 | 'Whatever the First Minister might say, most people today are facing cuts and council tax rises. This double whammy could have been avoided if the First Minister had listened to the all-party finance committee of this parliament when it identified a funding shortfall.' Nicola Sturgeon, the Holyrood leader of SNP, 9 th February 2006. |  |
There was a by-election for the Dalkeith/Woodburn ward of Midlothian Council on the 17 th March 2005 following the death of Labour Cllr Bill Russell on 18 th January 2005.
Dalkeith/Woodburn is in the Midlothian Westminster parliamentary seat (held by Labour's David Hamilton MP) and in the Midlothian Scottish parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Rhona Brankin MSP).
| 17 th March 2005 By-election Turnout 42.5 % (- 5.4 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raymond Prior |  |
Liberal Democrat | 742 | 52.6 % | + 30.4 % |
| Maureen Anderson |  |
Labour | 418 | 29.6 % | - 18.6 % |
| Douglas Crawford |  |
Scottish National Party | 179 | 12.7 % | - 4.9 % |
| Bob Guipillot |  |
Scotish Socialist Party | 48 | 3.4 % | - 5.3 % |
| Rosemary McDougall |  |
Conservative | 24 | 1.7 % | - 1.6 % |
| Liberal Democrat gain from Labour | |
Liberal Democrat majority | 324 | 23.0 % | |
| 1 st May 2003 Turnout 47.9 % (+ 20.0 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Russell | |
Labour | 793 | 48.2 % | + 3.3 % |
| Ray Prior | |
Liberal Democrat | 366 | 22.2 % | - 6.6 % |
| Owen Thompson | |
Scottish National Party | 289 | 17.6 % | - 3.9 % |
| Bob Guillipot | |
Scotish Socialist Party | 143 | 8.7 % | + 3.3 % |
| Mary Kristensen | |
Conservative | 55 | 3.3 % | (+ 3.3 %) |
| Labour hold | |
Labour majority | 427 | 26.0 % | + 9.9 % |
| 27 th September 2001 By-election following the election of Cllr David Hamilton as MP for Midlothian. Turnout 27.9 % (- 33.6 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Russell | |
Labour | 441 | 44.9 % | - 22.3 % |
| Maeve Duignan | |
Liberal Democrat | 283 | 28.8 % | + 22.3 % |
|
Scottish National Party | 211 | 21.5 % | - 4.7 % | |
|
Scotish Socialist Party | 47 | 4.8 % | (+ 4.8 %) | |
| Labour hold | |
Labour majority | 158 | 16.1 % | - 24.9 % |
| 6 th May 1999 Turnout 61.5 % (+ 19.9 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr David Hamilton | |
Labour | 1,471 | 67.2 % | - 6.6 % |
| David Morton | |
Scottish National Party | 574 | 26.2 % | + 0.0 % |
| Heather Moffat | |
Liberal Democrat | 143 | 6.5 % | (+ 6.5 %) |
| Labour hold | |
Labour majority | 897 | 41.0 % | - 6.7 % |
| 6 th April 1995 Turnout 41.6 % | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Hamilton | |
Labour | 1,245 | 73.8 % | |
| Joseph Middleton | |
Scottish National Party | 441 | 26.2 % | |
| Labour win | |
Labour majority | 805 | 47.7 % | |
Bill Russell, Councillor for the Dalkeith/Woodburn ward died suddenly on 18 January 2005. Councillor Russell took up his position following a by-election in 2001. Councillor Russell's wife Margot also serves on Midlothian Council as a Councillor for Newbattle/Pathhead and Depute Provost. Speaking today Council Leader Adam Montgomery said: "We are all very shocked by Bill's death. He was a very active Councillor, concerned for the well-being of his constituents and a tenacious fighter on their behalf. We send our sincere condolences to his wife Margot and their family"
Tonight the Scottish Liberal Democrats gained a third council seat on Midlothian Council in the Dalkeith Woodburn by-election. The swing to the Lib Dems from Labour was 24% resulting in a majority for Lib Dem candidate Ray Prior of 324 with a total of 52% of the vote. The new balance of the council is 14 Labour, 3 Lib Dems and 1 Independent.
Councillor Ray Prior said:
"I would like to thank the people of Woodburn for putting their confidence in me. There is much to do to tackle the neglect of Midlothian Labour and I will now set to work."
The by-election was caused by the sudden death of Labour Councillor Bill Russell in January and the ward was previously represented by David Hamilton, Labour MP for Midlothian.
The swing of 24% was significantly more than the 7.5% the Scottish Lib Dems need to gain their five top target seats in Scotland and the 14% swing required for a Lib Dem victory in Midlothian at the General Election.
Midlothian Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Fred Mackintosh said:
"It has been clear for a long time that many voters feel let down by Labour. This results confirms that the Liberal Democrats are the only real alternative to Labour in Midlothian.
"Dalkeith Woodburn has been described as the heartland of Labour in Midlothian. Voters there have made it clear that they want to see changes in Midlothian council."
The Woodburn result was the second massive swing to the Lib Dems in a Lothian by-election in the past twelve months. In October, a Lib Dem candidate narrowly failed to gain the Tories' third safest council ward in Colinton in Edinburgh on a 23% swing.
THE Liberal Democrats have gained a third seat on Midlothian Council after winning the by-election for the previously Labour-controlled Dalkeith Woodburn ward.
Lib Dem candidate Ray Prior secured a 324 majority, polling 52 per cent of the vote to complete a 24 per cent swing from Labour to the Lib Dems. The turnout was 42 per cent. The new balance of the council is 14 Labour, three Lib Dems and one independent.
Councillor Prior said: "I would like to thank the people of Woodburn for putting their confidence in me. There is much to do to tackle the neglect of Midlothian Labour and I will now set to work."
The by-election was caused by the sudden death of Labour Councillor Bill Russell in January.
Return to home page