Scottish Borders Council election, 2012

Scottish Borders Council election, 2012
Scotland
3 May 2012 (2012-05-03)
All 34 seats to Scottish Borders Council
18 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Jim Fullarton John Mitchell David Parker
Party Conservative SNP Independent
Leader's seat East Berwickshire Galashiels and District Leaderdale and Melrose
Last election 11 seats, 32.4% 6 seats, 17.6% 5 seats, 14.7%
Seats before 12 6 4
Seats won 10 9 7
Seat change Decrease1 Increase3 Increase2
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Graham Garvie Sandy Aitchison
Party Liberal Democrats Borders Party
Leader's seat Tweeddale East Galashiels and District
Last election 10 seats, 29.4% 2 seats, 5.9%
Seats before 10 2
Seats won 6 2
Seat change Decrease4 -

The 11 multi-member wards
Council Leader before election

David Parker
Independent

 Council Leader after election

David Parker
Independent

Elections to Scottish Borders Council were held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election used the 11 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, with 34 Councillors elected.

The election saw the Scottish Conservative Party remain the largest party on the Council though they lost 1 seat. The Scottish National Party replaced the Scottish Liberal Democrats as the second largest party by gaining 3 seats at the expense of the latter. The Lib Dems were reduced to 6 seats. Independents increased their numbers to 7 seats while the Borders Party retained their 2 seats.

Following the election the Scottish National Party formed a coalition with the support of the Independents and the Liberal Democrats. The Borders Party are also supporting this administration. This replaced the previous Conservative-Lib Dem-Independent coalition which existed from 2007-2012.

Election results

Scottish Borders Local Election Result 2012
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 10 1 2 -1 29.41 23.22 8,644 -3.58
  SNP 9 4 1 +3 26.47 20.75 7,723 +1.95
  Independent 7 3 1 +2 20.59 22.71 8,454 -1.61
  Liberal Democrats 6 0 4 -4 17.65 16.49 6,138 -8.11
  Borders Party 2 0 0 0 5.88 10.09 3,755 +4.79
  Labour 0 - - - - 6.31 2,347 +4.41
  Scottish Green 0 - - - - 0.44 161 -0.46

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

Tweeddale West

Tweeddale West - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5
Liberal Democrats Catriona Bhatia (incumbent) 25.62 919        
Conservative Nathaniel Buckingham†† 24.67 885 887.4 978.6    
SNP Willie Archibald (incumbent) 21.75 780 782.1 833.4 839.6 934.3
Labour Julia Reid 9.37 336 337.2 389.3 393.1  
Liberal Democrats Nancy Norman 9.31 334 347.9 415.5 449.4 548.9
Borders Party David Pye 9.28 333 334.4      
Electorate: 7,577   Valid: 3,587   Spoilt: 34   Quota: 897   Turnout: 3,621 (47.34%)

Tweeddale East

Tweeddale East
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6
SNP Stuart Bell 26.41 990          
Conservative Gavin Logan (incumbent) 24.78 929 934.4 971.8      
Liberal Democrats Graham Garvie (incumbent) 16.38 614 622.3 674.5 686.7 811.9 1,087.9
Labour Robin Tatler 15.23 571 579.6 629.9 631.2 731.2  
Borders Party Frances Pringle 9.20 345 352.9 439 448.7    
Independent David Cox 8.00 300 307.1        
Electorate: 8,106   Valid: 3,749   Spoilt: 32   Quota: 938   Turnout: 3,781 (46.25%)

Galashiels and District

Galashiels and District - 4 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6
Borders Party Sandy Aitchison (incumbent) 22.45 822          
SNP Bill Herd * 20.95 766          
Independent Bill White 13.69 501 522.9 524.6 590.6 701 894.8
SNP John Mitchell (incumbent) 13.45 492 506 532.5 593.5 639.9 762
Liberal Democrats Rick Kenney 11.40 417 432.9 434.8 490.3 609.4  
Conservative Fiona Lackenby (incumbent) 10.56 386 402.5 403.2 409.6    
Labour Robbie Tatler 7.47 273 280.8 281.7      
Electorate: 10,813   Valid: 3,657   Spoilt: 69   Quota: 732   Turnout: 3,726 (33.82%)

Selkirkshire

Selkirkshire - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5
Conservative Michelle Ballantyne 24.28 799 832      
SNP Kenneth Gunn (incumbent) 20.39 671 696 696.8 744.9  
Liberal Democrats Vicky Davidson (incumbent) 19.72 649 708 710.8 821.4 1,042.6
Independent Gordon Edgar 18.14 597 673 674.1 762.4 983.5
Borders Party Leven Brown 9.09 299 340 341.7    
Independent Gordon Harrison 8.39 276        
Electorate: 7,714   Valid: 3,291   Spoilt: 36   Quota: 823   Turnout: 3,327 (42.66%)

Leaderdale and Melrose

Leaderdale and Melrose - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6
Independent David Parker (incumbent) 36.34 1,304          
Borders Party Nicholas Watson (incumbent)† 17.31 621 705.9 758.9 929.6    
SNP Jim Torrance 15.55 558 632.4 706.8 742.6 747.6 969.6
Conservative Peter Duncan 12.29 441 488.3 500.2      
Liberal Democrats John Paton-Day (incumbent) 12.24 439 527.1 568.3 715.8 726.8  
Labour Agnes Craig 6.27 225 258.6        
Electorate: 8,292   Valid: 3,588   Spoilt: 21   Quota: 898   Turnout: 3,609 (43.27%)

Mid Berwickshire

Mid Berwickshire - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5
SNP Donald Moffat (incumbent) 31.97 1,133        
Conservative John Greenwell 21.46 747 768.9 1,085.9    
Liberal Democrats Frances Renton (incumbent) 18.24 635 703.3 753.9 804.6 1,110.9
Borders Party Tom Miers 15.34 534 598.5 635.3 688.3  
Conservative Trevor Jones (incumbent) 12.41 432 446.6      
Electorate: 8,209   Valid: 3,481   Spoilt: 43   Quota: 871   Turnout: 3,524 (42.4%)

East Berwickshire

East Berwickshire - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6Count 7
Independent Michael Cook (incumbent) 35.96 1,236            
Conservative Jim Fullarton (incumbent) 21.24 730 835.9 875.4        
SNP Joan Umpherston Campbell 15.74 541 583.3 600.9 602.2 629.5 699 906.9
Labour Kenryck Lloyd-Jones 12.66 435 472.1 485.9 486.6 521.9 596.9  
Liberal Democrats Ken Webb 6.58 226 263.1 285.9 289.5 329    
Independent Jack Johnston 3.96 136 192.9 226.9 229.7      
Borders Party Cat MacDonald-Home 3.87 133 161.6          
Electorate: 8,383   Valid: 3,437   Spoilt: 37   Quota: 860   Turnout: 3,474 (41%)

Kelso and District

Kelso and District - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6Count 7Count 8
Conservative Tom Weatherston (incumbent) 23.98 777 777 794 824        
Liberal Democrats Alec Nicol (incumbent) 22.5 729 756 791 832        
Conservative Simon Mountford 14.29 463 471 482 518 522.6 529.2 610.1 703.7
SNP Maggie Stanfield 12.75 413 444 462 507 510.5 511.6 590.1  
Independent Yvonne Huggins-Haig 10.0 324 331 365 435 438.7 440.2    
Borders Party Diana Miers 7.81 253 269 306          
Independent Colin McGrath 5.09 165 176            
Scottish Green Michael Scott 3.58 116              
Electorate: 8,242   Valid: 3,240   Spoilt: 24   Quota: 811   Turnout: 3,264 (39.31%)

Jedburgh and District

Jedburgh and District - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6Count 7
SNP Jim Brown (incumbent) 23.44 759 793 837        
Conservative Sandy Scott (incumbent) 21.68 702 704 769 771.1 948.5    
Independent Rory Stewart 16.95 549 580 642 650.2 781.1 801.9 1,050.6
Conservative Len Wyse (incumbent) 12.75 413 417 430 432.5      
Liberal Democrats John Bathgate 11.98 388 409 459 464.7 539 567.4  
Borders Party Trevor Jackson 7.97 258 292          
Labour David Robert Scott Sharp 5.22 169            
Electorate: 8,242   Valid: 3,238   Spoilt: 45   Quota: 810   Turnout: 3,283 (45.24%)

Hawick and Denholm

Hawick and Denholm - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6
Independent Stuart Marshall (incumbent) 56.72 1,734          
Conservative Zandra Elliott (incumbent)††† 13.97 427 580.1 589.3 618.2 633.2 802.3
SNP Alastair Cranston 12.46 381 506.2 523.9 539.3 593.1 749.9
Liberal Democrats Watson McAteer 8.60 263 482.6 493.8 507.2 542.3  
Labour Michael Grieve 4.81 147 191.1 205.9 215.2    
Borders Party Mary Douglas 2.45 75 96.8 105.8      
Independent Craig Bryson 0.98 30 88.1        
Electorate: 7,183   Valid: 3,057   Spoilt: 34   Quota: 765   Turnout: 3,091 (42.56%)

Hawick and Hermitage

Hawick and Hermitage - 3 seats
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6Count 7
Independent Davie Paterson (incumbent) 44.93 1,302            
Liberal Democrats Ron Smith (incumbent) 18.12 525 676.1 687.7 706.4 785.2    
Conservative George Turnbull (incumbent) 17.70 513 614 616.5 641.2 657.6 686.3 779.9
SNP Tommy Stevenson 8.25 239 300.2 309.5 323.9 368.9 377.2  
Labour Bill Cumming 6.59 191 246.8 258.4 270.3      
Borders Party Frank Little 2.83 82 115.2 124.8        
Scottish Green Kevin Ferguson 1.59 46 65.5          
Electorate: 7,041   Valid: 2,898   Spoilt: 34   Quota: 725   Turnout: 2,932 (41.16%)

Post Election Changes

By-elections since 2012

Leaderdale and Melrose By-election (2 May 2013) - 1 Seat[1]
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6
Conservative Rachael Hamilton 27.57 956 975 982 1,038 1,283  
Borders Party Iain Gillespie 23.48 814 844 900 1,118 1,444 2,066
Liberal Democrats John Paton-Day 21.46 744 756 816 983    
SNP Harry Cummings 17.68 613 623 666      
Labour Robin Tatler 6.78 235 238        
UKIP Sherry Fowler 3.03 105          
Electorate: 8,386   Valid: 3,467   Spoilt: 20   Quota: 1,734   Turnout: 3,487 (41.58%)
Tweeddale West By-election (10 October 2013) - 1 Seat[2]
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6Count 7
Conservative Keith Cockburn 42.65 1,155 1,165 1,176 1,193 1,255 1,288 1,616
Liberal Democrats Nancy Norman 25 677 682 690 759 858 1,034  
SNP Morag Kerr 13.26 359 369 373 409 444    
Borders Party David Pye 8.4 228 237 245 272      
Labour Veronica McTernan 7.5 203 204 207        
UKIP Mars Goodman 1.56 43 44          
Independent David Cox 1.56 43            
Electorate: 7,707   Valid: 2,708   Spoilt: 21   Quota: 1,355   Turnout: 2,729 (35.41%)
Hawick and Denholm By-election (22 May 2014) - 1 Seat[3]
Party Candidate % 1st Pref Count 1 Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6Count 7
Independent Watson McAteer 25.5 732 750 803 900 1,010 1,222 1,505
Conservative Trevor Adams 21.6 622 627 638 665 692 798  
Liberal Democrats Ian Turnbull 15.7 450 455 485 545 637    
SNP Harry Stoddart 14.6 419 423 461 505      
Independent Marion Short 11.3 326 334 385        
Independent Davie Paterson 8.7 250 269          
Independent Craig Bryson 2.6 74            

References

  1. ↑ http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/downloads/file/5927/election_results
  2. ↑ http://www.scottishelections.org.uk/scotland/lby/tweeddalewest.php
  3. ↑ http://www.scottishelections.org.uk/scotland/lby/hawickdenholm.php

http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/799/elections_and_voting/1072/results_for_council_election_2012

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