2017 Scottish local government election
Elections to Fife Council were held on 4 May 2017, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election used the 22 wards created as a result of the Local Government Commission for Scotland's 5th review which was published in September 2016,[1] with each ward electing three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation, with 75 councillors elected; a decrease of three seats from 2012 as one ward, The Lochs, was abolished.
The Scottish National Party replaced Scottish Labour as the largest party for the first time in the Fife region, although they did not gain enough seats to form a majority, and both the group leader and deputy leader lost their seats.[2] The Scottish Conservatives made the most gains, replacing the Scottish Liberal Democrats as the third biggest party. The election also returned no Independent councillors, marking the first time the area will be without any Independent representation since the creation of Fife Regional Council in 1974.
On 18 May, the two largest parties of the new council, the SNP and Scottish Labour, signed a Power Sharing Agreement to co-run an administration. David Alexander (SNP) and David Ross (Labour) were made co-leaders, and Jim Leishman remained in his role as Provost.[3]
Election results
[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 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.
Ward results
West Fife and Coastal Villages
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xIndependent
- 2017: 1xLab; 1xCon; 1xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from Lab (One less seat in this ward for 2017)
Dunfermline North
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from Lab
Dunfermline Central
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
- 2017: 2xLab; 1xCon; 1xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Lib Dem
Dunfermline South
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
- 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain from Labour
Rosyth
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
- 2012-2017: Conservative gain one seat from Labour
Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
- 2017: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: SNP gain one seat from Labour
Cowdenbeath
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2017: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
- 2012-2017 Change: (One additional seat in this ward for 2017) Conservative gain additional seat
- = Sitting Councillor for East Neuk and Landward Ward.
Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2017: 2xLab; 2xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: (One additional seat in this ward for 2017) SNP gain additional seat
Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy
- 2012: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
- 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Lib Dem
* = Sitting Councillor for Kirkcaldy Central.
Kirkcaldy North
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2017: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: No change
Kirkcaldy Central
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2017: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: No change
Kirkcaldy East
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2017: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
- 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Labour
Glenrothes West and Kinglassie
- 2012: 2xSNP; 2xLab
- 2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: (One less seat in this ward for 2017) Labour lose seat
Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch
- 2012: 2xSNP; 2xLab
- 2017: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Labour
Glenrothes Central and Thornton
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
- 2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: SNP gain one seat from Labour
Howe of Fife and Tay Coast
- 2012: 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP; 1xCon
- 2017: 1xLib Dem; 1xCon; 1xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: No change
Tay Bridgehead
- 2012: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP
- 2017: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: No change
St. Andrews
- 2012: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem; 1xLab
- 2017: 1xLib Dem; 1xCon; 1xLab; 1xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: No change
East Neuk and Landward
- 2012: 2xLib Dem; 1xSNP
- 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLib Dem
- 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Lib Dem
Cupar
- 2012: 1xIndependent; 1xLib Dem; 1xSNP
- 2017: 1xLib Dem; 1xCon; 1xSNP
- 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Independent
Leven, Kennoway and Largo
- 2012: 2xLab; 2xSNP
- 2017: 2xSNP; 1xCon; 1xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from Labour
Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages
- 2012: 2xLab; 1xIndependent; 1xSNP
- 2017: 2xSNP; 2xLab
- 2012-2017 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent
Changes since 2017
- † On 8 June 2018, Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay Labour Councillor Lesley Laird resigned her seat as she won the MP seat for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, Shadow Scottish Secretary, and Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party.[5] A by-election was held on Thursday, 6 September 2018. The seat was won by Conservative candidate Dave Colman.[6]
- †† On 13 September 2019 Rosyth SNP Councillor Samantha Steele resigned her seat citing health reasons and family problems.[7] A by-election was held on 14 November 2019 and Sharon Green-Wilson held the seat for the SNP.
- ††† In September 2019 Dunfermline Central Conservative Cllr Alan Craig resigned his seat. A by-election was held on 14 November 2019 and Derek Glen gained the seat for the SNP
- †††† On 2 December 2019 East Neuk and Landward Conservative Cllr Linda Holt resigned from the party and became an Independent calling the Tories dysfunctional.[8]
- ††††† West Fife and Coastal Villages SNP Cllr Kate Stewart decided to leave the SNP and become an Independent on 25 March 2020.[9]
- †††††† East Neuk and Landward SNP Cllr John Docherty decided to leave the SNP and become an Independent as he was not selected to stand for the SNP
By-elections since 2017
References
- ^ "Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland - Fifth Electoral Reviews - Fife". www.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
- ^ "Local Elections: Ex-SNP leader loses seat". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ "Fife Council agree to SNP and Labour joint partnership". Dunfermline Press. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 May 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
- ^ "Local Elections 2017". 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Kirkcaldy MP Lesley Laird resigns as councillor". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ "Tory candidate Dave Coleman wins Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay by-election". www.scotsman.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ "Rosyth councillor Sam Steele resigns". Dunfermline Press. 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ Henderson, Neil (3 December 2019). "Prominent Fife Tory councillor resigns amid claims party is dysfunctional". Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "West Fife councillor leaves SNP". 25 March 2021.
- ^ [1][permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Dunfermline Central and Rosyth by-elections | Fife Council". Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
