2012 Midlothian Council election

The 2012 Midlothian Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Midlothian 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 18 Councillors being elected.

Main article: 2012 Scottish local elections
2012 Midlothian Council election
3 May 2012 (2012-05-03)
All 18 seats to Midlothian Council
10 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Derek Milligan Bob Constable Ian Baxter
Party Labour SNP Scottish Green
Leader's seat Bonnyrigg Midlothian East Bonnyrigg
Last election 9 seats, 50% 6 seats, 33.3% 0 seats, 0%
Seats before 10 6 0
Seats won 8 8 1
Seat change 1 2 1
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Peter de Vink Les Thacker
Party Independent Liberal Democrats
Leader's seat Midlothian East Midlothian West defeated
Last election 0 seats, 0% 3 seats, 16.7%
Seats before 0 2
Seats won 1 0
Seat change 1 3
Results by ward.
Council Leader before election

Derek Milligan
Labour

 Council Leader after election

Bob Constable
SNP

The election saw Labour retain their traditional position as the largest party on the Council though they lost compared to the 2007 Election. The Scottish National Party significantly increased their representation with 2 net gains and a significant rise in vote share to have the same seat numbers as the Labour Party. The Scottish Green Party gained a seat on the Council for the first time and so to did Independent, former Conservative member, Peter de Vink. The Scottish Liberal Democrats were wiped out from this authority as well losing all their 3 seats although 1 members had defected after 2007.

Following the election the SNP formed a minority administration with the support of the Green Party and the Independent. This is the first time that Labour had not had a role in the running of Midlothian in 84 years.

Election result
Midlothian Local Election Result 2012
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 8 0 1 -1 44.44 39.49 9,967 +2.69
  SNP 8 2 0 +2 44.44 39.47 9,936 +5.97
  Scottish Green 1 1 0 +1 5.56 4.49 1,134 +2.59
  Independent 1 1 0 +1 5.56 3.75 946 +1.75
  Conservative 0 0 0 0 0 8.51 2,147 -1.59
  Liberal Democrats 0 0 3 -3 0 3.73 941 -8.87
  TUSC 0 0 0 0 0 0.67 168 +0.67

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 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

Ward results

Penicuik
  • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem
  • 2012: 2xSNP; 1xLab
  • 2007-2012: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem
Penicuik - 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123456
SNP Derek George Rosie 29.9 1,427          
Labour Adam Montgomery (incumbent) 28.6 1,363          
SNP Joe Wallace 14.8 706 915.6 950.6 1,009.1 1,057.9 1,343.9
Liberal Democrats Sheila Thacker 11.8 562 571.5 601.6 721.8 993.1  
Conservative Sandy Forrest 9.9 474 476.5 489.8 505.9    
Scottish Green Gary Christopher Bell 5.0 237 242.6 269.5      
Electorate: 10,693   Valid: 4,769   Spoilt: 76   Quota: 1,193   Turnout: 4,845 (44.6%)

    Bonnyrigg
    • 2007: 2xLab; 1xSNP
    • 2012: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xGRN
    • 2007-2012 Change: GRN gain one seat from Lab
    Bonnyrigg - 3 seats
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    1234567
    Labour Derek Milligan (incumbent) 30.67 1,574            
    SNP Bob Constable (incumbent) 24.49 1,257 1,272.1 1,566.5        
    Scottish Green Ian Baxter 13.07 671 681.3 704.2 787.1 930.4 1,079.9 1,407.4
    Labour Louie Lorraine Milliken 10.23 525 749.4 768.5 809.4 864.9 1,020.4  
    Independent Jack Aitchison (incumbent) 7.44 382 396.9 406.5 430.3 474.1    
    Conservative Emma Cummings 7.11 365 368.5 373.5 386.8      
    SNP Thomas Munro 6.98 358 366.5          
    Electorate: 12,007   Valid: 5,132   Spoilt: 99   Quota: 1,284   Turnout: 5,205 (42.74%)

      Dalkeith
      • 2007: 2xLab; 1xSNP
      • 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
      • 2007-2012 Change: No change
      Dalkeith - 3 seats
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      12345
      Labour Alex Bennett 31.6 1,021        
      SNP Jim Bryant 24.9 803 816.9      
      Labour Margot Russell (incumbent) 18.7 604 760.2 760.6 774.9 810.6
      SNP Colin Cassidy 12.7 410 417.7 425.6 447.6 469.1
      Conservative Robin Traquair 5.7 184 187.3 187.4 194.8 235.2
      Liberal Democrats George Boyd 4.1 133 138.8 138.9 152.4  
      TUSC Willie Duncan 2.3 75 80.8 80.9    
      Electorate: 8,678   Valid: 3,230   Spoilt: 81   Quota: 808   Turnout: 3,311 (37.22%)

        Midlothian West
        • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem
        • 2012: 2xSNP; 1xLab
        • 2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Lib Dem
        Midlothian West - 3 seats
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        1234567
        SNP Andrew Coventry 21.5 930 935 943 987 1,017 1,071 1,106
        SNP Owen Thompson (incumbent)†† 18.20 789 793 805 832 861 900 960
        Labour Russell Imrie (incumbent) 17.9 776 778 784 823 872 966 1,595
        Labour Alex Jones 17.58 762 764 773 794 821 856  
        Conservative Andrew Hardie 10.7 462 480 497 567      
        Liberal Democrats Les Thacker (incumbent) 5.67 246 247 263 309      
        Scottish Green Helen Blackburn 5.2 226 234 258        
        Independent George McCleery 2.38 103 115          
        TUSC Lynn Leitch 0.95 41            
        Electorate: 10,714   Valid: 4,335   Spoilt: 54   Quota: 1,084   Turnout: 4,389 (40.46%)

          Midlothian East
          • 2007: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xLib Dem
          • 2012: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
          • 2007-2012 Change: Independent gain one seat from Labour
          Midlothian East - 3 seats
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          1234567
          SNP Lisa Beattie (incumbent) 33.1 1,372            
          Labour Peter Boyes (incumbent) † 24.2 1,003 1,015.5 1,020.5 1,036.7 1,048.6    
          Labour Katie Moffat (incumbent) 11.5 475 486.9 493.2 525.7      
          Independent Peter de Vink 11.1 461 484.9 503.4 686.3 737.8 800.9 1014.3
          SNP Paul Bertram 9.8 405 656.9 665.9 689.4 721.1 781.7  
          Conservative Richard Thomson 9.1 379 388.3 388.3        
          TUSC Bob Goupillot 1.3 52 54.2          
          Electorate: 10,409   Valid: 4,147   Spoilt: 78   Quota: 1,037   Turnout: 4,225 (39.84%)

            Midlothian South
            • 2007: 2xLab; 1xSNP
            • 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
            • 2007-2012 Change: No change
            Midlothian South - 3 seats
            PartyCandidateFPv%Count
            12345
            Labour Jim Muirhead (incumbent) 36.0 1,305        
            SNP Cath Johnstone 21.7 786 807.9 845.1 855.7 1538.5
            SNP Dougie Crawford 19.1 693 706.1 729.7 732.3  
            Labour Bryan Pottinger 15.4 559 870.9 947.9    
            Conservative Peter Smaill 7.8 283 293.9      
            Electorate: 9,288   Valid: 3,626   Spoilt: 68   Quota: 907   Turnout: 3,694 (39.04%)

              Post-Election Changes
              • † Midlothian East Independent and former Labour Cllr Peter Boyes resigned due to ill-health on 11 August 2014. A by-election was held on 27 November 2014 and was won by Labour's Kenny Young.
              • †† Midlothian West SNP Cllr Owen Thompson was elected as an MP for Midlothian on 7 May 2015. He resigned as Leader of Midlothian Council on 23 June 2015 and announced he would resign his Council seat with effect from 1 July 2015. A by-election was held to fill the vacancy on 10 September 2015 and the seat was held by the SNP's Kelly Parry.

              By-elections
              Midlothian East By-election (27 November 2014)[1] - 1 Seat
              PartyCandidateFPv%Count
              12345
              Labour Kenny Young 32.9% 1,294 1,310 1,343 1,443 1,682
              SNP Colin Cassidy 32.1% 1,260 1,270 1,357 1,384 1,613
              Independent Robert Hogg 19.8% 780 789 831 914  
              Conservative Andrew Hardie 8.4% 331 342 359    
              Scottish Green Bill Kerr-Smith 5.0% 197 210      
              Liberal Democrats Euan Davidson 1.7% 68        
              Electorate: 11,637   Valid: 3,930   Spoilt: 40   Quota: 1,966   Turnout: 3,970 (34.1%)
                Midlothian West By-election (10 September 2015)[2] - 1 Seat
                PartyCandidateFPv%Count
                123
                SNP Kelly Parry 43.2% 1,540 1,558 1,701
                Labour Ian Miller 26.5% 945 977 1,082
                Conservative Pauline Winchester 14.7% 524 570 618
                Scottish Green Daya Feldwick 10.4% 372 420  
                Liberal Democrats Jane Davidson 4.5% 162    
                Independent David Tedford 0.7% 25    
                Electorate: 11,582   Valid: 3,568   Spoilt: 49   Quota: 1,785   Turnout: 3,617 (31.2%)

                  References
                  1. http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/info/799/elections_and_voting/1400/midlothian_east_by-election
                  2. http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/news/article/1717/by_election_candidates_announced

                  http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/news/article/492/midlothian_council_local_government_election_results_2012

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