2017 Moray Council election

2017 Moray Council election
4 May 2017 (2017-05-04)
All 26 seats to Moray Council
14 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
 
LeaderGraham Leadbitter & Shona MorrisonTim Eagle
PartySNPConservative
Leader's seatElgin South & Fochabers LhanbrydeBuckie
Last election10 seats, 39.4%3 seats, 17.5%
Seats before1110
Seats won98
Seat changeDecrease1Increase5
Popular vote10,51812,010
Percentage31.6%36.1%
SwingDecrease 7.9%Increase 18.6%
 Third partyFourth party
 
LeaderGeorge AlexanderJohn Divers
PartyIndependentLabour
Leader's seatForresElgin City South
Last election10 seats, 28.8%3 seats, 9.2%
Seats before32
Seats won81
Seat changeDecrease2Decrease2
Popular vote8,0221,483
Percentage24.1%4.3%
SwingDecrease 4.8%Decrease4.9%
The 8 multi-member wards
Council Leader before election

Stewart Cree
Independent

Council Leader after election

George Alexander
Independent

The 2017 Moray Council election was held on Thursday 4 May 2017, on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. It was the third successive Local Council election to run under the STV Electoral System. The election used the eight wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 26 Councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system - a form of proportional representation.

Following the election, a Conservative-Independent administration was formed. Independent councillor George Alexander was appointed Leader of the council, while Conservative councillor James Allan was appointed Convenor of the council.

In May 2018, all but one of the Conservative councillors left the administration, leaving the independents and Convenor James Allan in a minority administration. Following negotiations with other groups, the SNP formed a minority administration in June 2018, with Graham Leadbitter taking on the role of Council Leader and Shona Morrison being appointed Convenor, the first women to take on the role in Moray Council's history.

Background

Previous election

At the previous election in 2012, the Scottish National Party saw their seat count increase by 1, and became the largest grouping on the council by vote share. The Independent group lost 2 seats and the Conservatives held all of their seats. Labour increased their representation on the council by 1. Due to the SNP not having enough seats to form an administration, the previous coalition between the Conservatives and the Independents group stayed as the Council's administration.

2012 Moray Council election result
PartySeatsVote share
SNP1039.4%
Independent1028.8%
Conservative317.5%
Labour39.2%

Source:[1][2]

Composition

There were 5 by-elections in the 2012-17 term. There were 2 by-elections in the Heldon & Laich ward: one resulted in an Independent gain from SNP, and the other was an Independent hold. There were 2 further by-elections in the Buckie ward: one resulted in an SNP gain from Independent, and the other resulted in an Independent hold. The other by-election was held in the Elgin City North ward, which resulted in an SNP gain from Labour.

Composition of Moray Council
Party2012 electionDissolution
SNP1011
Independent103
Conservative310
Labour32

Source:[2]

Results

2017 Moray Council election result
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
 SNP901Decrease 134.631.610,518Decrease 7.8
 Conservative850Increase 530.836.112,010Increase 18.6
 Independent802Decrease 230.824.18,022Decrease 4.8
 Labour102Decrease 23.84.31,438Decrease 4.9
 Green000Steady0.02.6853Decrease 0.2
 Liberal Democrats000Steady0.01.2410Increase 0.6
Total26 33,296

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections in 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

Source:[3][4]

Ward results

Speyside Glenlivet

  • 2012: 2 X SNP & 1 X Independent
  • 2017: 1 X SNP, 1 X Conservative & 1 X Independent
  • 2012-2017: Conservative gain one seat from SNP
Speyside Glenlivet – 3 Seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234
ConservativeWalter Wilson35.91,307   
IndependentDerek Ross23.68581,107  
SNPLouise Laing21.37767828211,458
SNPAngus Anderson19.2698705727 
Electorate: 7,365   Valid: 3,639   Spoilt: 77   Quota: 910   Turnout: 50.5%  

Source:[5][6]

Keith and Cullen

  • 2012: 2 X Independent & 1 X SNP
  • 2017: 1 X SNP, 1 X Conservative & 1 X Independent
  • 2012-2017: Conservative gain one seat from Independent
Keith and Cullen – 3 Seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234
ConservativeDonald Gatt32.71,208   
SNPTheresa Coull29.51,088   
IndependentRon Shepherd (incumbent)18.026657657831,069
SNPIain Grieve10.2375382510570
IndependentRob Barsby9.6354442447 
Electorate: 8,118   Valid: 3,690   Spoilt: 62   Quota: 923   Turnout: 46.2%  

Source:[7][8]

Buckie

  • 2012: 2 X Independent & 1 X SNP
  • 2017: 1 X SNP, 1 X Conservative & 1 X Independent
  • 2012-2017: Conservative gain one seat from Independent
Buckie – 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234
ConservativeTim Eagle33.81,060   
IndependentGordon Cowie (incumbent)21.4673826  
SNPSonya Warren (incumbent)22.87167287341,369
SNPGordon McDonald (incumbent)22.0691702710 
Electorate: 7,962   Valid: 3,140   Spoilt: 47   Quota: 786   Turnout: 40.0%  

Source:[9][10]

Fochabers Lhanbryde

  • 2012: 1 X SNP, 1 X Conservative & 1 X Labour
  • 2017: 2 X SNP & 1 X Conservative
  • 2012-2017: SNP gain one seat from Labour
Fochabers Lhanbryde – 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234567
ConservativeMarc Macrae42.71,747      
SNPShona Morrison16.7682702708738759794872
SNPDavid Bremner17.4711722729752760792862
IndependentIan Taylor6.7274361374441578701 
Liberal DemocratsDonald Cameron5.2211318394445511  
IndependentKenneth Gillespie4.1166282294344   
IndependentSean Morton (incumbent)5.3215284289    
Liberal DemocratsPeter Horton2.083142     
Electorate: 8,089   Valid: 4,089   Spoilt: 71   Quota: 1,023   Turnout: 51.4%  

Source:[11][12]

Heldon & Laich

  • 2012: 2 X Independent, 1 X SNP & 1 X Conservative
  • 2017: 2 X Independent, 1 X SNP & 1 X Conservative
  • 2012-2017: No change
Heldon and Laich – 4 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234567
ConservativeJames Allan37.91,953      
IndependentJohn Cowe (incumbent)15.37891,045     
SNPAmy Patience18.99769969971,0141,110  
IndependentRyan Edwards10.5541662668706.017697881,170
IndependentDennis Slater (incumbent)10.2527658663693760778 
GreenJames Mackessack-Leitch4.7240286.8288347   
Liberal DemocratsJohn Mitchell2.3116201201    
Electorate: 10,737   Valid: 5,142   Spoilt: 44   Quota: 1,029   Turnout: 48.3%  

Source:[13][14]

Elgin City North

  • 2012: 2 X SNP & 1 X Labour
  • 2017: 1 X SNP, 1 X Conservative & 1 X Independent
  • 2012-2017: Conservative & Independent each gain one seat from SNP & Labour
Elgin City North – 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123456
ConservativeFrank Brown32.91,181     
IndependentSandy Cooper14.9532606767933  
SNPPaula Coy17.76346396727147201,279
SNPPatsy Gowans (incumbent)15.0537540557630634 
LabourNick Taylor11.9429477536   
IndependentBilly Adams7.4266339    
Electorate: 9,237   Valid: 3,579   Spoilt: 65   Quota: 895   Turnout: 39.5%  

Source:[15][16]

Elgin City South

  • 2012: 1 X SNP, 1 X Conservative & 1 X Labour
  • 2017: 1 X SNP, 1 X Conservative & 1 X Labour
  • 2012-2017: No change
Elgin City South – 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12
ConservativeRay McLean35.91,460 
SNPGraham Leadbitter (incumbent)30.71,245 
LabourJohn Divers (incumbent)24.81,0091,126
IndependentSean Malone8.5347531
Electorate: 9,551   Valid: 4,061   Spoilt: 42   Quota: 1,016   Turnout: 43.0%  

Source:[17][18]

Forres

  • 2012: 3 X Independent & 1 X SNP
  • 2017: 2 X Independent, 1 X SNP & 1 X Conservative
  • 2012-2017: Conservative gain from Independent
Forres - 4 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234567
ConservativeClaire Feaver35.42,094      
SNPAaron McLean (incumbent)23.51,389      
IndependentGeorge Alexander (incumbent)16.69811,247     
GreenFabio Villani10.4613671767773778835 
IndependentLorna Creswell (incumbent)9.45557397798158411,0151,505
IndependentJeff Hamilton4.1243335349360381  
IndependentTerry Monaghan0.636546062   
Electorate: 12,116   Valid: 5,911   Spoilt: 47   Quota: 1,183   Turnout: 49.2%  

Source:[19][20]

Aftermath

As no single party was able to form an administration on its own, a coalition administration between the Conservatives and the Independent group was formed, which was a continuation of the coalition administration since 2007. An independent councillor was appointed council leader and a Conservative councillor was appointed Convenor.

However, in May 2018, the Conservative-Independent administration collapsed. After negotiations with other groups, the SNP formed a minority administration in June 2018, with SNP co-leaderGraham Leadbitter taking on the role of Council Leader and SNP co-leader Shona Morrison being appointed Convenor.

On 21 October 2017, Speyside Glenlivet Conservative councillor Walter Wilson resigned from the party group following disagreements with colleagues in the party group. He sat as an Independent.[21]

Elgin City North by-election

On 10 May 2017, independent councillor Sandy Cooper resigned his seat less than a week after being elected in the 2017 elections. A by-election took place in the Elgin City North ward on 13 July 2017.[22] The seat was won by Conservative candidate Maria Mclean.

Elgin City North by-election (13 July 2017) - 1 seat
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123
ConservativeMaria McLean40.09239701,061
SNPPatsy Gowans38.8895904994
LabourNick Taylor15.8365389 
IndependentTerry Monaghan5.4124  
Electorate: 9,354   Valid: 2,307   Spoilt: 17   Quota: 1,155   Turnout: 24.8%  

Source:[23][24]

Keith and Cullen by-election

On 24 October 2019, independent councillor Ron Shepherd retired due to ill-health.[25] A by-election was held in the Keith and Cullen ward on 21 November 2019 and it was won by the Conservative candidate Laura Powell.

Keith and Cullen by-election (21 November 2019) - 1 seat
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123
ConservativeLaura Powell41.51,1421,1771,339
SNPJock McKay38.11,0471,0771,184
IndependentRob Barsby12.7349430 
Liberal DemocratsIan Aitchison7.7212  
Electorate: 8,191   Valid: 2,778   Spoilt: 28   Quota: 1,376   Turnout: 33.9%  

Source:[26][27]

References

  1. ^ Faulds, Allan. "Moray Council 2022". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b Teale, Andrew. "Local Election Results 2012". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  3. ^ Teale, Andrew. "Local Election Results 2017". Local Election Archive Project.
  4. ^ "Moray Council Election Results 2017". Moray.gov. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Declaration of Results - Ward 1 - Speyside Glenlivet" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Transfers Report - Ward 1 - Speyside Glenlivet" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Declaration of Results - Ward 2 - Keith and Cullen" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Transfers Report - Ward 2 - Keith and Cullen" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Declaration of Results - Ward 3 - Buckie" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Transfers Report - Ward 3 - Buckie" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Declaration of Results - Ward 3 - Fochabers Lhanbryde" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Transfers Report - Ward 4 - Fochabers Lhanbryde" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Declaration of Results - Ward 5 - Heldon and Laich" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Transfers Report - Ward 5 - Heldon and Laich" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Declaration of Results - Ward 6 - Elgin City North" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Transfers Report - Ward 6 -Elgin City North" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Declaration of Results - Ward 7 - Elgin City South" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Transfers Report - Ward 7 - Elgin City South" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Declaration of Results - Ward 8 - Forres" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Transfers Report - Ward 8 - Forres" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Councillor criticised over Moray budget comments". BBC News. 21 November 2017.
  22. ^ Davidson, Peter. "Councillor steps down after less than week in job". Evening Express. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Moray Council Local Government By-Election" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Local Government By-Election Ward 6 - Elgin City North" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  25. ^ "End of an era as Shepherd calls it a day". 24 September 2019.
  26. ^ "The Moray Council Local Government By-Election" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Local Government By-Election Ward 2 - Keith and Cullen" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
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