2017 Orkney Islands Council election

Last updated

2017 Orkney Islands Council election
2007 Flag of Orkney.svg
  2012 4 May 2017 (2017-05-04) 2022  

All 21 seats to Orkney Islands Council
11 seats needed for a majority
Turnout7,470 (49.7%)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  No image wide.svg No image wide.svg No image wide.svg
LeaderSteven HeddleRachael King [1] Steve Sankey
Party Independent Orkney Manifesto Group Scottish Green
Leader's seatKirkwall EastWest MainlandEast Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray
Last election21 seats, 97%
Seats won1821
Seat changeDecrease2.svg3Increase2.svg2Increase2.svg1
First preferences6,162894350
First preferences (%)83.2%12.1%4.7%
Swing (pp)Decrease2.svg13.6%N/ANew

2017 Orkney Islands Council election, parties.svg
2017 Orkney Islands Council election, incumbency.svg

Council Leader before election

Steven Heddle
Independent

Council Leader after election

James Stockan
Independent

The 2017 Orkney Islands Council election took place on 4 May 2017 to elect members of Orkney Islands Council. The election used the six 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 21 Councillors being elected.

Contents

The Scottish Greens contested 2 wards in Orkney for the first time. Another group; the Orkney Manifesto Group, ran as a registered party for the first time, gaining the largest vote share of any party in the council's history. The OMG advocates the politicisation of the Orkney Islands Council, however is unaffiliated to any national party. The group has a Liberal-Left political outlook. [2]

Election result

Orkney Local Election Result 2017 [3] [4]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Independent 18Steady2.svg0Decrease2.svg3Decrease2.svg385.783.206,162-11.2
  Orkney Manifesto Group 2Increase2.svg2Steady2.svg0Increase2.svg2*9.512.07894N/A
  Scottish Green 1Increase2.svg1Steady2.svg0Increase2.svg14.84.73350New

*The OMG councillors had been previously elected as Independents. 2017 was the first election they stood under the OMG slate.

Ward results

Kirkwall East

Kirkwall East - 4 seats [5]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234567
Independent Steven Heddle (incumbent)29.13474      
Independent Gwenda Shearer (incumbent)21.14344      
Independent John Ross Scott17.89291328.8     
Independent David Dawson15.73256294.1 299.4 300.1 302.2 322.8 356.7
Independent Rikki Lidderdale6.95113139.9 143.7 144.3 146.4 165.5 188.7
Independent Ingrid Windwick Jolly4.617590.0 92.6 93.0 96.4 116.4  
Independent Mike Berston3.696075.6 78.3 78.6 80.7   
Independent Paul Dawson0.861415.9 16.1 16.3    
Electorate: 3,470  Valid: 1,627  Spoilt: 14  Quota: 326  Turnout: 1,641 (47.3%)  

    Kirkwall West & Orphir

    Kirkwall West & Orphir - 4 seats [6]
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    1234567
    Independent Leslie Manson (incumbent)44.64646      
    Orkney Manifesto Group John Richards (incumbent)23.01333      
    Independent Sandy Cowie11.06160244.9 255.8 257.2 283.0 283.1 356.1
    Independent Barbara Foulkes10.37150256.4 267.3 269.4 290.2  
    Independent Barbara Leslie7.53109152.5 158.6 161.8 177.2 177.2  
    Independent Alastair Macleod2.703983.6 88.0 93.6    
    Independent Max Thomas0.691016.6 17.8     
    Electorate: 3,466  Valid: 1,447  Spoilt: 19  Quota: 290  Turnout: 1,466 (42.3%)  

      Stromness and South Isles

      Stromness and South Isles - 3 seats [7]
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      1
      Independent Rob Crichton (incumbent)unopposedunopposed
      Independent James Stockan (incumbent)unopposedunopposed
      Independent Magnus Thomsonunopposedunopposed
      Quota: 

        West Mainland

        West Mainland - 4 seats [8]
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        123456
        Orkney Manifesto Group Rachael King (incumbent)30.61561     
        Independent Harvey Johnston (incumbent)29.24536     
        Independent Owen Tierney (incumbent)20.19370     
        Independent Duncan Allan Tullock10.42191245.3 327.6 328.8 344.5 369.9
        Independent Jo Jones3.8270106.3 130.9 131.3 143.0 170.6
        Scottish Green Helen Woodsford-Dean3.606695.4 104.5 104.8 114.8  
        Independent Sean Michael Lewis2.133951.4 60.0 60.2   
        Electorate: 3,538  Valid: 1,833  Spoilt: 14  Quota: 367  Turnout: 1,847 (52.2%)  

          East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray

          East Mainland, South Ronaldsay & Burray - 3 seats [9]
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          1234
          Independent Andrew Drever (incumbent)35.74509   
          Scottish Green Steve Sankey19.94284301.9 383.4 
          Independent Norman Rae Craigie16.71238281.9 354.2 362.6
          Independent John Stanley Groundwater14.12201229.4   
          Independent Jim Foubister (incumbent)13.48192231.4 265.4 269.6
          Electorate: 2,725  Valid: 1,424  Spoilt: 12  Quota: 357  Turnout: 1,436 (52.7%)  

            North Isles

            North Isles - 3 seats [10]
            PartyCandidateFPv%Count
            12345678
            Independent Graham Sinclair (incumbent)26.98290       
            Independent Kevin Woodbridge23.81256261.4 274.5     
            Independent Stephen Clackson (incumbent)18.33197200.6 207.9 209.0 219.4 231.5 247.1 321.9
            Independent Stuart Roy McIvor10.98118120.5 124.6 125.6 132.7 143.2 168.2  
            Independent Ralph Stevenson6.517072.9 77.2 78.1 92.4 121.7   
            Independent Simon Tarry6.517072.8 72.9 73.5 78.6    
            Independent George Arthur Mowat-Brown3.353939.5 40.6 41.1     
            Independent Billy Muir3.263536.1       
            Electorate: 1,840  Valid: 1,075  Spoilt: 5  Quota: 269  Turnout: 1,080 (58.7%)  

              Changes since 2017 Election

              By-elections since 2017

              North Isles By-election (1 October 2020)
              PartyCandidateFPv%Count
              1
              Independent Heather Woodbridge69.9638
              Labour Coilla Drake17.3158
              Independent Claire Stevens8.275
              Independent Daniel Adams4.642
              Quota: Turnout: 732 (31.0%)  

                Footnotes

                1. Kirkwall councillor to stand down at end of OIC term
                2. "Orkney Manifesto Group | POLICY STATEMENTS".
                3. "Results by Ward".
                4. "SLGE2017 Summary Results Data - Electoral Management Board". Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
                5. "Ward 1 - Kirkwall East".
                6. "Ward 2 - Kirkwall West and Orphir".
                7. "Ward 3 - Stromness and South Isles".
                8. "Ward 4 - West Mainland".
                9. "Ward 5 - East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray".
                10. "Ward 6 - North Isles".
                11. "Tributes paid to North Isles councillor Kevin Woodbridge". 20 April 2020.
                12. "Heather Woodbridge wins North Isles council seat". The Orcadian. Retrieved 15 January 2022.

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