Local By-elections

'The junior partner is growing increasingly restless about the coalition after slumping from a tiny share of the vote in Ayr to an even smaller 2.5% in the by-election this week. This is the second such vote in which it has trailed behind the Scottish Socialist Party.'
Douglas Fraser, Political Editor in the Sunday Herald, 19 th March 2000.

Crown (Highland) 8 th June 2000

For once, the Labour party were celebrating after a by-election result. In Scotland, Labour are more used to by-elections like Ayr where they not only lost the seat, but fell to third place. In the six local council by-elections held so far this year, the Labour vote had fallen by an average of 13.5 % and they had lost two wards, Manor park to an Independent in the Western Isles, and Delph & Cambus in Clackmannanshire to the Scottish National Party. This Highland ward really proved to be a Crown for the beleaguered Labour party. In a nine-way contest, they managed to take the seat, increasing their vote by 7.1 % in the process.

Highland Unitary Council is composed of the old Caithness, Sutherland, Skye & Lochalsh, Ross & Cromarty, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey and Lochaber District Councils. While Regional councils of Strathclyde, Lothians, Tayside, Grampian and Central were abolished in the reorganisation for the 1995 elections, Highland, Fife, Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway survived to be transformed into Unitary local authorities. Highland is an area where personalities still tend to count more than political allegiance and in the 1995 election the area returned 49 Independents compared to 9 Scottish National Party, 6 Labour, 4 Liberal Democrats, 2 Liberals, one Conservative and one Scottish Labour councillor.

In 1999 there were major boundary changes in Highland and the number of wards was increased from 72 to 80. Crown is a new ward and in 1999 it was won by the Liberal Democrat Richard Simpson with 39.8 % of the vote and a majority of 202 over Independent Patricia Hayden. Labour's John Ward came third with 21.0 % and Tory Peter Saggers was fourth with 12.0 %.

Surprisingly, the Liberal Democrats did not stand here following the death of Cllr Richard Simpson. There was still a large field with Labour, Scottish National party, Conservatives and no less than six Independent candidates. Labour's James Gray won with 28.1 % of the vote, up 7.1 % on May 1999. They were followed by three Independent candidates who took between 18.3 and 11.7 %. The SNP, standing for the first time came fifth with 10.6 % while the Conservatives fell to sixth place with 6.0 %. They were followed by three future Independent candidates, one who took only three votes.

This is the first Labour by-election gain since March 1997, just before the General election, when they won the ward of Milton in Argyll & Bute from an Independent.

Following the Labour by-election gain here, the political composition of Highland Council is 46 Independents, 11 Liberal Democrats, 11 Labour, 8 Scottish National Party, 1 Independent Liberal, 1 Independent Scottish Nationalist, 1 Merkincher and 1 Representative of the People. (There are no Conservative Councillors in Highland).

I am grateful to Eddie Truman for the Sunday Mail report.

Loser Mike Gains Only 3 Votes In Council Poll

Sunday Mail, 18th June 2000

WOULD-BE politician Mike Foss has hit the record books - with the lowest vote ever recorded in a Scots poll.

Mike , 54, got just three votes in a council election in Inverness.

That meant at least seven of the 10 people who signed his nomination papers for the council election failed to give him their support in the polling booth.

One person proposed him, another seconded him and eight others gave their official support to his candidacy for a vacant seat on the Inverness-based Highland Council.

Yesterday, an embarrassed Mike, who stood as an independent, talked for the first time about his cringe-inducing record poll result by saying: "I left it far too late before I started my campaign."

But he is vowing to be back for the next local authority elections in two years.

Unlike parliamentary candidates, would-be councillors do not have to lodge a cash deposit but need the signatures of eight ward residents.

Winner of the Crown Ward by-election was Labour candidate Jimmy Gray, a prominent trade unionist, who is also a board member of Government jobs agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The nine-cornered by-election was called because of the death of Councillor Dick Simpson.

Poll loser tells how he won just three votes

By Donald Fraser in the Scotsman, 19 th June 2000

IT WAS the kind of result politicians have nightmares about. When the votes were counted Mike Foss could not believe the final tally. He had lost, and lost badly.

Despite finding one supporter to propose him for election, another to second him and eight others to approve his nomination for his local council ward, Mr Foss polled a mere three votes at a recent by-election for a vacant seat on Highland Council.

Even those who supported his candidacy evidently failed to turn out to vote for the unemployed 54-year-old.

Yesterday, Mr Foss, who stood as an independent, overcame his embarrassment to talk for the first time about the collapse in support which has made him the least successful politician ever to stand in Scotland.

With the benefit of hindsight, he attempted to trace the cause of his disastrous campaign.

"I left it far too late before I started my campaign," he said. "I was on a loser from day one, but I just kept going. I am very disappointed that the people who signed their names for me and gave my nomination credence clearly did not vote for me on the day."

Fortunately candidates in local authority elections do not have to place a deposit as would-be MPs and MSPs must, so at least Mr Foss’s bank balance escaped unscathed by his ordeal at the hands of the voters.

Mr Foss, who lives with his 84-year-old mother, added: "I had never thought about going into politics before now. I just felt that the time was right and that I could make a difference, but obviously nobody else did."

"As far as I can see councillors seem more interested in dog faeces or car parking than the wider issues. There are important matters to be addressed in this area, such as the high water charges for example."

However, despite polling only three votes, Mr Foss said that he intends to stand again at the next local authority elections in two years time.

The by-election was won by Labour’s Jimmy Gray with 330 votes, well ahead of the nearest challenger, independent Cathy Walker, who polled 215.

The by-election was called because of the death of a local businessman, Dick Simpson, earlier this year. Mr Simpson, a Liberal Democrat had been elected in May 1999.

Crown - ward 56

8 th June 2000				6 th May 1999
James Gray		330	28.1 %	Richard Simpson		636	39.8 %
Cathy Walker	Ind	215	18.3 %	Patricia Hayden	Ind	434	27.2 %
Patricia Hayden	Ind	184	15.7 %	John Ward		335	21.0 %
	Ind	138	11.7 %	Peter Saggers		191	12.0 %
		124	10.6 %
		70	6.0 %
	Ind	56	4.8 %
	Ind	55	4.7 %
Michael Foss	Ind	3	0.3 %
Lab gain from LibDem	Lab maj.	115	9.8 %	LibDem win	LibDem maj.	202	12.7 %

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