2017 Shetland Islands Council election

Elections to Shetland Islands Council were held on 4 May 2017 on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election was the third using seven wards created as a results of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, each ward electing three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system a form of proportional representation, with 22 Councillors elected.

2017 Shetland Islands Council election

4 May 2017 (2017-05-04)

All 22 seats to Shetland Islands Council
12 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Gary Robinson Robbie McGregor
Party Independent SNP
Leader's seat Shetland West Shetland South
Last election 22 seats, 100% 0 seats, 1.9%
Seats before 22 0
Seats after 21 1
Seat change 1 1

Map of council wards

Council Leader before election

Gary Robinson
Independent

Council Leader after election

Cecil Smith
Independent

With the Shetland South ward going uncontested, the SNP elected its first councillor in Shetland.

Several members of the pro-Shetland Autonomy Wir Shetland group stood in the election; Ian Tinkler in Shetland West, and Alec Priest and Duncan Simpson in North Isles.[1][2] Former Wir Shetland member Ryan Thomson also stood in North Isles. Whilst having left the group, it was claimed by the Wir Shetland Chairman that Thomson still supported the groups core aims.[1] Other candidates with political positions of note included socialist Ian Scott and former Yes Scotland and Scottish Leave Left campaigner Brian Nugent in central ward.[3] Nugent is an SNP member and claimed to be standing as an independent solely due to having applied too late to use the SNP party name in the election.[4] Two paper candidates for the Conservatives also stood.[5]

Election results

Shetland Islands Local Election Result 2017
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Independent 21 0 1 1 95.5 97.8 7132 0.9
  SNP 1 1 0 1 4.5 0.0 0 N/A
  Ind. (Scottish Nationalist) 0 0 1.2 84 1.2
  Conservative 0 0 1 74 1

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

North Isles

  • 2012: 3xIndependent
  • 2017: 3xIndependent
  • 2012-2017 Change: no change
North Isles - 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12
Independent Duncan Simpson 31.2 453  
Independent Ryan Thomson 26.3 372  
Independent Alec Priest 23.1 327 375.08
Independent Cecil Hughson 13.1 185 210.57
Independent Lynsay Cunningham 5.4 76 81.68

    Shetland North

    • 2012: 3xIndependent
    • 2017: 3xIndependent
    • 2012-2017 Change: no change
    Shetland North - 3 seats
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    12
    Independent Andrea Manson (incumbent) 42.7 509  
    Independent Alastair Cooper (incumbent) 33.1 395  
    Independent Emma Macdonald 20.1 240 379.04
    Conservative Isobel Johnson 4.0 48 70.28

      Shetland West

      • 2012: 3xIndependent
      • 2017: 3xIndependent
      • 2012-2017 Change: no change
      Shetland West - 3 seats
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      1234
      Independent Theo Smith (incumbent) 42.5 521      
      Independent Catherine Hughson 15.8 194 255.61 274.72 320.47
      Independent Gary Robinson (incumbent) 14.6 179 204.47 209.29 217.57
      Independent Steven Coutts (incumbent) 14.3 175 251.40 275.92 325.47
      Independent Debra Nicolson 6.6 81 107.29 132.81  
      Independent Ian Tinkler 6.1 75 90.61    

        Shetland Central

        • 2012: 3xIndependent
        • 2017: 3xIndependent
        • 2012-2017 Change: no change
        Shetland Central - 3 seats
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        1234
        Independent Davie Sandison (incumbent) 32.9 320      
        Independent Mark Burgess (incumbent) 26.7 260      
        Independent Ian Scott 19.6 191 214.04 217.18 263.52
        Independent Julie Buchan 12.1 118 139.61 146.87 169.40
        Independent nationalist Brian Nugent 8.6 84 93.26 95.79  

          Shetland South

          • 2012: 3xIndependent
          • 2017: 2xIndependent, 1xScottish National Party
          • 2012-2017 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent
          Shetland South - 3 seats
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          1
          Independent Allison Duncan (incumbent) uncontested uncontested
          SNP Robbie McGregor uncontested uncontested
          Independent George Smith (incumbent) uncontested uncontested

            Lerwick North

            • 2012: 3xIndependent
            • 2017: 3xIndependent
            • 2012-2017 Change: 3xIndependent
            Lerwick North - 3 seats
            PartyCandidateFPv%Count
            123
            Independent Malcolm Bell (incumbent) 71.9 715    
            Independent Stephen Leask 13.2 130 337.25  
            Independent John Fraser 12.4 124 243.92 287.73
            Conservative Thomas Williamson 2.6 26 54.68 68.93

              Lerwick South

              • 2012: 4xIndependent
              • 2017: 4xIndependent
              • 2012-2017: no change
              Lerwick South - 4 seats
              PartyCandidateFPv%Count
              1234
              Independent Cecil Smith (incumbent) 28.8 429      
              Independent Beatrice Wishart 26.4 394      
              Independent Peter Campbell (incumbent) 20.0 299      
              Independent Amanda Westlake (incumbent) 12.7 190 242.42 271.12 408.83
              Independent Frances Valente 12.1 180 220.61 268.35  

                Retiring Councillors

                Council Ward Departing Councillor Party
                Shetland North Gary Cleaver Independent
                Shetland South Billy Fox Independent
                North Isles Robert Henderson Independent
                Shetland North Drew Ratter Independent
                Shetland West Frank Robertson Independent
                Lerwick North Michael Stout Independent
                Shetland Central Vaila Wishart Independent
                Lerwick North Allan Wishart Independent
                Lerwick South Jonathan Wills Independent

                Changes Since 2017

                By-elections since 2017

                Shetland Central By-election (7 November 2019)
                PartyCandidateFPv%Count
                1
                Independent Moraig Lyall 47.0 344
                Independent Julie Buchan 15.8 116
                SNP Stewart Douglas 15.2 111
                Independent Gordon Laverie 11.5 84
                Independent Johan Adamson 10.5 77

                  Footnotes

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