2012 Highland Council election

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.

Main article: 2012 Scottish local elections

2012 Highland Council election

3 May 2012 (2012-05-03)
All 80 seats to Highland Council 41 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Carolyn Wilson Drew Hendry David Alston Party Independent SNP Liberal Democrats Leader's seat Cromarty Firth Aird and Loch Ness Black Isle Last election 35 seats, 40.9% 17 seats, 20.4% 21 seats, 19.3% Seats before 35 18 23 Seats won 35 seats, 40.2% 22 seats, 25.8% 15 seats, 13.5% Seat change - 5 6   Fourth party   Leader Jimmy Gray Party Labour Leader's seat Inverness Millburn Last election 7 seats, 10.5% Seats before 6 Seats won 8 seats, 12.6% Seat change 1
Results by ward.
Council Leader before election Sandy Park retired Independent Council Leader after election Drew Hendry SNP

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	-	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	-
	Scottish Green	0	-	-	-		0.96	692	+0.26
	UKIP	0	-	-	-	-	0.38	272	-
	Scottish Senior Citizens	0	-	-	-	-	0.27	196	-0.43
	TUSC	0	-	-	-	-	0.1	73	-

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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	SNP	George Farlow (incumbent)	26.23%	626
	Independent	Hugh Morrison	22.5%	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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	6.1%	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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8	Count 9	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8	Count 9	Count 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)	15.3%	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	Count 2	Count 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	4.4%	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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	Independent	Margaret Davidson (incumbent)	36.94%	1,194
	SNP	Drew Hendry (incumbent)††††††††††	20.77%	840
	Independent	Helen Carmichael (incumbent)	16.3%	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	7.1%	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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	3.8%	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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 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	13.8%	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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 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	11.6%	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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 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	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 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†††	12.9%	448	473	518	521.8	555.9	582.7	590.1	873.3
	SNP	William MacDonald	11.9%	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.
• †† On 18 June 2012 Caol and Mallaig Cllr Bill Clark joined the Scottish National Party and ceased to be an Independent.
• ††† On 16 October 2012 Inverness Central Cllr Donnie Kerr quit the Scottish National Party and became a non-aligned Independent. 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.
• †††† 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.
• ††††† 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.
• †††††† 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.
• ††††††† 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.
• †††††††† On 15 March 2015 Nairn SNP Cllr Colin John MacRury MacAulay resigned his seat on medical grounds 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.
• †††††††††† 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. 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.
• †††††††††††† On 21 July 2016 Culloden and Ardersier Labour Cllr John Ford died suddenly while on holiday in Jersey. 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 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 By-election (28 November 2013) - 1 Seat[2]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4
	Independent	Matthew Reiss	44.4	1,150
	Independent	Winifred Sutherland	22.9	593
	SNP	Ed Boyter	21.1	526
	Conservative	Kerensa Carr	6.6	171
	Independent	Tina Irving	4.9	128

Caol and Mallaig By-election (1 May 2014) - 1 Seat[3]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 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

Black Isle By-election (19 December 2013) - 1 Seat[4]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6
	Independent	Jennifer Barclay	32.8	1,003	1,031	1,061	1,157	1,210	1,343
	SNP	Jackie Hendry	14.3	439	439	453	470	530	594
	Independent	Bill Fraser	12.5	382	413	431	486	556	663
	Liberal Democrats	George Normington	10.9	334	373	408	434	489
	Independent	Gwyn Phillips	9.0	275	289	304
	Scottish Green	Myra Carus	8.8	269	280	319	362
	Labour	Shaun Finlayson	6.0	184	194
	Conservative	Douglas MacLean	5.7	175

Nairn By-election (7 May 2015) - 1 Seat[5]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 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

Aird and Loch Ness By-election (8 October 2015) - 1 Seat[6]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4
	Liberal Democrats	Jean Mary Elizabeth Davis	33.5%	1,029	1,099	1,208	1,511
	SNP	Emma Ann Knox	32.5%	1,000	1,097	1,144	1,167
	Conservative	George Cruickshank	15.2%	467	480	544
	Independent	Zofia Fraser	9.5%	293	330
	Scottish Green	Vikki Tania Trelfer	9.3%	287
Electorate: 9,584   Valid: 3,076   Spoilt: 24   Quota: 1,538   Turnout: 3,100 (32.35%)

Culloden and Arderseir By-election (6 October 2016) - 1 Seat[7]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	SNP	Pauline Munro	27.2	753	755	775	796	862	908	970	1,001
	Liberal Democrats	Trish Robertson	16.7	463	464	479	515	564	703	793	1,026
	Conservative	Andrew Jarvie	15.9	439	442	452	468	478	515	589
	Independent	John Ross	11.4	315	317	330	339	362
	Independent	Duncan MacPherson	9.9	274	285	324	346	369	414
	Scottish Green	Isla MacLeod-O'Reilly	6.5	180	182	188	209
	Labour	Andrew MacKintosh	5.9	163	163	180
	Independent	David McGrath	5.7	158	158
	Independent	Thomas Lamont	0.8	23
Electorate: 9,237   Valid: 2,768   Spoilt: 50   Quota: 1,385   Turnout: 2,818 (30.51%)

References

1. http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/elections/highlandcouncilelections/ward4-results.htm
2. http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/elections/highlandcouncilelections/ward4-by-election-2013.htm
3. http://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/6421/preference_summary_report_-_caol_and_mallaig_by-election_may_2014
4. http://www.scottishelections.org.uk/scotland/lby/blackisle.php
5. http://www.highland.gov.uk/press/article/43/five_candidates_contest_nairn_by-election
6. http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/799/elections_and_voting/371/elections/2
7. http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/799/elections_and_voting/706/culloden_and_ardersier_by-election

https://web.archive.org/web/20120507051730/http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/elections/highlandcouncilelections/2012results/default.htm