2017 Highland Council election

The 2017 Highland Council election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect members of the Highland Council. The election used the 21 wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004; each ward elected three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system (a form of proportional representation). A total of 74 councillors were elected, six less than in 2012.

Main article: 2017 Scottish local elections

2017 Highland Council election

4 May 2017 (2017-05-04)
All 74 seats to Highland Council 38 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Margaret Davison Maxine Smith / Ian Cockburn Andrew Jarvie Party Independent SNP Conservative Leader's seat Aird and Loch Ness Cromarty Firth / Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Inverness South Last election 35 seats, 40.2% 22 seats, 25.8% 0 seats, 5.1% Seats before 39 19 0 Seats won 28 seats, 36.1% 22 seats, 24.9% 10 seats, 15.7% Seat change 7 10   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Alasdair Christie Jimmy Gray Pippa Hadley Party Liberal Democrats Labour Scottish Green Leader's seat Inverness Ness-side Inverness Millburn Badenoch and Strathspey Last election 15 seats, 13.5% 8 seats, 12.6% 0 seats, 1.0% Seats before 15 7 0 Seats won 10 seats, 12.9% 3 seats, 6.9% 1 seat, 3.1% Seat change 5 5 1
Council Leader before election Margaret Davidson Independent Council Leader after election Margaret Davidson[1] Independent

The election was fought in new wards, as the recommendations by the Boundary Commission had been accepted by Scottish Ministers. There were big changes, particularly in Caithness where an entire ward was removed. This election was most notable for returning 10 Conservative councillors: the party's first representation on the council since 1999.

After the 2012 election an administration had been formed by the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Labour Party. This was the first time that the Independents had not had any role in the administration of the Council. However, later in the 2012–17 term, this administration fell and the Independent group instead governed as a minority.[1]

After the 2017 election, the Independent, Liberal Democrat and Labour groups formed a coalition administration.[1]

Election result

The Highland Council elections, 2017[2][3]

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Independent	28	1	8	7	37.84	36.07	32,492	4.16
	SNP	22	4	4		29.73	24.93	22,459	0.84
	Conservative	10	10	0	10	13.51	15.65	14,095	10.60
	Liberal Democrats	10	1	6	5	13.51	12.85	11,577	0.64
	Labour	3	0	5	5	4.05	6.90	6,218	5.73
	Scottish Green	1	1	0	1	1.35	3.14	2,832	2.18
	UKIP	0	0	0		0	0.19	169	0.19
	Scottish Christian	0	0	0		0	0.12	104	1.01
	Scottish Socialist	0	0	0		0	0.11	96	0.11
	Libertarian	0	0	0		0	0.04	36	0.04

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 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils. These are also direct comparisons of seat change, not comparisons to 'notional' results as used in the national results, as such there is a net loss of six seats in the Net gain/loss column.

Ward results

North, West and Central Sutherland

• 2012: 1 SNP; 1 Lib Dem; 1 Independent
• 2017: 1 SNP; 1 Lib Dem; 1 Independent
• 2012-2017 Change: No change

North, West and Central Sutherland - 3 seats[4][5]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6
	Liberal Democrats	Linda Munro (incumbent)	17.96%	504	510	521	587	671	899
	Independent	Hugh Morrison (incumbent)	16.85%	473	480	521	556	669	804
	SNP	Kirsteen Currie	19.81%	556	564	571	612	681	689
	Conservative	Russell Taylor	19.84%	557	561	565	622	658
	Independent	Malcolm Bangor-Jones	11.08%	311	327	341	367
	Labour	William Sinclair	9.44%	265	269	274
	Independent	Michael Simpson	3.17%	89	91
	Independent	Brendan O'Hanrahan	1.85%	52
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 2,807   Spoilt: 38   Quota: 702   Turnout: 58.0%

Thurso and North West Caithness

• 2017: 2 Independent, 1 Conservative, 1 SNP
• 2012-2017 Change: New ward

Thurso and North West Caithness - 4 seats[6][7]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	Independent	Matthew Reiss*	36.69%	1,924
	Conservative	Struan Mackie	17.18%	901	1,111
	Independent	Donnie MacKay + †††††	10.81%	567	678	687	706	717	763	878	1,263
	SNP	Karl Rosie	14.23%	746	813	816	823	875	899	957	1,059
	Independent	Gillian Coghill *	7.95%	417	643	658	683	703	758	870
	Labour	Roger Saxon +	6.25%	328	405	410	412	427	488
	Liberal Democrats	Alexander Glasgow	3.78%	198	241	250	257	276
	Scottish Green	Sandra Owsnett	1.98%	104	128	129	137
	Independent	Tommy Farmer	1.13%	59	82	85
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 5,244   Spoilt: 70   Quota: 1,049   Turnout: 51.4%

* = Sitting Councillors for Landward Caithness Ward. + = Sitting Councillors for Thurso Ward.

Wick and East Caithness

• 2017: 2 Independent, 1 Conservative, 1 SNP
• 2012-2017 Change: New ward

Wick and East Caithness - 4 seats[8][9]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	Independent	A.I. Willie MacKay +	22.37%	1,046
	Independent	Nicola Sinclair	20.68%	967
	Conservative	Andrew Sinclair	13.88%	649	666	669	708	735	822	919	1,047
	SNP	Raymond Bremner	11.74%	549	557	559	577	600	655	723	831
	Labour	Neil MacDonald *	8.64%	404	417	420	455	495	556	671
	Independent	Linda Malik	7.23%	338	351	357	369	424
	Independent	Bill Fernie *	6.99%	327	353	361	396	436	518
	Independent	Catherine Patterson	4.79%	224	233	238	247
	Liberal Democrats	Luke Graham	3.68%	172	177	178
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 4,676   Spoilt: 59   Quota: 936   Turnout: 47.6%

* = Sitting Councillors for Wick Ward.

+ = Sitting Councillor for Landward Caithness Ward.

East Sutherland and Edderton

• 2012: 1xLabour, 1xIndependent; 1xSNP
• 2017: 1 x Labour, 1 x Independent, 1 x Liberal Democrats
• 2012-2017 Change: 1 x Liberal Democrat gain from SNP

East Sutherland and Edderton - 3 seats[10][11]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7
	Labour	Deirdre MacKay (incumbent)	21.20%	755	757	831	946
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Gale	19.63%	699	715	773	889	909
	Independent	Jim McGillivray (incumbent)	16.76%	597	600	649	793	806	814	1,155
	SNP	Graham Phillips (incumbent)	18.20%	648	653	711	725	732	735
	Conservative	Eva Short	14.52%	517	518	532
	No Label	George Gunn	8.68%	309	311
	Libertarian	Harry Christian	1.01%	36
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 3,561   Spoilt: 30   Quota: 891   Turnout: 57.1%

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh

• 2012: 2 x Independent, 1 x SNP, 1 x Liberal Democrat
• 2017: 1 x Independent, 1 x SNP, 1 x Conservative, 1 x Liberal Democrat
• 2012-2017 Change: 1 x Conservative gain from Independent

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh - 4 seats[12][13]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	SNP	Ian Cockburn (incumbent)	15.28%	859	887	1,355
	Conservative	Derek MacLeod	18.44%	1,036	1,055	1,061	1,064	1,206
	Independent	Biz Campbell (incumbent)	14.16%	796	843	876	900	1,146
	Liberal Democrats	Kate Stephen*††††††	13.38%	752	841	864	883	993	1,026	1,035	1,560
	Scottish Green	Topher Dawson	11.18%	628	674	721	839	928	935	939
	Independent	Richard Greene (incumbent)	11.67%	656	673	686	700
	SNP	Alexander MacInnes	10.82%	608	610
	Labour	Christopher Birt	5.07%	285
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 5,620   Spoilt: 75   Quota: 1,125   Turnout: 57.8%

* = Sitting Councillor for Culloden and Ardersier Ward.

Cromarty Firth

• 2012: 2 x Independent, 1 x SNP, 1 x Liberal Democrats
• 2017: 2 x Independent, 2 x SNP
• 2012-2017 Change: 1 x SNP gain from Liberal Democrats

Cromarty Firth - 4 seats[14][15]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	Independent	Carolyn Wilson (incumbent)	27.01%	1,108
	SNP	Pauline Munro	19.53%	801	828
	Independent	Mike Finlayson (incumbent)	9.87%	405	483	483	532	567	639	773	1,047
	SNP	Maxine Smith (incumbent)	14.12%	579	599	604	615	624	660	674	741
	Independent	Martin Rattray (incumbent)	7.85%	322	378	378	399	422	498	591
	Conservative	Ian Smith	8.43%	346	368	368	373	390	468
	Liberal Democrats	Mary MacDonald	6.78	278	303	303	320	360
	Labour	Bill Curran	3.78%	155	162	162	170
	Independent	Sheila Fletcher	2.63%	108	122	122
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 4,102   Spoilt: 65   Quota: 821   Turnout: 43.4%

Tain and Easter Ross

• 2012: 2 x Independent, 1 x Liberal Democrat
• 2017: 1 x Independent, 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x SNP
• 2012-2017 Change: 1 x SNP gain from Independent

Tain and Easter Ross - 3 seats[16][17]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6
	Independent	Fiona Robertson (incumbent)	20.32%	708	751	903
	SNP	Derek Louden	23.85%	831	847	870	874
	Liberal Democrats	Jamie Stone (incumbent) †	19.49%	679	696	851	860	861	1,342
	Independent	Alasdair Rhind (incumbent)	16.33%	569	587	722	736	736
	Conservative	Ron Ferguson	16.02%	558	583
	Independent	Sandra Skinner	3.99%	139
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 3,484   Spoilt: 64   Quota: 872   Turnout: 49.9%

Dingwall and Seaforth

• 2012: 2 x Independent, 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x SNP
• 2017: 2 x Independent, 1 x Liberal Democrat, 1 x SNP
• 2012-2017 Change: No Change

Dingwall and Seaforth - 4 seats[18][19]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7
	SNP	Graham MacKenzie (incumbent)	28.62%	1,267
	Independent	Margaret Paterson (incumbent)	19.27	853	967
	Liberal Democrats	Angela MacLean (incumbent)	19.61%	868	941
	Independent	Alister MacKinnon (incumbent)	12.47%	552	603	639	659	690	783	1,125
	Conservative	Reiner Luyken	14.36%	636	644	652	662	670	716
	Labour	David Jardine	4.47%	198	233	240	249	265
	No Label	Dave Allison	1.20%	53	67	72	73
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 4,427   Spoilt: 44   Quota: 886   Turnout: 44.50%

Black Isle

• 2012: 2 x Independent, 1 x Liberal Democrats, 1 x SNP
• 2017: 1 x Independent, 1 x Liberal Democrats, 1 x SNP
• 2012-2017 Change: 1 x Independent loss due to 4 wards being reduced to 3

Black Isle - 3 seats[20][21]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7
	SNP	Craig Fraser (incumbent)	26.88%	1,234
	Liberal Democrats	Gordon Adam	20.02%	919	930	1,005	1,077	1,307
	Independent	Jennifer Barclay (incumbent)	16.16%	742	754	783	842	939	995	1,457
	Conservative	Rainie Smith	18.71%	859	860	878	927	940	974
	Scottish Green	Vikki Trelfer	8.45%	388	427	466	494
	Independent	Bev Smith	5.36%	246	250	263
	Labour	Michael MacMillan	4.42%	203	209
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 4,591   Spoilt: 42   Quota: 1,148   Turnout: 4,633 (54.9%)

Eilean a' Cheò

• 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
• 2017: 3xIndependent; 1xSNP
• 2012-2017 Change: Independent gain one seat from Lib Dem

Eilean a' Cheò (Skye) - 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	Count 11	Count 12
	Independent	John Finlayson	28.9%	1,449
	SNP	Calum MacLeod †††	12.5%	626	656.6	666.9	676.5	690.4	710.3	726.6	1,028.8
	Independent	Ronald MacDonald††††††††	14.3%	717	829.5	835.2	847.5	892.3	925.9	992.6	999.3	1,001.9
	Independent	John Gordon (incumbent)	9.06%	453	534.9	539.9	549.5	582.7	631.9	737.3	757.1	765.3	765.7	834.6	1,035.2
	Independent	Hamish Fraser (incumbent)	6.8%	339	395.9	408.5	425.1	442.8	515.6	545.6	554.8	559.1	559.2	632.03
	Conservative	Malcolm MacLeod	6.4%	319	331.4	335.4	359.2	371	383.9	394.5	395.8	396.3	396.4
	SNP	Ian Renwick (incumbent)	6.2%	310	317.4	320.4	323.4	334.8	351.7	363.5
	Independent	Campbell Dickson	4.3%	216	249.7	251.6	257.9	277.3	303.3
	Independent	Drew Millar (incumbent)	4.3%	213	241.1	243.4	250.4	265.8
	Independent	Moira Scoobie	3.3%	164	197.1	208	222.6
	Liberal Democrats	Ken MacLeod *	1.9%	97	106.6	131.2
	Labour	Peter O'Donnghaile	1.9%	98	104.5
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 5,001   Spoilt: 80   Quota: 1,001   Turnout: 5,082 (59.1%)

• = Sitting Councillor for Inverness Millburn Ward.

Caol and Mallaig

• 2012: 3xIndependent
• 2017: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP
• 2012-2017 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent

Caol and Mallaig - 3 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5
	Independent	Allan Henderson (incumbent)	28.3%	917
	Independent	Ben Thompson (incumbent)	23.7%	767	809.4	826.4
	SNP	Billy MacLachlan††††	23.9%	778	793.4	796.6	800.7	838.9
	Liberal Democrats	Denis Rixson	9.4%	304	324.7	328.04	331.03	402.6
	Conservative	Elizabeth Saggers	8.2%	265	271.4	275.5	276.9	290.6
	Labour	Alan Carstairs	5.6%	181	187.4	189.4	191.5
	Independent	Liam Simmonds	0.93%	30	34.04
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 3,242   Spoilt: 52   Quota: 811   Turnout: 3,294 (46.6%)

Aird and Loch Ness

• 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
• 2017: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xCon
• 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Lib Dem

Aird and Loch Ness - 4 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6
	Independent	Margaret Davidson (incumbent)	27.8%	1,405
	Conservative	George Cruickshank†††††††††	19.7%	998	1,045.3
	SNP	Emma Knox	14.2%	719	734.1	734.3	842.07	1,270.6
	Independent	Helen Carmichael (incumbent)	12.4%	625	837.02	848.6	947.6	960.7	1,049.4
	Liberal Democrats	Dr. Jean Davis (incumbent)	10.2%	515	558.6	568.1	654.5	671.2	714.9
	SNP	Matt Friess	8.08%	409	424.9	425.3	491.8
	Scottish Green	Chris Ballance	7.7%	388	411.8	413.5
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 5,059   Spoilt: 66   Quota: 1,012   Turnout: 5,125 (52.6%)

Inverness West

• 2012: 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xIndependent
• 2017: 1xLib Dem; 1xIndependent; 1xSNP
• 2012-2017 Change: No change

Inverness West - 3 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6
	Liberal Democrats	Alex Graham (incumbent)	27.7%	964
	Independent	Graham Ross (incumbent)	20.6%	719	751.4	808.03	891.4
	SNP	Bill Boyd	20.7%	722	727.8	752.3	782.6	785.5	1,077.3
	Conservative	Fergus MacKenzie	11.9%	416	431.6	445.3	489.2	493.7	501.2
	SNP	Cath MacInnes	8.6%	300	304.9	317.2	345.5	347.8
	Labour	Addie Eghtedar	6.7%	235	244.9	261.7
	Independent	Allan Duffy (incumbent)	3.73%	130	139.4
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 3,486   Spoilt: 64   Quota: 872   Turnout: 3,550 (42.6%)

Inverness Central

• 2012: 2xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLab
• 2017: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
• 2012-2017 Change: 1 less seat compared to 2012.

Inverness Central - 3 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	SNP	Richard Laird (incumbent)†††††††	32.8%	1,122
	Labour	Bet McAllister (incumbent)	16.9%	577	615.5	623.5	665.7	768.8	880.8
	Independent	Janet Campbell (incumbent)	15.3%	522	546.03	560.9	577.8	640.4	828.8	839.4	1,063.4
	Conservative	Donald MacKenzie	12.5%	426	430.3	434.3	474.7	498.04	533.7	536.6
	Independent	Donnie Kerr (incumbent)	10.5%	360	392.8	409.2	420.6	485.1
	Scottish Green	Russell Deacon	6.08%	208	305.09	311.3	346.04
	Liberal Democrats	Margot Kerr	4.5%	154	170.7	172.7
	Independent	Diane Wilkinson	1.5%	50	58.8
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 3,419   Spoilt: 64   Quota: 855   Turnout: 3,483 (39.5%)

Inverness Ness-side

• 2012: 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLab
• 2017: 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP; 1xCon
• 2012-2017 Change: 1 less seat compared to 2012.

Inverness Ness-side - 3 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6
	Liberal Democrats	Alasdair Christie (incumbent)	42.75%	1,739
	SNP	Ron MacWilliam	25.96%	1,056
	Conservative	Callum Smith	14.18%	577	748.2	749.2	756	851.6	1,110.9
	Labour	Fraser Parr (incumbent)	9.27%	377	537.9	546.6	588.2	744.2
	Independent	Jean Slater (incumbent)	6.27%	255	427.06	437.3	471.1
	Scottish Socialist	Feargus Murray	1.57%	64	99.2	105.5
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 4,068   Spoilt: 29   Quota: 1,018   Turnout: 4,097 (51.1%)

Inverness Millburn

• 2012: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
• 2017: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
• 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Lib Dem

Inverness Millburn - 3 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7
	Labour	Jimmy Gray (incumbent)	29.6%	1,064
	Conservative	Isabelle MacKenzie	19.9%	716	749.1	792.1	824.6	993.01
	SNP	Ian Brown (incumbent)	20.6%	738	755.3	770.3	818.9	856.4	864.3	1,352.8
	SNP	Jackie Hendry	12.6%	452	462.9	472.2	534.1	573.5	581.5
	Liberal Democrats	John West	7.4%	267	298.4	329.8	390.7
	Scottish Green	Anne Thomas	5.9%	213	229.1	255.4
	Independent	Zosia Fraser	3.9%	140	158.3
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 3,590   Spoilt: 65   Quota: 898   Turnout: 3,655 (47.7%)

Culloden and Ardersier

• 2012: 1xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem
• 2017: 1xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLib Dem
• 2012-2017 Change: 1 less seat compared to 2012.

Culloden and Ardersier - 3 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	SNP	Glynis Campbell-Sinclair (incumbent)	17.7%	669	677	704	724	1,280
	Independent	Roddy Balfour (incumbent)	20.2%	763	790	817	864	900	972.5
	Liberal Democrats	Trish Robertson (incumbent)	15.6%	592	601	633	707	743	800.4	810.9	1,188.7
	Conservative	Raine Cullen	18.1%	685	697	705	731	736	744.9	751.09
	SNP	Pauline Munro	16.5%	623	627	655	682
	Labour	Matt Wakeling	5.7%	215	220	241
	Scottish Green	Donnie MacLeod	3.9%	149	156
	Independent	Thomas Lamont	2.3%	86
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 3,782   Spoilt: 60   Quota: 946   Turnout: 3,842 (47.1%)

Nairn and Cawdor

• 2012: 2xIndependent; 2xSNP
• 2017: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xCon
• 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from SNP.

Nairn and Cawdor- 4 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8	Count 9
	Independent	Tom Heggie	21.6%	1,144
	Conservative	Peter Saggers	15.4%	816	820.8	820.8	833.8	861.4	941.09	945.09	947.9	1,045.7
	Independent	Laurie Fraser (incumbent)	13.09%	694	716.5	716.5	740.7	841.05	967.3	1,009.09	1,055.9	1,491.3
	SNP	Liz MacDonald (incumbent)	12.2%	647	654.9	661.9	666.1	686.9	710.4	1,228.7
	SNP	Stephen Fuller (incumbent)	11%	586	590.7	598.7	603.8	634.9	657.0
	Independent	Michael Green (incumbent)	10.5%	558	571.06	573.06	584.2	658.7	758.8	792.9	824.5
	Liberal Democrats	Ritchie Cunningham	6.95%	369	374.9	377.9	421.2	458.3
	Independent	Paul McIvor	5.8%	310	322.8	330.06	347.6
	Labour	Andrew Mackintosh	2.8%	147	148.9	151.9
	Scottish Socialist	Louis McIntosh	0.6%	32	32.5
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 5,303   Spoilt: 96   Quota: 1,061   Turnout: 5,399 (52.5%)

Inverness South

• 2012: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP; 1xIndependent
• 2017: 1SNP; 1Con; 1Lib Dem; 1Independent
• 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Lib Dem

Inverness South - 4 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7
	SNP	Ken Gowans (incumbent) ††	25.3%	1,287
	Conservative	Andrew Jarvie	20.1%	1,022
	Liberal Democrats	Carolyn Caddick (incumbent)	15.7%	799	810.5	811.6	833.8	970.5	1,151.2
	Independent	Duncan MacPherson	11.5%	583	593.7	594.3	619.6	678.2	971.2	1,029.6
	Independent	Jim Crawford (incumbent)	10.4%	527	537.5	538.3	564.3	621.8
	Labour	Shaun Fraser	7.6%	387	394.9	395.3	401.3
	SNP	Michelle Gowans	7.4%	376	592.3	592.4	599.6	646.4	682.2	696.4
	Scottish Christian	Donald MacLeod Boyd	2.05%	104	105.05	105.3
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 5,085   Spoilt: 48   Quota: 1,018   Turnout: 5,133 (45.3%)

Badenoch and Strathspey

• 2012: 2xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLib Dem
• 2017: 1xCon; 1xIndependent; 1xSXP; 1xGRN
• 2012-2017 Change: Conservative & Green each gain one seat from SNP & Liberal Democrat

Badenoch and Strathspey - 4 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	Conservative	John Bruce	23.58%	1,266
	Independent	Bill Lobban (incumbent)	22.15%	1,189
	SNP	Muriel Cockburn	18.48%	992	993.8	1,005.9	1,014.8	1,040.5	1,089.9
	Scottish Green	Pippa Hadley	14.04%	754	763.7	784.1	808.3	820.6	905.7	915.4	1,230.4
	Liberal Democrats	Gregor Rimell (incumbent)	9.61%	516	571.4	601.5	663.9	689.6	793.7	795.4
	Independent	Stewart Dick	6.26%	336	362.8	371.7	401.1	455.7
	UKIP	Les Durance	3.15%	169	198.6	202.7	210.9
	Independent	Donald MacDonald	2.74%	147	167.8	185.3
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 5,369   Spoilt: 43   Quota: 1,074   Turnout: 5,412 (51%)

Fort William and Ardnamurchan

• 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLab
• 2017: 2xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xCon
• 2012-2017 Change: SNP & Conservative each gain one seat from Independent & Labour

Fort William and Ardnamurchan - 4 seats
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7
	Independent	Andrew Baxter (incumbent)	37.2%	1,550
	SNP	Blair Allan	22.4%	932
	Conservative	Ian Ramon	12.7%	530	648.9	650.0	713.5	842.3
	SNP	Niall McLean	10.5%	437	550.3	630.2	650.9	715.9	716.1	852.2
	Labour	Sally Semple	8.3%	344	425.9	428.5	488.9	595.9	599.2
	Liberal Democrats	Trevor Escott	4.6%	192	250.7	254.6
	Independent	Joanne Matheson	4.3%	177	389.3	392.6	454.7
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 4,162   Spoilt: 80   Quota: 833   Turnout: 4,242 (48.4%)

Changes since 2017

• † Tain and Easter Ross Liberal Democrat Cllr Jamie Stone was elected MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross in June 2017. He resigned his council seat on 20 July 2017. The by-election took place on 28 September 2017.[22] Alisdair Rhind was elected with 48.8% of the first preference vote. He had previously served as councillor for Tain and Easter Ross before losing his seat the previous May.
• †† Inverness South Ken Gowans resigned from the SNP on 5 September 2017.[23] He rejoined the SNP in 2018.
• ††† Eilean a' Cheò Cllr Calum MacLeod left the SNP group in November 2017 following allegations of fracas.[24]
• †††† Caol and Mallaig SNP Cllr Billy MacLachlan died in January 2018. A by-election took place on 5 April 2018. It was won by the Liberal Democrat candidate Denis Rixson, who had stood unsuccessfully for the seat in the 2017 local elections.[25]
• ††††† Thurso and Northwest Caithness Independent Cllr Donnie Mackay left the independent-led administration in June 2018, in protest to a proposed roll-out of car park charges to more towns and toilet closures. He subsequently joined the Conservative party.[26]
• †††††† Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Lib Dem Cllr Kate Stephen resigned her seat on 1 October 2018. This was due to an increase in her academic research.[27] A by-election was held on 6 December 2018 which was won by the SNP's Alexander MacInnes.
• ††††††† Inverness Central SNP Cllr Richard Laird resigned his seat due to medical advice on 5 September 2019.[28] A by-election was held on 14 November 2019 and Emma Roddick held the seat for the SNP.
• †††††††† Eilean a' Cheò Independent Cllr Ronald MacDonald resigned his Council seat on 19 December 2019 to concentrate on the implementation of the Ritchie Report to improve Health and Social Care Services in Skye.[29] A by-election was held on 12 March 2020 and was won by Independent candidate Calum Munro.[30]
• ††††††††† Aird and Loch Ness Conservative Cllr George Cruikshank died on 6 April 2020.[31] A by-election is currently scheduled for 5 November 2020.[32]

By-elections since 2017

Tain and Easter Ross

Tain and Easter Ross By-election (28 September 2017)[33]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3
	Independent	Alasdair Rhind	48.8%	1,266	1,267	1,290
	SNP	Stan Peace	23.6%	612	616	634
	Liberal Democrats	William Sinclair	14.3%	372	376	387
	Conservative	Eva Short	9.0%	233	236	243
	Independent	Gerald Holdsworth	2.6%	68	69
	Libertarian	Harry Christian	0.5%	13
Electorate: TBC   Valid: 2,564   Spoilt: 29   Quota: 1,283   Turnout: 2,593 (36.1%)

Caol and Mallaig

Caol and Mallaig By-election (5 April 2018)[33]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5
	Liberal Democrats	Denis Rixson	31.1%	658	671	706	791	968
	SNP	Alex MacInnes	27.2%	574	591	615	617	737
	Independent	Colin 'Woody' Wood	21.5%	454	471	539	580
	Conservative	Ian Smith	8.7%	183	188	200
	Independent	Catherine MacKinnon	6.9%	146	176
	Independent	Ronald Joseph Campbell	4.6	98
Electorate: 7088   Valid:   Quota: 1,057   Turnout: 2131 (30.1%)

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh By-election (7 December 2018)[33]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8
	SNP	Alexander MacInnes	33.1%	1,318	1,320	1,322	1,327	1,354	1,397	1,575	1,798
	Conservative	Gavin Berkeneger	26%	1,037	1,038	1,043	1,061	1,071	1,147	1,186	1,374
	Independent	Richard Greene	15.6%	622	624	627	677	699	785	905
	Scottish Green	Irene Francis Brandt	9%	359	359	359	364	411	483
	Liberal Democrats	George Scott	8%	320	320	322	346	379
	Labour	Christopher Birt	4.4%	174	174	175	179
	Independent	Jean Davis	3.3%	131	132	133
	UKIP	Les Durance	0.4%	16	18
	Libertarian	Harry Christian	0.2%	8
Electorate: 9,900   Valid: 3,985   Spoilt: 39   Quota: 1,993   Turnout: 4,024(40.65%)

Inverness Central

Inverness Central By-election (14 November 2019)[34]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3
	SNP	Emma Roddick	45.15	1,015	1,033	1,115
	Conservative	Rachael Hatfield	15.35	345	349	360
	Independent	Richie Paxton	12.32	277	303	338
	Liberal Democrats	Mary Dormer	10.54	237	266	325
	Scottish Green	Russell Deacon	9.79	220	238
	Labour	Ardalan Eghtedar	6.85	154
Electorate: 8,877   Valid: 2,248   Spoilt: 28   Quota: 1,125   Turnout: 2,276 (25.6%)

Eilean a' Cheò

Eilean a' Cheò By-election (12 March 2020)[33]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5
	Independent	Calum Munro	28.5%	911	927	1,017	1,117	1,464
	SNP	Andrew Kiss	27.3%	874	885	889	1,019	1,135
	Liberal Democrats	Fay Thomson	21.8%	698	698	801	881
	Scottish Green	Dawn Kroonstuiver Campbell	11.2%	357	367	379
	Conservative	Ruriadh Stewart	9.8%	314	315
	No Label	Màrtainn Mac a’ Bhàillidh	1.8%	45
Electorate: 8,848   Valid: 3,199   Spoilt: 29   Quota: 1,600   Turnout: 3,228 (36.5%)

References

1. "Independent, Lib Dem, Labour coalition to run Highland". BBC News.
2. "Highland Council". BBC News. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
3. Board, Electoral Management. "Electoral Management Board - SLGE2017 Summary Results Data". www.electionsscotland.info. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
4. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 1 North, West and Central Sutherland - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
5. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 1 North, West and Central Sutherland - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
6. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 2 Thurso and Northwest Caithness - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
7. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 2 Thurso and Northwest Caithness - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
8. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 3 Wick and East Caithness - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
9. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 3 Wick and East Caithness - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
10. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 4 East Sutherland and Edderton - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
11. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 4 East Sutherland and Edderton - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
12. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 5 Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
13. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 5 Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
14. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 6 Cromarty Firth - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
15. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 6 Cromarty Firth - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
16. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 7 Tain and Easter Ross - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
17. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 7 Tain and Easter Ross - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
18. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 8 Dingwall and Seaforth - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
19. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 8 Dingwall and Seaforth - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
20. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 council election Ward 9 Black Isle - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
21. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 council election Ward 9 Black Isle - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
22. http://www.north-star-news.co.uk/News/Tain-by-election-dates-announced-10082017.htm
23. "Bitter row as SNP councillor resigns from party group". www.highland-news.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
24. "Isle of Skye councillor found guilty of abuse charge". West Highland Free Press - www.whfp.com. 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
25. Council, The Highland (6 April 2018). "Results from 5th and final stage of #Caol & Mallaig by election. Denis Rixson has been electedpic.twitter.com/HpyuBDQv9m". Retrieved 1 April 2019.
26. https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/News/Veteran-Highland-councillor-quits-administration-to-join-the-Tories-06062018.htm
27. https://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/News/Ross-by-election-called-as-councillor-stands-down-from-Highland-Council-24092018.htm
28. "Highland councillor to stand down on medical advice". www.highland-news.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
29. Macaulay, Susy. "Skye councillor resigns to concentrate on Ritchie review implementation".
30. Macaulay, Susy. "Calum Munro elected to serve Skye and Raasay as Independent councillor".
31. https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/2126764/highland-councillor-with-unfailing-good-humour-dies/
32. https://www.electionsscotland.info/elections/log-council-elections
33. Smart, Joanna. "Local Government by-elections". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
34. "Local Government by-elections". highland.gov.uk.

• highland council notice of poll