2007 Highland Council election

2007 Scottish local government election October 2022 May 2013 parliamentary no 2003 Highland Council election 2003 2007 5 3 y Highland Council election, 2012 2012 All 80 seats to Highland Council 41 Independent politician 57 seats, 69.6% 35 22 37,844 40.9% 28.7% Scottish Liberal Democrats 9 seats, 6.1% 21 12 17,917 19.3% 13.2% Scottish National Party 6 seats, 10.2% 17 11 18,933 20.4% 10.2% Scottish Labour Party 8 seats, 11.6% 7 1 9,734 10.5% 0.9% Council Convener Alison Magee Independent (politician) Council Convener after election Sandy Park Independent (politician) The 2007 Highland Council election was held on 3 May 2007; the same day as elections to the Scottish Parliament and to the 31 other councils in Scotland. Previous elections to the council had been conducted using the single member plurality system (a.k.a. 'First Past the Post'). Changes implemented by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 meant that future local government elections were to be conducted using the Single Transferable Vote, beginning with those in 2007. The 80 Highland Councillors were now to be elected from 22 wards, returning either three or four members. The election saw Independent councillors retain their plurality, despite losing a significant number of members, and the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party both increasing their representation, with that of the Labour Party decreasing. The Independent and SNP groups subsequently went into coalition to form the Administration of the council. Results 2007 Highland Council election results Independent (politician) 35 - - 22 43.8 40.9 37,844 28.7 Scottish Liberal Democrats 21 - - 12 26.3 19.3 17,917 13.2 Scottish National Party 17 - - 11 21.3 20.4 18,933 10.2 Scottish Labour Party 7 - - 1 8.8 10.5 9,734 0.9 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 0 - - 0.0 7.1 6,565 5.9 Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party 0 - - 0.0 0.7 664 New Scottish Green Party 0 - - 0.0 0.7 642 New Solidarity (Scotland) 0 - - 0.0 0.3 273 New Scottish Socialist Party 0 - - 0.0 0.1 59 1.0 Ward results Incumbent councillors are marked with * North, West and Central Sutherland North, West and Central Sutherland – 3 seats 9 Scottish National Party George Farlow 586 19.9% 588 599 641 676 687 716 778 Scottish Liberal Democrats Robbie Rowantree 410 14.0% 415 418 461 495 549 598 651 659 Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party Russel Taylor 314 10.7% 325 329 345 365 414 475 514 520 Independent (politician) Linda Munro 303 10.3% 318 358 368 383 391 437 518 524 Independent (politician) David Forbes 297 10.1% 316 330 338 350 365 416     Independent (politician) William Johnston 282 9.6% 288 300 304 308 325       Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Margaret Payne 216 7.4% 222 224 227 232         Scottish Labour Party Dave Andrews 184 6.3% 185 186 198           Scottish Green Party Ailsa Spindler 168 5.7% 172 176             Independent (politician) Kirstie Dawson 99 3.4% 100               Independent (politician) Michael Otter 80 2.7%                 9 4,996 2,939 735 60.0% Thurso Thurso – 3 seats 6 Independent (politician) Donald Mackay* 1,001 30.1%           Independent (politician) John Rosie 704 21.2% 762 781 842     Scottish Liberal Democrats Marion Thurso 541 16.3% 573 599 627 631 824 Scottish National Party Donald Mackintosh 433 13.0% 445 449 465 466 518 Scottish Labour Party Roger Saxon* 408 12.3% 428 437 454 457   Independent (politician) Ian Grant 125 3.8% 136 156       Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Alexander Bain 112 3.4% 118         6 6,388 3,324 832 53.0% Wick Wick – 3 seats 4 Independent (politician) Bill Fernie* 793 30.3%       Independent (politician) Katrina MacNab* 451 17.2% 505 556 648 Scottish National Party Niall Smith 443 16.9% 457 489 542 Scottish Liberal Democrats Graeme Smith* 407 15.5% 436 458 578 Scottish Labour Party Jim Oag 366 14.0% 378 399   Independent (politician) Heather Miller 98 3.7% 105     Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Jack Brooker 46 1.8% 48     Independent (politician) Laurel Bush 17 0.6% 19     4 5,817 2,621 656 46.3% Landward Caithness Landward Caithness – 4 seats 4 Scottish National Party David Bremner 871 18.8% 888 888 957 Independent (politician) Willie MacKay 845 18.2% 929     Scottish Liberal Democrats David Flear* 805 17.4% 918 918 1,067 Independent (politician) Robert Coghill 657 14.2% 723 723 815 Scottish Labour Party Bill Mowat 532 11.5% 552 552   Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Colin Sutherland 531 11.5% 558 558 601 Scottish Liberal Democrats Alastair MacDonald* 349 7.5%       Independent (politician) Duncan Winfield 41 0.9%       4 8,231 4,631 927 57.3% East Sutherland and Edderton East Sutherland and Edderton – 3 seats 8 Scottish Liberal Democrats Ian Ross* 838 22.8% 844 855 866 894 943     Scottish Labour Party Deirdre Mackay 703 19.2% 712 717 745 792 833 840 902 Scottish National Party Derek Louden 511 13.9% 518 524 537 550 576 578 620 Independent (politician) Jim McGillivray 482 13.1% 493 536 550 573 667 669 790 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Michael Napper 423 11.5% 428 437 449 459 491 493   Independent (politician) Jimmy Melville 252 6.9% 260 283 296 318       Independent (politician) Evelyn MacKenzie 155 4.2% 158 161 178         Independent (politician) Gordon Campbell 125 3.4% 126 135           Independent (politician) Gordon Clunie 114 3.1% 121             Independent (politician) Richard Easson 40 1.1%               Solidarity (Scotland) Frank Ward 27 0.7%               8 6,126 3,670 918 61.1% Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh – 4 seats 7 Scottish National Party Jean Urquhart* 1,486 26.1% Scottish Liberal Democrats Biz Campbell* 1,242 21.8% Independent (politician) Richard Greene 792 13.9% 849 858 964 983 1,037 1,147 Independent (politician) Audrey Sinclair 608 10.7% 633 648 658 780 829 882 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party John Scott 451 7.9% 473 483 502 514 618 662 Scottish Labour Party Christine Conniff 354 6.2% 393 407 423 438 470   Independent (politician) Marie Tait 328 5.8% 354 358 371 377     Independent (politician) Donald Macdonald 232 4.1% 248 264 270       Independent (politician) Alastair Armitstead 199 3.5% 238 242         7 9,593 5,692 1,139 60.6% Cromarty Firth Cromarty Firth – 4 seats 7 Independent (politician) Carolyn Wilson* 1,348 29.7% Scottish National Party Maxine Smith 1,021 22.5% Scottish Liberal Democrats Martin Rattray 647 14.3% 718 743 764 788 819 942 Independent (politician) Mike Finlayson 438 9.7% 533 545 562 595 644 769 Scottish Labour Party John MacInnes 438 9.7% 485 495 511 526 544 590 Independent (politician) John Connell* 307 6.8% 364 377 388 408 437   Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Hamish Keir 141 3.1% 158 161 165       Independent (politician) Mary MacDonald 104 2.3% 156 163 167 184     Solidarity (Scotland) Findlay Walker 88 1.9% 97 105         7 9,260 4,532 907 49.6% Tain and Easter Ross Tain and Easter Ross – 3 seats 8 Independent (politician) Alasdair Rhind* 1,406 36.2% Scottish Liberal Democrats Richard Durham* 627 16.2% 707 717 768 800 843 892 1,007 Scottish National Party Jim McCreath 465 12.0% 480 498 509 520 537 557 605 Independent (politician) Alan Torrance* 436 11.2% 545 549 558 582 603 674 823 Independent (politician) Murray MacLeod 294 7.6% 375 377 390 410 430 507   Independent (politician) Michael Herd 204 5.3% 228 233 252 262 277     Scottish Labour Party Sunny Moodie 148 3.8% 160 162 171 173       Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party David Rutherford 124 3.2% 140 144 146         Independent (politician) John Boocock 116 3.0% 127 133           Scottish Socialist Party Donnie Fraser 59 1.5% 63             8 7,000 3,879 970 56.4% Dingwall and Seaforth Dingwall and Seaforth – 4 seats 7 Independent (politician) Margaret Paterson* 1,078 23.1% Scottish Liberal Democrats Angela MacLean* 1,015 21.8% Scottish National Party Peter Cairns 853 18.3% 875 887 902 967 Independent (politician) David Chisholm* 639 13.7% 656 669 711 748 755 837 Scottish Labour Party Michael MacMillan* 556 11.9% 584 603 613 667 672 709 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Gerald Lowe 218 4.7% 228 234 246 261 264   Scottish Green Party David Jardine 207 4.4% 221 231 243       Independent (politician) David Edes 102 2.2% 112 116         7 8,996 4,666 934 52.9% Black Isle Black Isle – 4 seats 7 Independent (politician) Billy Barclay* 1,233 24.4%             Independent (politician) Isobel McCallum* 985 19.5% 1,050           Scottish Liberal Democrats David Alston* 973 19.3% 1,006 1,016         Scottish National Party Craig Fraser 558 11.1% 576 579 580 609 696 764 Independent (politician) Okain McLennan 433 8.6% 468 478 480 503 586 745 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Morris Downie 408 8.1% 429 433 434 453 470   Scottish Green Party John Wood 267 5.3% 273 275 277 338     Scottish Labour Party Chris Birt 192 3.8% 198 199 200       7 7,959 5,049 1,010 64.2% Eilean a' Cheò Eilean a' Cheò – 4 seats 6 Scottish Liberal Democrats Drew Millar* 960 21.2%           Independent (politician) Hamish Fraser* 795 17.6% 803 833 907     Independent (politician) John Laing* 734 16.2% 742 761 833 833 922 Scottish National Party Ian Renwick 669 14.8% 675 684 712 713 772 Independent (politician) John Murray 498 11.0% 506 534 630 631 693 Scottish Labour Party Vicki Samuels 351 7.8% 356 365 378 378   Independent (politician) Iain MacDonald* 338 7.5% 343 356       Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party John Hodgson 178 3.9% 180         6 7,990 4,523 905 57.8% Caol and Mallaig Caol and Mallaig – 3 seats 9 Independent (politician) Bill Clark* 975 24.8% 985               Independent (politician) Allan Henderson 881 22.4% 892 892 909 929 958 1,048     Independent (politician) Eddie Hunter 550 14.0% 558 558 573 621 633 690 704 795 Scottish Labour Party Mairi MacLean 473 12.0% 477 477 491 502 517 535 550 625 Scottish National Party David Ingham 389 9.9% 395 395 404 418 430 451 459   Independent (politician) Sandra Casey 188 4.8% 194 194 203 216 248       Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Chris Carver 156 4.0% 159 159 169 174         Independent (politician) George MacLeod 151 3.8% 160 160 165           Independent (politician) Alistair MacGregor 100 2.5% 101 101             Independent (politician) Scott Waugh 64 1.6%                 9 6,625 3,927 982 60.6% Aird and Loch Ness Aird and Loch Ness – 4 seats 7 Independent (politician) Margaret Davidson* 1,215 24.6%             Independent (politician) Helen Carmichael 1,125 22.8%             Scottish National Party Drew Hendry 892 18.1% 916 940 964 993     Scottish Liberal Democrats Hamish Wood 550 11.1% 584 607 644 757 759 866 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Margaret Chown 355 7.2% 373 388 405 422 423   Independent (politician) John Martin 322 6.5% 352 373 462 494 495 598 Scottish Labour Party Andrew MacKintosh 292 5.9% 305 312 326       Independent (politician) Alexander Nicol 192 3.9% 225 232         7 8,463 4,943 989 59.4% Inverness West Inverness West – 3 seats 4 Scottish National Party Pauline Munro 965 28.8%       Scottish Liberal Democrats Alex Graham 840 25.1%       Independent (politician) Jimmy MacDonald* 778 23.2% 813 814 900 Scottish Labour Party Caroline Parr 536 16.0% 561 562 604 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Mary Fraser 230 6.9% 244 245   4 6,581 3,349 838 51.7% Inverness Central Inverness Central– 4 seats 6 Scottish National Party Donnie Kerr 1,019 21.9%           Independent (politician) Peter Corbett* 776 16.6% 784 796 809 872 912 Scottish Liberal Democrats Janet Campbell 729 15.6% 743 767 793 843 934 Scottish Labour Party Bet McAllister 720 15.4% 725 735 884 919 933 Independent (politician) William Smith* 575 12.3% 581 588 597 642 693 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party David Bonsor 268 5.8% 270 273 275 299   Independent (politician) Ivor Bisset 252 5.4% 257 267 270     Scottish Labour Party Tej Manda 237 5.1% 241 249       Solidarity (Scotland) George MacDonald 88 1.9% 98         6 9,704 4,664 933 49.2% Inverness Ness-side Inverness Ness-side – 4 seats 7 Scottish Liberal Democrats David Henderson 1,127 22.5%             Scottish National Party John Finnie 1,016 20.2%             Independent (politician) Norrie Donald* 750 14.9% 770 772 803 875 981 1,081 Scottish Labour Party Fraser Parr 688 13.7% 700 701 718 745 775 805 Scottish Liberal Democrats Angus Dick* 468 9.3% 514 516 560 587 630 714 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Margaret MacDonald 361 7.1% 368 369 374 391 402   Independent (politician) Thomas Lamont 232 4.6% 234 235 251 289     Independent (politician) Steve Rodger 226 4.5% 235 235 247       Independent (politician) Jean Slater 82 1.6% 83 84         Solidarity (Scotland) Steve Arnott 70 1.4% 70 71         7 8,800 5,020 1,005 58.0% Inverness Millburn Inverness Millburn – 3 seats 5 Scottish Labour Party Jimmy Gray* 1,123 31.2%         Scottish National Party Ian Brown 1,005 27.9%         Scottish Liberal Democrats Kenneth MacLeod 510 14.2% 573 595 635 808 Independent (politician) Etta Mackay 430 11.9% 467 486 571 677 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Donald MacKenzie 356 9.9% 377 383 405   Independent (politician) Willie Fraser 178 4.9% 191 208     5 6,495 3,602 901 56.1% Culloden and Ardersier Culloden and Ardersier – 4 seats 3 Scottish National Party Robert Wynd* 1,335 28.7%     Independent (politician) Roddy Balfour* 1,308 28.1%     Scottish Labour Party John Ford* 816 17.5% 887 924 Scottish Liberal Democrats Glynis Sinclair 663 14.3% 763 825 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party John Ross 318 6.8% 346 393 Independent (politician) Jim Ferguson 213 4.6% 272 392 3 8,721 2,387 931 54.0% Nairn Nairn – 4 seats 6 Scottish National Party Liz MacDonald* 1,576 30.7%           Independent (politician) Sandy Park* 855 16.6% 946 1,006 1,088     Independent (politician) Laurie Fraser* 669 13.0% 754 852 917 942 1,050 Scottish Liberal Democrats Graham Marsden 535 10.4% 612 635 696 703 808 Independent (politician) Jim Lennon 476 9.3% 521 594 633 645 696 Scottish Labour Party Ron Stevenson 402 7.8% 434 452 467 470   Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Bob Ross 356 6.9% 373 377       Independent (politician) David Fraser 273 5.3% 320         6 9,009 5,142 1,029 58.1% Inverness South Inverness South – 4 seats 4 Scottish National Party Roy Pedersen 1,058 27.0%       Scottish Liberal Democrats Thomas Prag 902 23.0%       Scottish Labour Party John Holden 671 17.1% 721 749 803 Independent (politician) Jim Crawford 524 13.4% 586 613 803 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Donald MacDonald 413 10.5% 443 461 503 Independent (politician) Barrie Haycock 353 9.0% 384 394   4 7,287 3,921 785 54.5% Badenoch and Strathspey Badenoch and Strathspey – 4 seats 5 Scottish Liberal Democrats Stuart Black* 1,720 31.2%         Scottish National Party David Fallows 1,347 24.4%         Independent (politician) Gregor Rimell* 736 13.3% 824 871 1,014 1,105 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Les Durance 532 9.6% 606 623 653 710 Independent (politician) Jaci Douglas 484 8.8% 603 625 770 900 Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party Donald Scobbie 350 6.4% 427 460 500   Independent (politician) Angela Cox 347 6.3% 416 443     5 9,969 5,516 1,104 56.2% Fort William and Ardnamurchan Fort William and Ardnamurchan – 4 seats 9 Scottish Liberal Democrats Michael Foxley* 1,059 20.4%                 Independent (politician) Donald Cameron 939 18.1% 940 972 1,004 1,024 1,123       Scottish National Party Bren Gormley 778 15.0% 780 804 825 862 911 920 966 1,035 Scottish Labour Party Brian Murphy* 501 9.7% 503 520 536 558 597 609 667 712 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Andrew Baxter 372 7.2% 373 382 402 437 457 464 503   Independent (politician) Thomas MacLennan* 322 6.2% 323 345 354 375 410 428     Independent (politician) Darren Woods 317 6.1% 317 329 346 365         Independent (politician) Patricia Jordan 271 5.2% 273 298 330 373 418 436 554 657 Independent (politician) Drew McFarlane-Slack* 241 4.6% 242 258 275           Independent (politician) Iain Thornber 195 3.8% 196 207             Independent (politician) Neil Clark* 194 3.7% 195               9 8,616 5,189 1,038 61.3% Post-election changes On 6 May 2007, Badenoch and Strathspey Cllr Gregor Rimell became a Liberal Democrat and ceased to be an independent On 26 October 2007, Tain and Easter Ross Cllr Richard Durham became an independent after leaving the Liberal Democrats On 12 December 2007, Tain and Easter Ross Cllr Alan Torrance became a member of the Scottish National Party and ceased to be an independent On 3 April 2008, Landward Caithness Cllr David Bremner became an independent, separate from the Administration, after being expelled from the Scottish National Party In 2008, Wick Cllr Graeme Smith became a member of the Independent Members Group after leaving the Liberal Democrats On 13 March 2009, North, West and Central Sutherland Cllr Linda Munro became a Liberal Democrat and ceased to be an independent On 17 February 2011 Inverness Central Cllr Janet Campbell became a member of the Independent Members Group after leaving the Liberal Democrats. On 17 February 2011 Culloden and Ardersier Cllr Glynis Sinclair became an independent after leaving the Liberal Democrats. She joined the Scottish National Party on 24 May 2011 2007-2012 by-elections Inverness West On 23 April 2009 the Liberal Democrat's Alasdair Christie won a by-election which arose following the death of former Independent Councillor Jimmy MacDonald on 31 January 2009 Inverness West By-Election (24 April 2009) - 1 seathttp://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/2693/inverness_west_by-election_result Inverness West By-Election Result Highland Council 24 April 2009 11 October 2015 1 Scottish Liberal Democrats Alasdair Christie 1,503 59.60% Scottish National Party Brian ÓhEadhra 556 22.05% Scottish Labour Party Andrew James MacKintosh 210 8.33% Scottish Christian Party Dr Sheila McLaughlan 115 4.56% Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Donald Gunn MacDonald 111 4.40% Solidarity (Scotland) George MacDonald 27 1.07% Scottish Liberal Democrats Independent (politician) 1 6,623 2,522 18 1,270 2,540 Wick On 7 April 2011 the SNP's Gail Ross won a by-election which arose following the resignation of Independent Councillor Katrina MacNab Wick By-Election (7 April 2011) - 1 seatWard 3 (Wick By-Election https://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/62BA3793-24BF-44B5-B8E5-89B4D8B85B6E/0/ward3byelectionfulanalysis.pdf highland.gov.uk https://web.archive.org/web/20120422095053/https://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/62BA3793-24BF-44B5-B8E5-89B4D8B85B6E/0/ward3byelectionfulanalysis.pdf 2012-04-22 dead 4 Scottish National Party Gail Elizabeth Ross 979 46.82% 984 999 1,049 Scottish Labour Party Neil MacDonald 409 19.56% 410 421 463 Independent (politician) Niall Smith 207 9.90% 209 217 245 Scottish Liberal Democrats Claire Mairi Clarke 206 9.85% 211 219 236 Independent (politician) Jim Oag 184 8.80% 191 202   Independent (politician) Laurel Bush 73 3.49% 75     Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Michael Anthony Carr 33 1.58%       Scottish National Party Independent (politician) 4 5,564 2,091 33 1,047 2,124 Tain and Easter Ross On 9 June 2011 Independent Fiona Robertson won a by-election which arose following the death of SNP Councillor Alan Torrance Tain and Easter Ross By-Election (9 June 2011) - 1 seatTain and Easter Ross (By-Election) http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/48FAF232-4472-4A27-BC8F-3075807E303F/0/Ward8byelectionfullanalysis.pdf highland.gov.uk https://web.archive.org/web/20120423031844/http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/48FAF232-4472-4A27-BC8F-3075807E303F/0/Ward8byelectionfullanalysis.pdf 2012-04-23 dead 4 Scottish National Party Derek William Louden 837 33.23% 860 928 1,037 Independent (politician) Fiona Robertson 811 32.20% 840 933 1,204 Independent (politician) Ruairidh MacKenzie 467 18.54% 481 547   Scottish Liberal Democrats Antony Gardner 307 12.19% 318     Independent (politician) Michael Herd 97 3.85%       Independent (politician) Scottish National Party 4 6,962 2,519 17 1,260 2,536 Inverness South On 3 November 2011 the Liberal Democrat's Carolyn Caddick won a by-election which arose following the resignation of Labour Councillor John Holden Inverness South By-Election (3 November 2011) - 1 seatInverness South (By Election) http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F39E89BF-C07B-47D4-82E8-EF76C10FC015/0/ElectionSTVspreadsheetWard20InvernessFinal.pdf highland.gov.uk https://web.archive.org/web/20120422100701/http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F39E89BF-C07B-47D4-82E8-EF76C10FC015/0/ElectionSTVspreadsheetWard20InvernessFinal.pdf 2012-04-22 dead 6 Scottish National Party Kenneth Archer Gowans 885 33.94% 903 922 967 1,005 1,084 Scottish Liberal Democrats Carolyn Ann Caddick 747 28.65% 761 777 830 971 1,091 Scottish Labour Party Katherine MacKenzie-Geegan 308 11.81% 319 327 357 379   Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party David Louis Kinsley Bonsor 290 11.12% 300 336 339     Scottish Green Party Gale Louise Falconer 157 6.02% 172 189       Scottish Christian Party Donald MacLeod Boyd 126 4.83% 130         Independent (politician) David McGrath 94 3.60%           Scottish Liberal Democrats Scottish Labour Party 6 9,760 2,607 13 1,304 2,620 References 2007 Category:2007 Scottish local elections