before 35 18
Seats won 35 22
Seat change Steady0 Increase5
Popular vote 29,149 18.673
Percentage 40.2% 25.8%
Swing Decrease0.7pp Increase5.4pp
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader David Alston Jimmy Gray
Party Liberal Democrats Labour
Leader's seat Black Isle Inverness Millburn
Last election 21 seats, 19.3% 7 seats, 10.5%
Seats before 23 6
Seats won 15 8
Seat change Decrease6 Increase1
Popular vote 9,777 9,151
Percentage 13.5% 12.6%
Swing Decrease5.8pp Increase2.1pp
Results by ward.
Council Leader before election

Michael Foxley
Liberal Democrats

Council Leader after election

Drew Hendry
SNP

The 2012 Highland Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Highland Council. The election used the twenty-two wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system (a form of proportional representation) and 80 Councillors being elected.

The election saw Independent councillors remain the largest group, while the Scottish National Party increased their representation, replacing the Scottish Liberal Democrats in second place. The Scottish Labour Party also gained an additional seat. Following the election an administration was formed between the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Labour Party. This was the first time that the Independents have not had any role in the administration of the council.

Election result

The Highland Council elections, 2012
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Independent 35 2 2 0 43.75 40.23 29,149 -0.67
  SNP 22 5 0 +5 27.5 25.77 18,673 +5.37
  Liberal Democrats 15 1 7 -6 18.75 13.49 9,777 -5.81
  Labour 8 2 1 +1 10.0 12.63 9,151 +2.13
  Conservative 0 - - - - 5.05 3,660 -2.05
  Scottish Christian 0 - - - - 1.13 817 New
  Scottish Green 0 - - - 0.96 692 +0.26
  UKIP 0 - - - - 0.38 272 New
  Scottish Senior Citizens 0 - - - - 0.27 196 -0.43
  TUSC 0 - - - - 0.1 73 New

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

Ward results

North, West and Central Sutherland

  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xIndependent
  • 2012: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xIndependent
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
North, West and Central Sutherland – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SNP George Farlow (incumbent) 26.23% 626              
Independent Hugh Morrison 22.50% 537 541.5 554.9 563.9 601.3      
Liberal Democrats Linda Munro (incumbent)††††††††† 18.89% 451 455.6 478.7 506.8 529.2 530.5 566.7 613.4
Scottish Senior Citizens Russell Taylor 8.21% 196 199.1 210.5 225.6 235.8 236.2 257.7 349
Independent Neil MacInnes 7.21% 172 175.4 180.1 190.1 198.4 198.9 234.1  
Scottish Christian Hector MacLennan 5.32% 127 127.9 129.1 140.2 147.2 147.6    
Conservative Les Mason 4.06% 97 97.5 100.6          
Independent Jess Thomas 4.02% 96 97.7 110.5 118.5        
Scottish Green Mandy Haggith 3.56% 85 89.9            
Electorate: 4,913   Valid: 2,387   Spoilt: 16   Quota: 597   Turnout: 2,403 (48.91%)  

Thurso

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xLab
  • 2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Lib Dem
Thurso – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Independent Donnie MacKay (incumbent) 29.38% 703            
Labour Roger Saxon 25.32% 606            
SNP Don Smith 17.97% 430 444.1 445.3 448.5 465.6 514.1  
Independent John Rosie (incumbent) 12.49% 299 357.7 359.8 369.7 413.5 518.2 708.7
Liberal Democrats Nick Noble 9.40% 225 234.9 235.9 248.4 266.3    
Independent Ian Grant 3.68% 88 95.1 95.9 105.3      
Conservative Reg Holder 1.76% 42 43.9 44.1        
Electorate: 6,192   Valid: 2,393   Spoilt: 33   Quota: 599   Turnout: 2,426 (39.18%)  

Wick

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
  • 2007-2012 Change: SNP and Lab gain one seat from Lib Dem and Independent
Wick – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
SNP Gail Ross (incumbent) 46.21% 798        
Labour Neil MacDonald 23.68% 409 506.2      
Independent Bill Fernie (incumbent) 14.13% 244 320.6 338.2 373.6 488.3
Independent Graeme Smith (incumbent) 8.86% 153 189.7 202.9 232.3  
Conservative Andrew Sinclair 7.12% 123 154.2 166.9    
Electorate: 5,633   Valid: 1,727   Spoilt: 19   Quota: 432   Turnout: 1,746 (31.0%)  

Landward Caithness

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 3xIndependent; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: Independent gain one seat from Lib Dem
Landward Caithness – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Independent A. I. Willie MacKay (incumbent) 28.58% 1,015              
Independent David Bremner (incumbent) 18.33% 651 721.4            
Independent Robert Coghill (incumbent) ††††† 17.97% 638 749.7            
SNP Alex MacLeod †††† 15.49% 550 576.7 579.6 580.8 592.8 598.5 656.8 756.3
Labour David Baron 8.51% 302 312.5 316.5 317.6 324.7 343.9 397.2  
Independent Bill Mowat 6.87% 244 274.2 282.7 284.9 297 329.2    
Conservative Richard White 3.07% 109 112.6 115.2 115.6 118.1      
Independent John Campbell 1.18% 42 54.3 57.2 58.1        
Electorate: 8,546   Valid: 3,551   Spoilt: 36   Quota: 711   Turnout: 3,587 (41.97%)  

East Sutherland and Edderton

  • 2007: 1xLib Dem; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
  • 2012: 1xLab; 1xIndependent; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem
East Sutherland and Edderton – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Labour Deirdre MacKay (incumbent) 32.21% 966            
Independent Jim McGillivray (incumbent) 19.27% 578 622 642.9 691.2 811    
SNP Graham Phillips 17.34% 520 544.6 548 554.7 605.8 618.1 771.7
Independent Richard Gale 12.74% 382 424.5 442.8 485.3 567.8 585.7  
Liberal Democrats Robbie Rowantree * 9.67% 290 334.5 340.1 402.1      
Conservative Kerensa Carr 6.27% 188 198.5 220.6        
UKIP Annie Murray 2.5% 75 81.9          
Electorate: 6,179   Valid: 2,999   Spoilt: 36   Quota: 750   Turnout: 3,034 (49.1%)  

* = Sitting Councillor from a different Ward.

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Liberal Democrats Biz Campbell† (incumbent) 27.59% 1,162            
Independent Richard Greene (incumbent) 20.68% 871            
Independent Audrey Sinclair (incumbent) 16.08% 677 802.7 811.9 941.6      
SNP Ian Cockburn 15.01% 632 670.2 672.9 697.1 708.9 740.6 1,107.2
SNP Paul Monaghan 8.98% 378 388.2 389.5 407.5 418.2 436.8  
Conservative Alaine MacDonald 6.10% 257 284.7 286.3 303.2 315.4    
Independent Richard Mitchell 5.56% 234 265 271.8        
Electorate: 9,612   Valid: 4,211   Spoilt: 62   Quota: 843   Turnout: 4,273 (44.45%)  

Cromarty Firth

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Cromarty Firth – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Independent Carolyn Wilson (incumbent) 23.60% 768            
SNP Maxine Smith (incumbent) 17.95% 584 604.7 606.9 660.8      
SNP Sheila Fletcher 14.26% 464 469.5 470.6 489.2 494.9 547.95  
Independent Mike Finlayson (incumbent) 11.95% 389 429.4 452.3 519 519.8 621.3 777.1
Liberal Democrats Martin Rattray (incumbent)††† 11.09% 361 378.7 394.6 481.4 483.4 547.96 630.9
Labour John McInnes 9.96% 324 332.2 336.5 367.4 367.9    
Independent Tina Deborah McCaffery 9.19% 299 307.1 313.2        
Conservative Jane Rous 1.99% 65 68.5          
Electorate: 9,456   Valid: 3,254   Spoilt: 65   Quota: 651   Turnout: 3,319 (35.1%)  

Tain and Easter Ross

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Tain and Easter Ross – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Independent Alasdair Rhind (incumbent) 32.67% 1,008            
Independent Fiona Robertson (incumbent) 24.44% 754 861.9          
Liberal Democrats Jamie Stone 16.47% 508 560.7 591.2 598.9 611.6 639.2 774.9
SNP Charlie Falconer 13.61% 420 432.2 441.8 446.8 450.9 468.8 514.8
Independent Richard Durham (incumbent) 8.14% 250 284.9 312.6 315.9 333.2 347.2  
Labour Ron Stevenson 2.53% 78 81 82.8 86.2 89.6    
Conservative David Rutherford 1.43% 44 48.7 52.3 54.1      
TUSC Sean Robertson 0.74% 23 24.9 27.2        
Electorate: 7,051   Valid: 3,085   Spoilt: 21   Quota: 772   Turnout: 3,106 (44.05%)  

Dingwall and Seaforth

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Dingwall and Seaforth – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Independent Margaret Paterson (incumbent) 20.98% 748                  
Liberal Democrats Angela MacLean (incumbent) 16.77% 598 607.4 613.5 646.7 693.3 768.2        
SNP Graham MacKenzie 12.20% 435 440.5 441.5 441.5 465.9 495.9 503.2 835.7    
Labour John Erskine 11.78% 420 422.8 424.8 429.9 448.9 486.1 495.8 533.5 554.6  
SNP Peter Cairns (incumbent) 10.88% 388 389.3 393.3 396.3 406.4 438.5 443.4      
Independent David Chisholm (incumbent) 8.36% 298 300.4 305.4 318.6 349.2          
Independent Alister MacKinnon 7.57% 270 274 298.2 315.3 405.5 507.4 521.4 543.2 564.7 718.6
Independent Fred Lees 6.17% 220 223.8 258.9 270.1            
Conservative Matthew MacDonald 2.78% 99 99.99 104.99              
Scottish Christian David Forbes 2.52% 90 90.50                
Electorate: 9,256   Valid: 3,566   Spoilt: 48   Quota: 714   Turnout: 3,614 (39.04%)  

Black Isle

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Black Isle – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Independent Billy Barclay (incumbent)†††††† 26.77% 1,130                  
Independent Isobel McCallum (incumbent) 16.04% 677 759.7 776.9 815.7 868.8          
Liberal Democrats David Alston (incumbent) 15.30% 646 691.4 698.9 742.7 789.2 795.4 842.5 912.9    
SNP Craig Fraser (incumbent) 14.45% 610 636.5 640.5 649.7 678.7 681.5 713.6 755 767.8 917
Scottish Green Myra Carus 6.92% 292 308.9 311.9 318.7 349.9 351.6 390.5 438.9 458.8  
Independent Morris MacKenzie Downie 5.69% 240 276.8 283.8 296.3 302.8 306.5 358.6      
Labour Michael MacMillan 5.12% 216 226.1 229.3 230.6            
Independent Okain McLennan 5.03% 212 236.7 242.5 249.2 265.5 269.1        
Conservative Pamela Cornwell 3.34% 141 149.3 153.1              
Scottish Christian Paul Horwood 1.35% 57 60.5                
Electorate: 8,205   Valid: 4,221   Spoilt: 39   Quota: 845   Turnout: 4,260 (51.92%)  

Eilean a' Cheò

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Eilean a' Cheò – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3
Independent John Gordon 26.59% 949    
SNP Ian Renwick (incumbent) 23.26% 830    
Independent Hamish Fraser (incumbent) 18.13% 647 702.5 729.6
Liberal Democrats Drew Millar (incumbent)††† 17.96% 641 704.1 726.4
Independent Moira Scoobie 7.12% 254 301 317.1
Labour Andrew MacKintosh 4.40% 157 164.7 171.5
Conservative John Crews 2.55% 91 97.4 99.8
Electorate: 8,161   Valid: 3,569   Spoilt: 40   Quota: 714   Turnout: 3,609 (44.22%)  

Caol and Mallaig

  • 2007: 3xIndependent
  • 2012: 3xIndependent
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Caol and Mallaig – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Independent Allan Henderson (incumbent) 32.64% 905            
Independent Bill Clark†† (incumbent) 25.59% 710            
Independent Eddie Hunter (incumbent)††††††† 18.24% 506 627.7 636.1 648.9 676.2 691.9 731.2
SNP Niall Rownatree 14.82% 411 436.9 438.6 448.1 459.3 474 492.4
Independent George Kerr 2.56% 71 83.1 84.4 88.7 95.2 106.1  
Conservative Elizabeth Saggers 2.38% 66 73.7 74.1 77.4 80.6    
Independent Sally Semple 2.16% 60 66.9 67.5 71.2      
Scottish Christian Susan Wallace 1.62% 45 50 50        
Electorate: 6,752   Valid: 2,774   Spoilt: 44   Quota: 694   Turnout: 2,818 (41.74%)  

Aird and Loch Ness

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Aird and Loch Ness – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Independent Margaret Davidson (incumbent) 36.94% 1,194              
SNP Drew Hendry (incumbent)†††††††††† 20.77% 840              
Independent Helen Carmichael (incumbent) 16.30% 659 894.4            
Liberal Democrats Hamish Wood (incumbent) 12.31% 498 546 575.4 579 585.9 652.4 768 858.1
SNP Robert Stewart 7.10% 287 314.1 322.7 345.3 358.5 387 413.2  
Conservative George Cruickshank 6.89% 279 297.4 307.4 307.9 335.8 351.9    
Labour Mike Robb 5.46% 221 234.2 242.1 243.3 246.2      
UKIP Fred Pidcock 1.63% 66 72.1 75.8 76.3        
Electorate: 8,999   Valid: 4,044   Spoilt: 56   Quota: 809   Turnout: 4,100 (45.56%)  

Inverness West

  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xIndependent
  • 2012: 1xLib Dem; 1xIndependent; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Inverness West – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Liberal Democrats Alex Graham (incumbent) 24.68% 610 613 615 650      
Independent Graham Ross 23.46% 580 594 611 639      
SNP Allan Duffy 18.53% 458 467 472 481 485.9 488.4 725.9
Labour Robert Ford 13.88% 343 349 355 359 366.1 369.9 393.8
SNP Pauline Munro (incumbent) 11.37% 281 288 295 296 301.6 305.5  
Conservative Mary Fraser 3.80% 94 94 107        
Scottish Christian Alan Petitt 2.27% 56 60          
TUSC George MacDonald 2.02% 50
Electorate: 6,659   Valid: 2,472   Spoilt: 41   Quota: 619   Turnout: 2,513 (37.74%)  

Inverness Central

  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab
  • 2012: 2xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLab
  • 2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem
Inverness Central – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Independent Janet Campbell (incumbent) 29.97% 887            
Labour Bet McAllister (incumbent) 26.36% 867            
SNP Donnie Kerr††† (incumbent) 20.43% 672            
SNP Richard Laird 11.49% 378 420.6 462.5 473.6 490.2 500.5 619.6
Liberal Democrats Angus Dick 9.64% 257 316.9 360 360.6 372.9 452.8  
Conservative Ray Doctor 7.81% 153 175.7 184.4 184.6 210.8    
Scottish Christian Rich Omand 2.28% 75 91 103.5 103.9      
Electorate: 9,251   Valid: 3,289   Spoilt: 59   Quota: 658   Turnout: 3,348 (36.19%)  

Inverness Ness-side

  • 2007: 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLab
  • 2012: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Inverness Ness-side – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
SNP Jean Slater 23.75% 879        
Liberal Democrats Alasdair Christie * 21.48% 795        
Labour Fraser Parr (incumbent) 17.83% 660 693.9 705.5 722.9 776.8
Independent Norrie Donald (incumbent) 16.78% 621 653.9 671.2 712.1 863.7
Conservative Peter Guthrie 8.97% 332 337.5 347.1 367.9 400.9
Independent John West 8.05% 298 314.6 319.7 332.6  
Scottish Christian Alasdair Moodie 3.13% 116 122.3 123.9    
Electorate: 8,822   Valid: 3,701   Spoilt: 33   Quota: 741   Turnout: 3,734 (42.33%)  

* = Sitting Councillor from a different Ward.

Inverness Millburn

  • 2007: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Inverness Millburn – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Labour Jimmy Gray (incumbent) 45.75% 1,152          
SNP Ian Brown (incumbent) 29.90% 753          
Liberal Democrats Ken MacLeod (incumbent) 7.94% 200 349.1 373.6 400.6 495.8 636.9
Conservative Peter Saggers 7.03% 177 213.7 219.1 235.8    
Scottish Green Anne Thomas 5.76% 145 272.3 304.5 332.9 367.2  
Scottish Christian Clark Walls 3.61% 91 120.9 128.7      
Electorate: 6,377   Valid: 2,518   Spoilt: 22   Quota: 630   Turnout: 2,540 (40.08%)  

Culloden and Ardersier

  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 1xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP; 1xLab
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Culloden and Ardersier – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Independent Roddy Balfour (incumbent) 29.71% 1,023              
SNP Glynis Sinclair (incumbent) 16.44% 566 616.6 618.6 621.9 648.1 678 682.3 1,024.6
Labour John Ford (incumbent)†††††††††††† 13.91% 479 509.4 514.3 524.3 547.6 586.8 595.9 644.3
Liberal Democrats Kate Stephen 13.80% 475 530.8 535.8 618.6 668.4 728.5    
SNP Bob Wynd (incumbent) 10.89% 375 390.7 393.9 402.7 429.9 455.2 459.6  
Scottish Green Donnie MacLeod 4.93% 170 209.2 219.1 227.4        
Independent David McGrath 4.79% 165 192.1 238.1 261.9 300.9      
Conservative Alex Stephen 4.47% 154 177.2 178.8          
Independent Bill Jamieson 1.05% 36 82.4            
Electorate: 8,606   Valid: 3,443   Spoilt: 36   Quota: 689   Turnout: 3,479 (40.43%)  

Nairn

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 2xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem
Nairn – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SNP Liz MacDonald (incumbent) 28.36% 1,120            
Independent Laurie Fraser (incumbent) 15.73% 621 646 684 800.1      
Independent Michael Green 12.23% 483 511.9 543.5 641.2 645.8 778.1 968.7
Labour Ashley Broadbent 11.60% 458 468.9 479.5 516.8 517.7 606.5  
SNP Colin John MacRury MacAulay†††††††† 10.31% 407 615.3 625.5 652.1 653.1 716.4 810.4
Liberal Democrats Graham Marsden (incumbent) 8.38% 330 348.6 406.3 442.9 444.6    
Independent Ritchie Cunningham 8.23% 325 338.8 366.4        
Conservative Rossie MacRae 5.19% 205 210          
Electorate: 9,136   Valid: 3,949   Spoilt: 63   Quota: 790   Turnout: 4,012 (43.91%)  

Inverness South

  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
  • 2012: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP; 1xIndependent
  • 2007-2012 Change: Lib Dem gain one seat from Lab
Inverness South – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SNP Ken Gowans 20.34% 696              
Independent Jim Crawford (incumbent) 17.36% 594 594.5 659.5 772.5        
Liberal Democrats Carolyn Caddick (incumbent) 16.63% 569 569.6 590.7 688.7        
SNP Bill Boyd 11.49% 393 401.3 411.3 429.4 437.9 438.2 495.6  
Labour Katherine MacKenzie 10.32% 353 353.3 363.3 385.3 398.8 399.1    
Liberal Democrats Thomas Prag (incumbent) 9.79% 335 335.2 346.2 378.2 401.4 403.9 505.3 631.9
Conservative David Bonsor 9.38% 321 321.1 343.1          
Scottish Christian Donald MacLeod Boyd 4.68% 160 160.1            
Electorate: 9,479   Valid: 3,421   Spoilt: 37   Quota: 685   Turnout: 3,458 (36.48%)  

Badenoch and Strathspey

  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
  • 2012: 2xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLib Dem
  • 2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent
Badenoch and Strathspey – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Independent Jaci Douglas (incumbent) 24.68% 1,082          
SNP Bill Lobban 17.99% 789 813.3 818.9 840.1 844.8 970.6
SNP David Fallows (incumbent)††††††††††† 16.49% 723 750.3 764.5 796.6 805.8 912.2
Liberal Democrats Gregor Rimell (incumbent) 14.73% 646 707.3 720.3 927.9    
Labour Kieran Turner 12.91% 566 596.5 610.7 640.6 653.6  
Conservative Les Durance 10.22% 448 466.5 518.1      
UKIP Ross Durance 2.99% 131 141.4        
Electorate: 10,348   Valid: 4,385   Spoilt: 49   Quota: 878   Turnout: 4,434 (42.85%)  

Fort William and Ardnamurchan

  • 2007: 1xLib Dem; 1xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLab
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLab
  • 2007-2012 Change: Independent gain one seat from Lib Dem
Fort William and Ardnamurchan – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Independent Andrew Baxter††† 18.63% 647 678 713          
Labour Brian Murphy (incumbent) 16.53% 574 585 631 633.3 688.5 719.3    
SNP Bren Gormley (incumbent) 16.33% 567 577 583 585.4 855.7      
Independent Davie Corrigan 13.48% 468 489 514 518.2 552.2 580.7 584.9  
Independent Thomas MacLennan††† 12.90% 448 473 518 521.8 555.9 582.7 590.1 873.3
SNP William MacDonald 11.90% 413 418 434 435        
Liberal Democrats Jamie MacKie 5.18% 180 219            
Conservative Alexander Gillespie 5.04% 175              
Electorate: 8,593   Valid: 3,472   Spoilt: 58   Quota: 695   Turnout: 3,530 (41.08%)  

Post Election Changes

  • † On 5 May 2012 Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Cllr Biz Campbell quit the Liberal Democrats and became an Independent. [1]
  • †† On 18 June 2012 Caol and Mallaig Cllr Bill Clark joined the Scottish National Party and ceased to be an Independent.[2]
  • ††† On 16 October 2012 Inverness Central Cllr Donnie Kerr quit the Scottish National Party and became a non-aligned Independent. [3] On 15 December 2014 he joined the Highland Alliance along with former Liberal Democrat Cllrs Drew Millar and Martin Rattray and former Independents Andrew Baxter and Thomas MacLennan.Breakaway councillors aim to protect Highland communities
  • †††† On 10 December 2012 Landward Caithness Cllr Alex MacLeod quit the Scottish National Party regarding alleged offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and became an Independent Nationalist. He subsequently resigned his seat and a by-election was held on 28 November 2013 which was won by the Independent Matthew Reiss. Youngest councillor Alex MacLeod charged over election expenses
  • ††††† On 28 February 2013 Landward Caithness Independent Cllr Robert Coghill resigned on medical grounds. A by-election was held on 2 May 2013 and was won by his daughter, Gillian Coghill. [4]
  • †††††† On 23 October 2013 Black Isle Independent Cllr Billy Barclay died. A by-election was held on 19 December 2013 to fill the vacancy which was won by his widow, Jennifer, also an Independent. Tributes to Black Isle councillor and farmer Barclay
  • ††††††† On 9 January 2014 Caol and Mallaig Independent Cllr Eddie Fisher announced he was resigning from the council as he is moving away from the region. A by-election was held on 1 May 2014 to fill the vacancy which was won by the Independent, Ben Thompson. The Oban Times | Lochaber
  • †††††††† On 15 March 2015 Nairn SNP Cllr Colin John MacRury MacAulay resigned his seat on medical grounds [5] A by-election was held on 7 May 2015 and the seat was held by the SNP's Stephen Fuller.
  • ††††††††† On 28 May 2015 North, West and Central Sutherland Cllr Linda Munro quit the Liberal Democrats and became an Independent.[6]
  • †††††††††† On 7 May 2015 Aird and Loch Ness SNP Cllr Drew Hendry was elected as an MP for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency. He resigned his Council seat on 13 July 2015 and a by-election was held on 8 October 2015.Highland by-election set for October The by-election was won by the Liberal Democrat Dr Jean Davis.
  • ††††††††††† On 12 May 2016 Badenoch and Strathspey SNP Cllr David Fallows quit the party over key policies and joined the Highland Alliance.[7]
  • †††††††††††† On 21 July 2016 Culloden and Ardersier Labour Cllr John Ford died suddenly while on holiday in Jersey.[8] A by-election was held on 6 October 2016 which was won by the Liberal Democrat's Trish Robertson.

By-elections since 2012

Landward Caithness

Landward Caithness By-election (2 May 2013) – 1 Seat[1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Independent Gillian Coghill 53.49% 1,317
SNP Hanna Miedema 21.32% 525
Labour David Baron 16.94% 417
Conservative Barbara Anne Watson 8.25% 203
Electorate: 8,592   Valid: 2,462   Spoilt: 17   Quota: 1,232   Turnout: 2,479 (28.85%)  

Landward Caithness

Landward Caithness By-election (28 November 2013) – 1 Seat[2]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
Independent Matthew Reiss 44.78% 1,150
Independent Winifred Sutherland 23.09% 593
SNP Ed Boyter 20.48% 526
Conservative Kerensa Carr 6.66% 171
Independent Tina Irving 4.98% 128
Valid: 2,568   Spoilt: 48   Quota: 1,295   Turnout: (29.91%)  

Caol and Mallaig

Caol and Mallaig By-election (1 May 2014) – 1 Seat[3]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
Independent Ben Thompson 38.98% 932 950 1,009 1,176
SNP William MacDonald 30.36% 726 739 756 881
Independent Sandy Watson 22.46% 537 541 551  
UKIP Liam Simmonds 5.56% 133 139    
Scottish Christian Susan Wallace 2.84% 68      
Valid: 2,391   Spoilt: 23   Quota: 1,196   Turnout: 2,414 (34.43%)  

Black Isle

Black Isle By-election (19 December 2013) – 1 Seat[4]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Independent Jennifer Barclay 32.77% 1,003 1,031 1,061 1,157 1,210 1,343
SNP Jackie Hendry 14.34% 439 439 453 470 530 594
Independent Bill Fraser 12.48% 382 413 431 486 556 663
Liberal Democrats George Normington 10.91% 334 373 408 434 489  
Independent Gwyn Phillips 8.98% 275 289 304      
Scottish Green Myra Carus 8.79% 269 280 319 362    
Labour Shaun Finlayson 6.01% 184 194        
Conservative Douglas MacLean 5.72% 175          
Valid: 3,061   Spoilt: 23   Quota: 1,531   Turnout: 3,084 (35.81%)  

Nairn

Nairn By-election (7 May 2015) – 1 Seat[5]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
SNP Stephen Fuller 41.04% 2,709 2,782 2,854 3,135
Liberal Democrats Ritchie Cunningham 24.07% 1,589 1,701 1,890 2,406
Independent Paul McIvor 15.32% 1,011 1,042 1,440  
Independent Mairi MacGregor 12.68% 837 893    
Labour Chris Johnson 6.89% 455      
Valid: 6,601   Spoilt: 149   Quota: 3,302   Turnout: 6,750 (71.44%)  

Aird and Loch Ness

Aird and Loch Ness By-election (8 October 2015) – 1 Seat[6]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
Liberal Democrats Jean Mary Elizabeth Davis 33.45% 1,029 1,099 1,208 1,511
SNP Emma Ann Knox 32.51% 1,000 1,097 1,144 1,167
Conservative George Cruickshank 15.18% 467 480 544  
Independent Zofia Fraser 9.53% 293 330    
Scottish Green Vikki Tania Trelfer 9.33% 287      
Electorate: 9,584   Valid: 3,076   Spoilt: 24   Quota: 1,538   Turnout: 3,100 (32.35%)  

Culloden and Ardersier

Culloden and Arderseir By-election (6 October 2016) – 1 Seat[7]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SNP Pauline Munro 27.20% 753 755 775 796 862 908 970 1,001
Liberal Democrats Trish Robertson 16.73% 463 464 479 515 564 703 793 1,026
Conservative Andrew Jarvie 15.86% 439 442 452 468 478 515 589  
Independent John Ross 11.38% 315 317 330 339 362      
Independent Duncan MacPherson 9.90% 274 285 324 346 369 414    
Scottish Green Isla MacLeod-O'Reilly 6.50% 180 182 188 209        
Labour Andrew MacKintosh 5.89% 163 163 180          
Independent David McGrath 5.71% 158 158            
Independent Thomas Lamont 0.83% 23              
Electorate: 9,237   Valid: 2,768   Spoilt: 50   Quota: 1,385   Turnout: 2,818 (30.51%)  

References

  1. ^ "Ward 4 Result May 2013". highland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013.
  2. ^ "By-election Ward 4 (Landward Caithness) 2013". highland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Caol and Mallaig by-election results May 2014". highland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Black Isle By-Election 2013". scottishelections.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
  5. ^ Tarrant, Sylvia. "Five candidates contest Nairn by-election". highland.gov.uk.
  6. ^ "Ward 13 – Aird and Loch Ness By-election – Thursday 8 October 2015". highland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Ward 18 – Culloden and Ardersier By-election". highland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016.

Highland Council election results 2012

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Highland_Council_election

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