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2012 Moray Council election

The 2012 Moray Council election was held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the other 31 local authorities in Scotland. 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.

2012 Moray Council election
← 2007 3 May 2012 (2012-05-03) 2017 →
All 26 seats to Moray Council
14 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Gary Coull Stewart Cree
Party SNP Independent
Leader's seat Speyside Glenlivet Keith and Cullen
Last election 9 seats, 35.2% 12 seats, 36.9%
Seats before 10 12
Seats won 10 10
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 2
Popular vote 10,124 7,386
Percentage 39.4% 28.8%
Swing Increase 4.2% Decrease 8.1%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Allan Wright John Divers
Party Conservative Labour
Leader's seat Heldon and Laich Elgin City South
Last election 3 seats, 15.8% 2 seats, 8.7%
Seats before 2 2
Seats won 3 3
Seat change Steady Increase 1
Popular vote 4,501 2,351
Percentage 17.5% 9.2%
Swing Increase 1.7% Increase 0.5%
Results by ward
Council Leader before election

Gordon McDonald
Independent

Council Leader after election

Allan Wright
Conservative

The election saw the Scottish National Party (SNP) increase their representation by 1 seat, equalling the seat numbers of the independents who lost 2 seats, while becoming the largest party on the council in terms of vote share. The Conservatives retained their 3 seats while Labour gained an additional seat.

Following the election, a coalition was formed between the independents and the Conservatives which was a continuance of the arrangement from 2007 to 2012.

Background

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Previous election

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Main article: 2007 Moray Council election

The previous election in 2007 were the first in Moray to use the STV electoral system. The results in 2007 saw the traditionally independent controlled council become a independent-Conservative controlled council. The independent group lost 4 seats, as the SNP gained 6, and the Conservatives gained 2. Labour lost 3, and the Liberal Democrats lost any representation on the council.

2007 Moray Council election results
Party Seats Vote share
Independent 12 36.9%
SNP 9 35.2%
Conservative 3 15.8%
Labour 2 8.7%

Source:[1]

Composition

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There were 2 by-elections in the 2007-12 term. One by-election was in the Elgin City South ward, which resulted in an SNP gain from independent.[2] The other by-election was held in the Forres ward, which resulted in an independent gain from Conservative.[3]

Composition of Moray Council
Party 2007 election Dissolution
Independent 12 12
SNP 9 10
Conservative 3 2
Labour 3 3

Source:[4]

Results

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2012 Moray Council election result
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  SNP 10 1 0   1 38.5 39.5 10,124   4.2
  Independent 10 1 3   2 38.5 28.8 7,386   8.1
  Conservative 3 1 1   11.5 17.5 4,501   1.7
  Labour 3 1 0   1 11.5 9.2 2,351   0.5
  Scottish Green 0 0 0   0.0 2.8 719 New
  UKIP 0 0 0   0.0 1.3 340   1.0
  Liberal Democrats 0 0 0   0.0 0.7 167   1.1
  Scottish Senior Citizens 0 0 0   0.0 0.3 78   1.0
Total 26 25,666

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.

Source:[1][4][5]

Ward results

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Speyside Glenlivet

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  • 2007: 2xSNP; 1xIndependent
  • 2012: 2xSNP; 1xIndependent
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Speyside Glenlivet – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3
Independent Fiona Murdoch (incumbent) 27.59% 771    
SNP Pearl Paul (incumbent) 27.17% 759    
SNP Mike McConnachie (incumbent) 22.87% 639 656.6 705.6
Conservative David Gambles 13.46% 376 393.2 395
UKIP Matthew Desmond 5.73% 160 168 170.1
UKIP Don Gatt 3.19% 89 96.1 97.9
Electorate: 7,059   Valid: 2,794   Spoilt: 40   Quota: 699   Turnout: 2,834 (39.58%)  

Keith and Cullen

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  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Keith and Cullen – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
SNP Gary Coull (incumbent) 42.45% 1,319        
Independent Ron Shepherd (incumbent) 22.59% 702 750.5 866.7    
Independent Stewart Cree (incumbent) 15.25% 474 591.5 706.1 752.5 964.8
Conservative Valery Dickson 10.04% 312 336.2      
SNP Hazel Thain 9.66% 300 615.2 633.5 650.6  
Electorate: 7,810   Valid: 3,107   Spoilt: 33   Quota: 777   Turnout: 3,140 (39.78%)  

Buckie

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  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Buckie – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
SNP Gordon McDonald (incumbent) 38.37% 967      
Independent Anne McKay (incumbent) †† 25.71% 648      
Independent Joe Mackay (incumbent) †††† 22.10% 557 596.9 607.2 728.6
Conservative Margaret Gambles 7.1% 179 183.2 184.9  
SNP Linda Scobie McDonald 6.71% 169 449.1 451.7 457.5
Electorate: 7,336   Valid: 2,520   Spoilt: 39   Quota: 631   Turnout: 2,559 (34.35%)  

Fochabers Lhanbryde

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  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xIndependent
  • 2012: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
  • 2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Independent
Fochabers Lhanbryde – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
Conservative Douglas Ross (incumbent) 39.5% 1,318      
SNP Margo Howe 21.82% 728 768.7 810.2 1,335
SNP Anita McDonald (incumbent) 18.34% 612 676.1 708.2  
Labour Sean Morton 15.34% 512 583.5 714.7 793.9
Liberal Democrats Peter Horton 5.0% 167 304.1    
Electorate: 7,717   Valid: 3,337   Spoilt: 28   Quota: 835   Turnout: 3,365 (43.24%)  

Heldon and Laich

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  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xCon
  • 2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xCon
  • 2007-2012 Change: No change
Heldon and Laich – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP Carolle Ralph† 20.0% 797 807        
Independent Eric McGillivray (incumbent) 18.44% 735 828        
Conservative Allan Wright (incumbent) 17.26% 688 699 703.4 703.5 763.7 835.8
SNP David Stewart (incumbent) 17.01% 678 687 692.1 699.4 740.9  
Independent Chris Tuke 14.65% 584 659 670 670.4 764.1 921.7
Scottish Green James Mackessack-Leitch 6.57% 262 279 281.3 281.7    
Independent John Gordon 6.05% 241          
Electorate: 10,287   Valid: 3,985   Spoilt: 56   Quota: 798   Turnout: 4,041 (38.74%)  

Elgin City North

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  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
  • 2012: 2xSNP; 1xLab
  • 2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent
Elgin City North – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
Labour Barry Jarvis (incumbent) 29.85% 766        
SNP Mike Shand (incumbent) 23.23% 596 612.5 661.7    
SNP Patsy Gowans 20.07% 515 526.9 550.4 566.8 688.3
Conservative Frank Brown 17.46% 448 466.9 565.8 566.3  
Independent Darren Margach 9.39% 241 274.2      
Electorate: 8,386   Valid: 2,566   Spoilt: 31   Quota: 642   Turnout: 2,597 (30.6%)  

Elgin City South

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  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
  • 2012: 1xLab; 1xCon; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: Con gain from Independent
Elgin City South – 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2
Labour John Divers (incumbent) 37.57% 1,073  
Conservative James Allan 25.0% 714 810.1
SNP Graham Leadbitter (incumbent) 23.63% 675 771.1
SNP John Sharp (incumbent) 13.8% 394 434
Electorate: 8,356   Valid: 2,856   Spoilt: 40   Quota: 715   Turnout: 2,896 (34.18%)  

Forres

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  • 2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xCon
  • 2012: 3xIndependent; 1xSNP
  • 2007-2012 Change: Independent gain one seat from Con
Forres – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Independent George Alexander 25.19% 1,134                  
Independent Lorna Creswell (incumbent) 12.77% 575 650.4 675.5 690.1 814.9 866.5 870.6 987.2    
SNP Aaron McLean 12.15% 547 559.1 568.5 574.7 588.4 924.1        
Conservative Paul McBain 10.35% 466 483.5 486.7 507.1 529.4 540.2 541      
Scottish Green Fabio Villani 10.15% 457 474.7 488.1 492.1 524.2 548.6 551.9 614.2 630.7  
SNP Irene Ogilvie (incumbent) 9.53% 429 440.3 443.7 446.9 478.2          
Independent Anne Audrey Skene 9.11% 410 441.2 450.8 468.7 549.9 569.3 571.7 731.6 764.2 1,072.5
Independent Jeff Hamilton (incumbent) 6.98% 314 343.8 349.8 356.2            
UKIP Ian Meiklejohn 2.02% 91 96.1 98.5              
Scottish Senior Citizens Andy Anderson 1.73% 78 85.4                
Electorate: 10,999   Valid: 4,501   Spoilt: 50   Quota: 901   Turnout: 4,551 (40.92%)  

Aftermath

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As no single political group on the council won enough seats for a majority, the independent group and the Conservative group continued their coalition administration which had been in place since the 2007 election.

2013 Heldon and Laich by-election

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SNP councillor Carolle Ralph resigned her seat on 7 December 2012. The by-election was held in the Heldon and Laich ward on 7 March 2013 and was won by independent candidate John Cowe.[6]

Heldon and Laich by-election (7 March 2013) – 1 Seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
Independent John Cowe 31.4 972 1,020 1,058 1,273 1,507
SNP Stuart Crowther 26.9 833 844 891 960 1,005
Conservative Pete Bloomfield 15.3 473 490 516 558  
Independent Nick Traynor 13.5 418 459 496    
Scottish Green James Edward Mackessack-Leitch 7.4 228 242      
Independent Jeff Hamilton 5.7 175        
Electorate: 10,579   Valid: 3,099   Spoilt: 38   Quota: 1,550   Turnout: 29.7%  

Source:[7][8]

2014 Buckie by-election

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Independent councillor Anne McKay resigned her seat on 13 November 2013.[9] A by-election was held in the Buckie ward on 30 January 2014 and was won by independent candidate Gordon Cowie.

Buckie by-election (30 January 2014) – 1 Seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3
Independent Gordon Cowie 43.9 830 907 1,034
SNP Linda McDonald 35.5 670 679 710
Independent Marc Macrae 11.7 220 248  
Conservative Margaret Gambles 7.6 143    
Electorate: 7,872   Valid: 1,889   Spoilt: 26   Quota: 933   Turnout: 24.3%  

Source:[10][11]

Elgin City North by-election

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Labour councillor Barry Jarvis resigned his seat on 26 September 2014 to train as a teacher.[9] A by-election was held in the Elgin City North ward on 11 December 2014 and the seat was won by the SNP candidate Kirsty Reid.

Elgin City North by-election (11 December 2014) – 1 Seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
SNP Kirsty Ella Reid 38.0 728 748 764 773 850
Independent Sandy Cooper 24.6 472 483 499 595 693
UKIP Captain Craig Ahab Graham 15.0 287 305 316 368  
Conservative Alex Griffiths 14.2 273 280 299    
Labour Ramsay Urquhart 4.2 81 84      
Scottish Green Morvern Forrest 4.0 77        
Electorate: 9,263   Valid: 1,918   Spoilt: 20   Quota: 960   Turnout: 20.9%  

Source:[12][13]

2015 Buckie by-election

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Independent councillor Joe Mackay died on 12 January 2015 after a fall from his mobility scooter.[14] A by-election was held in the Buckie ward to fill the vacancy on 26 March 2015 and the seat was won by the SNP candidate Sonya Warren.

Buckie by-election (26 March 2015) – 1 Seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1
SNP Sonya Warren 59.5 1,485
Independent Norman Calder 27.9 696
Conservative Tim Eagle 12.6 315
Electorate: 7,798   Valid: 2,496   Spoilt: 25   Quota: 1,249   Turnout: 32.3%  

Source:[15][16]

2015 Heldon and Laich by-election

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Independent councillor Eric McGillivray announced on 31 July 2015 he was standing down from the council for personal reasons.[17] A by-election was held in the Heldon and Laich ward on 1 October 2015 and the seat was won by independent candidate Dennis Slater.

Heldon and Laich by-election (1 October 2015) – 1 Seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3
Independent Dennis Slater 41.1 1,323 1,382 1,775
SNP Joyce O'Hara 31.1 1,003 1,054 1,100
Conservative Pete Bloomfield 21.8 703 725  
Scottish Green James Edward Mackessack-Leitch 6.0 192    
Electorate: 11,070   Valid: 3,221   Spoilt: 27   Quota: 1,612   Turnout: 29.3%  

Source:[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Faulds, Allan. "Moray Council 2022". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Ward 7 - Elgin City South By-Election" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Declaration of Results from Local Government By-Election" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b Teale, Andrew. "Local Election Results 2012". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  5. ^ "2012 Scottish Local Elections" (PDF). Electoral Reform Society. p. 30. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Cowe wins Moray by-election". Northern Scot. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Local Government By-Election - Electoral Ward No. 5 - Heldon and Laich" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Local Government By-Election Electoral Ward No. 5 - Heldon and Laich (Transfers)" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Moray councillor announces resignation". Northern Scot. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Local Government By-Election - Electoral Ward No. 3 - Buckie" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Local Government By-Election Ward 3 - Buckie" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Local Government By-Election - Electoral Ward No. 6 - Elgin City North" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Local Government By-Election Ward 6 - Elgin City North" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  14. ^ Robertson, John (13 January 2015). "Tributes paid to Veteran Moray councillor Joe Mackay". Northern Scot. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Local Government By-Election - Electoral Ward No. 3 - Buckie" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Local Government By-Election - Ward 3 - Buckie" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Moray Councillor Eric McGillivray standing down". British Broadcasting Corporation. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Local Government By-Election - Electoral Ward No. 5 - Heldon and Laich" (PDF). Moray Council. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
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