Orkney Islands Council elections

Orkney Islands Council in Scotland holds elections every five years, previously holding them every four years from its creation as a single-tier authority in 1995 to 2007.

Council elections

As an islands council

Year	Orkney Movement	Independent
1974	0	23
1978 [a]	0	24
1982	1	23
1986	1	23
1990	1	23
1994 [b] [c]	0	27

1. New ward boundaries. ^[1]
2. New ward boundaries. ^[2]
3. One seat was unfilled due to a lack of nominations.

As a unitary authority

Year	Green	Orkney Manifesto Group	Independent
1999	0	0	21
2003	0	0	21
2007 [a]	0	0	21
2012	0	0	21
2017 [b]	1	2	18
2022 [c]	2	0	19

1. Change to single transferable vote system and new ward boundaries.
2. New ward boundaries. ^[3]
3. New ward boundaries. ^[4]

Results maps

• 
  2017 results map
• 
  2022 results map

By-elections

2012-2017

Kirkwall West and Orphir By-Election 27 November 2014 ^[5]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1
	Independent	Leslie Manson	57.5	647
	Independent	Gillian Skuse	25.0	281
	Independent	Lorraine McBrearty	12.6	142
	Independent	Laurence Leonard	4.9	55
	Independent hold
Valid: 1,125  Quota: 563

West Mainland By-Election 18 August 2015 ^[6]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1
	Orkney Manifesto Group	Rachael King	51.4	593
	Independent	Barbara Foulkes	38.6	281
	Scottish Green	Fiona Grahame	10.0	115
	Orkney Manifesto Group gain from Independent
Valid: 1,154  Quota: 578

2017-2022

North Isles By-Election 1 October 2020 ^[7]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1
	Independent	Heather Woodbridge	69.9	638
	Labour	Coilla Drake	17.3	158
	Independent	Claire Stevens	8.2	75
	Independent	Daniel Adams	4.6	42
	Independent hold
Valid: 913  Quota: 457

2022-2027

Stromness and South Isles By-Election 28 March 2024 ^[8]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1
	Independent	Janette Park	85.7	757
	Independent	Magnus Thomson	14.2	125
	Independent hold
Electorate: 2,220  Valid: 882  Spoilt: 1  Quota: 442  Turnout: 883

References

1. "Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
2. "Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
3. "Fifth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements Final Recommendations - Orkney Islands Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
4. "Orkney Islands Council Area Final Proposals" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
5. "Local Elections Archive Project — Kirkwall West and Orphir Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
6. "Local Elections Archive Project — West Mainland Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
7. "Local Elections Archive Project — North Isles Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
8. "Stromness and South Isles Declaration of Results". Orkney Islands Council. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2025.