Thurso and North West Caithness (ward)

Thurso and North West Caithness is one of the 21 wards used to elect members of the Highland Council. This was a new ward in the 2017 election following boundary changes. It elects four Councillors.

Councillors

Election	Councillors
2017		Matthew Reiss (Independent)		Struan Mackie (Conservative)		Donnie MacKay (Independent/ Conservative)		Karl Rosie (SNP/ Independent [1] /Alba [2] )
2022						Ron Gunn (Liberal Democrats)
2024
2024

Election results

2022 election

Main article: 2022 Highland Council election

Thurso and North West Caithness - 4 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5
	Liberal Democrats	Ron Gunn	27.5	1,411
	Independent	Matthew Reiss (incumbent)	20.4	1,049
	SNP	Karl Rosie (incumbent) [note 1]	18.4	947	1,004	1,007	1,008	1,056
	Conservative	Struan Mackie (incumbent)	17.9	921	1,044
	Independent	Iain Gregory	12.8	660	765	776	782	869
	Independent	Alexander Glasgow	2.9	151	174	175	177
Electorate: 10,242  Valid: 5,139  Spoilt: 34  Quota: 1,028  Turnout: 50.5%

Source: ^{[5] [6] [7]}

2017 election

2017 Highland Council election

Thurso and North West Caithness - 4 seats ^{[8] [9]}

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	Independent	Matthew Reiss*	36.69%	1,924
	Conservative	Struan Mackie	17.18%	901	1,111
	Independent	Donnie MacKay + †††††	10.81%	567	678	687	706	717	763	878	1,263
	SNP	Karl Rosie	14.23%	746	813	816	823	875	899	957	1,059
	Independent	Gillian Coghill*	7.95%	417	643	658	683	703	758	870
	Labour	Roger Saxon+	6.25%	328	405	410	412	427	488
	Liberal Democrats	Alexander Glasgow	3.78%	198	241	250	257	276
	Green	Sandra Owsnett	1.98%	104	128	129	137
	Independent	Tommy Farmer	1.13%	59	82	85
Electorate: TBC  Valid: 5,244  Spoilt: 70  Quota: 1,049  Turnout: 51.4%

*=Sitting Councillors for Landward Caithness Ward. +=Sitting Councillors for Thurso Ward.

Notes

1. Cllr Rosie resigned from the SNP in February 2024 to sit as an independent. ^[3] He later joined the Alba Party. ^[4]

References

1. "Highland councillor quits SNP over central belt bias and 'incoherent' indy plan". The Herald. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
2. Meighan, Craig (7 March 2024). "Alba gains second councillor after SNP defection". STV News. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
3. Hendry, Alan (14 February 2024). "Caithness councillor resigns from SNP after feeling 'increasingly disillusioned'". Northern Times. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
4. Hendry, Alan (7 March 2024). "Highland councillor calls for 'meaningful change' as he joins Alba Party". Inverness Courier. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
5. "2022 local government election results Ward 2 Thurso and Northwest Caithness Report - declaration of results". Highland Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
6. "2022 local government election results Ward 2 Thurso and Northwest Caithness Report - candidate votes per stage". Highland Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
7. "Ward 21 - Fort William and Ardnamurchan Results - 2025 Candidate Votes per Stage Report". Highland Council. 12 December 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
8. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 2 Thurso and Northwest Caithness - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
9. Council, The Highland. "The Highland Council download - 2017 Council elections Ward 2 Thurso and Northwest Caithness - Council and government". www.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2021.