Cromarty Firth by-election: Lib Dem John Edmondson and independent Sinclair Coghill elected with a very low turnout of just over 24%
The Cromarty Firth by-election has seen Liberal Democrat John Edmondson and independent candidate Sinclair Coghill elected as new members of Highland Council.
Just 2375 votes were cast meaning the turnout was 24.6 per cent – low even by local government election standards – while there was an unusually high number of candidates with 12 vying for the two empty seats.
They represented five independents, a husband and wife for Reform UK, and one each for the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Labour, the SNP and the Greens.
The vote was called after the resignations of the Lib Dem’s Molly Nolan and independent Pauline Munro and the count is the first of two due today – the second being the Inverness Central ward.
The new councillors called for greater cooperation to meet local challenges in what could be a message to the incumbent councillors Maxine Smith and Tamala Collier who have been engaged in a bitter feud.
Sinclair Coghill thanked the other candidates “who ran positive campaigns” adding he looks forward to serving the people of the Cromarty Firth ward.
John Edmondson said the “overwhelming message” he got from people was the need to stop the “petty politicking and posturing” which he said was like “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.”
The count was run under a single transferable vote system but the first preference votes for each candidate give perhaps the best indication as to where support lies in the ward and how people feel about the parties on offer.
Former Labour Westminster candidate Michael Perera got just 77 votes, the Reform UK candidates got a combined 75, the Greens Ryan Barrowman received 89 and the Conservatives received just 57.
The first round count was as follows:
Ryan BARROWMAN - Scottish Greens – 89
Sinclair COGHILL - Independent – 326
Richard James CROSS - Independent – 285
John EDMONDSON - Scottish Liberal Democrats – 481
Brideen GODLEY-MACKENZIE - Independent – 162
Kim HANNING JACKSON - Reform UK – 52
Roland HANNING JACKSON - Reform UK – 23
Odette MACDONALD - Scottish National Party (SNP) – 403
Tina MCCAFFERY - Independent – 97
Innes MUNRO - Scottish Conservative and Unionist -57
Michael PERERA - Scottish Labour Party – 77
Martin RATTRAY - Independent – 323
