2017 Stirling Council election

Elections to Stirling Council were held on 4 May 2017, the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used the seven wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 23 councillors being elected, an increase of 1 from 2012. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system. Following the Fifth Electoral Review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, minor changes were made to several of the ward boundaries and one additional Councillor was added moving the total number of Councillors from twenty-two to twenty-three.

Main article: 2017 Scottish local elections
2017 Stirling Council election
4 May 2017 (2017-05-04)
All 23 seats to Stirling Council
12 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Neil Benny Scott Farmer Danny Gibson
Party Conservative SNP Labour
Leader's seat Stirling West Stirling West Stirling North
Last election 4 seats, 18.2% 9 seats, 40.1% 8 seats, 36.4%
Seats before 4 9 8
Seats after 9 9 4
Seat change Increase5 - Decrease4
  Fourth party
 
Leader Alasdair Tollemache
Party Scottish Green
Leader's seat Dunblane and Bridge of Allan
Last election 1 seat, 5.8%
Seats before 1
Seats after 1
Seat change -
The 7 multi-member wards
Council Leader before election

Johanna Boyd
Labour

 Council Leader after election

Scott Farmer
SNP

The election saw the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party increased their representation on the council by five and significantly increase their vote share. The SNP retained their nine seats (though lost the council seat they had won in a 2015 by-election) and the Scottish Green Party retained their one seat. The Scottish Labour Party saw their representation on the Council drop by four seats and the Scottish Liberal Democrats and all independent candidates failed to win any seats.

Following the 2012 election a coalition had been formed between the Labour Party and the Conservatives which replaced the previous SNP minority administration. In the aftermath of the 2017 election a new coalition was agreed between the SNP and Labour with Labour Councillor Christine Simpson becoming Provost of Stirling and the SNP's Graham Houston becoming depute convener of the council.[1]

2017 Results
Stirling Local Election Result 2017
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 9 Increase5 0 Increase5 40.9 37.2 13,261 Increase17.2
  SNP 9 Increase2 Decrease2 - 40.9 34.7 12,408 Decrease2.7
  Labour 4 0 Decrease4 Decrease4 13.6 16.2 5,772 Decrease12.6
  Scottish Green 1 0 0 - 4.5 6.6 2,339 Increase0.7
  Liberal Democrats 0 0 0 - - 3.3 1,180 Decrease2.2
  Independent 0 0 0 - - 2.0 715 Increase0.4

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

Trossachs and Teith
  • 2012: 2xSNP; 1xCon
  • 2017: 2xCon; 1xSNP
  • 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from SNP
Trossachs and Teith - 3 seats[2]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123456
Conservative Martin Earl (incumbent) 38.1 2,027          
SNP Evelyn Tweed 20.5 1,090 1,105.8 1,112.5 1,227.6 1,306.6 1,311.7
SNP Fergus Wood (incumbent) 14.6 776 799.4 809.1 850.8 890.2 891.7
Conservative Jeremy McDonald 11.9 632 1,210.5 1,250.7 1,286.6 1,378.5  
Labour Gerry McGarvey 6.1 326 342.2 391.3 478.6    
Scottish Green Gordon Cowtan 5.4 286 296.3 347.7      
Liberal Democrats Galen Milne 3.3 177 191.5        
Electorate: 9,147   Valid: 5,314   Spoilt: 118   Quota: 1,329   Turnout: 59.4%  

    Forth and Endrick
    • 2012: 2xSNP; 1xCon
    • 2017: 2xCon; 1xSNP
    • 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from SNP
    Forth and Endrick - 3 seats[3]
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    123456
    Conservative Alistair Berrill (incumbent) 26.6 1,651          
    Conservative Robert Davies ‡ 18.5 1,147 1,234.4 1,255.6 1,355.4 1,597.0  
    SNP Graham Lambie (incumbent)‡‡‡ 16.5 1,026 1,027.4 1,117.4 1,165.5 1,256.6 1,259.7
    SNP Ian Muirhead (incumbent) 13.8 859 859.9 942.0 1,031 1,243.3 1,246.4
    Independent Evan McLean 10.1 630 632.5 702.7 899.0    
    Labour Richard Simpson 8.5 529 530.4 602.5      
    Scottish Green Michael Marten 6.0 371 371.6        
    Electorate: 10,405   Valid: 6,213   Spoilt: 115   Quota: 1,554   Turnout: 60.8%  

      Dunblane and Bridge of Allan
      • 2012: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab; 1xGreen
      • 2017: 2xCon; 1xSNP; 1xGreen
      • 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from Lab
      Dunblane and Bridge of Allan - 4 seats[4]
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      123456
      Conservative Alastair Majury 22.1 1,543          
      Conservative Douglas Dodds 21.5 1,502          
      SNP Graham Houston (incumbent) 17.2 1,203 1,205.4 1,208.3 1,250.0 1,885.6  
      Scottish Green Alasdair Tollemache 10.1 706 717.2 727.1 883.5 950.6 1,218.4
      Labour Mike Robbins (incumbent) 11.8 824 849.8 866.3 1,053.3 1,076.4 1,143.4
      SNP Rosemary Hunter 10.4 723 724.4 724.6 741.8    
      Liberal Democrats Stuart Auld 6.8 476 512.0 536.0      
      Electorate: 11,484   Valid: 6,977   Spoilt: 123   Quota: 1,396   Turnout: 61.8%  

        Stirling North
        • 2017: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab
        • 2012-2017 Change: New ward
        Stirling North - 4 seats[5]
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        1234567
        Conservative Ross Oxburgh 26.7 1,237            
        SNP Susan McGill 22.8 1,054            
        Labour Danny Gibson (incumbent) 13.3 616 665.1 668.7 682.2 729.8 994.1  
        SNP Jim Thomson (incumbent) 15.7 727 740.3 845.6 862.2 885.2 899.7 906.4
        Scottish Green Chloe Campbell 10.7 496 511.0 519.1 543.9 614.0 637.2 655.3
        Labour Jen Preston 5.7 266 302.8 305.9 312.9 349.6    
        Liberal Democrats Fayzan Rehman 3.2 150 205.6 206.1 222.4      
        Independent James McDonald 1.8 85 117.3 118.3        
        Electorate: 10,512   Valid: 4,631   Spoilt: 124   Quota: 927   Turnout: 45.2%  

          Stirling West
          • 2012: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
          • 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
          • 2012-2017 Change: No change
          Stirling West - 3 seats[6]
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          12345
          Conservative Neil Benny (incumbent) 39.5 2,076        
          Labour Christine Simpson (incumbent) 17.8 936 1,151.4 1,210.8 1,456.0  
          SNP Scott Farmer (incumbent) 20.9 1,096 1,116.6 1,156.6 1,193.2 1,213.1
          SNP Morag Fulton 12.8 671 676.5 755.2 786.5 805.3
          Liberal Democrats Robert Skilleter 4.2 221 411.4 480.9    
          Scottish Green Kevin Ralston 4.8 251 287.0      
          Electorate: 9,637   Valid: 5,251   Spoilt: 74   Quota: 1,313   Turnout: 55.3%  

            Stirling East
            • 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
            • 2017: 1xCon; 1xLab; 1xSNP
            • 2012-2017: Change: 1 Con gain from Lab
            Stirling East - 3 seats[7]
            PartyCandidateFPv%Count
            123456
            SNP Alison Laurie 24.2 916 920 962      
            Labour Chris Kane 19.8 751 768 797 797.7 1,153.8  
            Conservative Bryan Flanagan 21.3 806 825 833 833.2 848.2 883.0
            SNP Gerry McLaughlan (incumbent) 17.9 678 680 705 717.9 739.0 774.8
            Labour Corrie McChord (incumbent) 11.0 416 427 440 440.3    
            Scottish Green Linda Hendry 3.3 125 150        
            Liberal Democrats William Galloway 2.5 94          
            Electorate: 8,479   Valid: 3,786   Spoilt: 93   Quota: 947   Turnout: 45.7%  

              Bannockburn
              • 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
              • 2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab
              • 2012-2017 Change: 1 SNP gain from Lab
              Bannockburn - 3 seats[8]
              PartyCandidateFPv%Count
              123456
              SNP Alasdair MacPherson (incumbent) 24.9 871 880        
              Labour Margaret Brisley (incumbent) 23.9 837 854 854.3 871.3 1,093.3  
              SNP Maureen Bennison‡‡ 20.5 718 722 725.2 765.3 779.3 813.1
              Conservative Paul Henke 18.3 640 653 653.1 662.1 683.1 723.4
              Labour Violet Weir (incumbent) 7.7 271 274 274.1 292.2    
              Scottish Green Jennifer Tollemache 3.0 104 113 113.1      
              Liberal Democrats Gordon Bruce 1.8 62          
              Electorate: 8,672   Valid: 3,503   Spoilt: 124   Quota: 876   Turnout: 41.8%  

                Changes between 2017 and 2022
                • ‡On 17 May 2017, Robert Davies (Forth and Endrick) was suspended from the Scottish Conservative party over potentially offensive Twitter posts.[9][10] He was reinstated on 21 August 2017. However, on 29 September 2017, Robert Davies resigned from the Conservative group at a council meeting and subsequently had his Conservative party membership terminated. He now sits as an independent councillor.[11]
                • ‡‡On 5 August 2020, it was reported[12] that Maureen Bennison (Bannockburn) had resigned from the Scottish National Party, due to bullying, sexism and party in-fighting, to become an Independent. It was reported in her letter to her former group leader and current council leader, Cllr Scott Farmer (Stirling West) that: “This has been an extremely difficult decision, but it is the only principled course of action left to me in regrettable circumstances.
                • ‡‡‡On 12 February 2021, Forth and Endrick SNP Cllr Graham Lambie died suddenly.[13] A by-election was held in due course, where Conservative Jane Hutchison was elected.

                References
                1. "SNP and Labour agree coalition to run Stirling Council". BBC News. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
                2. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.stirling.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
                3. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.stirling.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
                4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
                5. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.stirling.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
                6. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.stirling.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
                7. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.stirling.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
                8. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.stirling.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
                9. "Racist tweets councillor leaves Tories". BBC News. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
                10. Jones, Gareth Iwan (12 May 2017). "Second newly-elected Tory councillor embroiled in offensive Twitter row". dailyrecord. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
                11. "Racist tweets councillor Robert Davies leaves Scottish Conservatives". BBC News. 29 September 2017.
                12. "SNP councillor resigns over 'toxic abuse' amid claims of bullying and sexism". 5 August 2020.
                13. "Tributes to 'dedicated and selfless' councillor after sudden death".
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