Local By-elections

'Moray has lost a great ambassador, Elgin has lost its greatest champion, and we in Moray Council have lost an esteemed and trusted colleague.' Northern Scot, 14 th December 2007.

Elgin City South (Moray) 14 th February 2008

Scottish National Party gain from Independent

There was a by-election in the Elgin City South ward of Moray Council on the 14 th February 2008 following the death of Cllr Alastair Bisset JP (Independent, Elgin City South), Deputy Convenor of Moray Council on the 13 th December 2007.

Elgin City South is in the Moray Westminster parliamentary seat (held by the Scottish National Party's Angus Robertson MP) and in the Moray Scottish parliamentary seat (held by the Scottish National Party's Richard Lochhead MSP). In May 2007, three Cllrs were elected: Graham Leadbitter for the Scottish National Party, John Divers for Labour and Independent, Alastair Bisset.

Scottish National Party gain from Independent. Following the by-election the composition of Moray Council is 11 Independents, 10 Scottish National party, 3 Conservatives, and two Labour.

Cllrs for Elgin City South

Cllr John Sharpe Scottish National Party Newly elected Cllr	Cllr Graham Leadbitter Scottish National Party	Cllr John Divers Labour

Elgin City South 14 th February 2008

First Preference Votes

Candidate	Logo	Party	1 st Pref	Share	Quota	Count	Status	Seat
John Alexander Sharp		Scottish National Party	670	32.10 %	0.64	9	Elected	1
Hamish Simpson		Independent	513	24.58 %	0.49	9	Not elected
Mark Cascarino		Labour	358	17.15 %	0.34	9	Eliminated
James Scott Allan		Independent	223	10.69 %	0.21	8	Eliminated
Frank Brown		Conservative & Unionist	206	9.87 %	0.19	7	Eliminated
Peter J. Horton		Liberal Democrat	48	2.30 %	0.05	6	Eliminated
Andy Anderson		Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party	32	1.53 %	0.03	5	Eliminated
Matthew Coughlan Desmond		UK Independence Party	20	0.96 %	0.02	4	Eliminated
Martyn Harris		Independent	16	0.77 %	0.02	3	Eliminated
Gordon Davidson		Independent	1	0.05 %	0.00	2	Eliminated

Count Details

Adjustments				Exclusion of Davidson	Exclusion of Harris	Exclusion of Desmond	Exclusion of Anderson	Exclusion of Horton	Exclusion of Brown	Exclusion of Allan	Exclusion of Cascarino
Candidate	Logo	Party	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5	Count 6	Count 7	Count 8	Count 9
John Alexander Sharp		Scottish National Party	670	+ 0 670	+ 2 672	+ 0 672	+ 7 679	+ 6 685	+ 21 706	+ 57 763	+ 121 884 Elected
Hamish Simpson		Independent	513	+ 0 513	+ 5 518	+ 5 523	+ 4 527	+ 13 540	+ 72 612	+ 110 722	+ 123 845 Not elected
Mark Cascarino		Labour	358	+ 0 358	+ 3 361	+ 2 363	+ 7 370	+ 10 380	+ 23 403	+ 56 459	- 459 Eliminated
James Scott Allan		Independent	223	+ 1 224	+ 3 227	+ 2 229	+ 4 233	+ 7 240	+ 38 278	- 278 Eliminated
Frank Brown		Conservative & Unionist	206	+ 0 206	+ 0 206	+ 2 208	+ 8 216	+ 7 223	- 223 Eliminated
Peter J. Horton		Liberal Democrat	48	+ 0 48	+ 1 49	+ 1 50	+ 3 53	- 53 Eliminated
Andy Anderson		Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party	32	+ 0 32	+ 0 32	+ 5 37	- 37 Eliminated
Matthew Coughlan Desmond		UK Independence Party	20	+ 0 20	+ 0 20	- 20 Eliminated
Martyn Harris		Independent	16	+ 0 16	- 16 Eliminated
Gordon Davidson		Independent	1	- 1 Eliminated
Non-transferable votes			0	+ 0 0	+ 2 2	+ 3 5	+ 4 9	+ 10 19	+ 69 88	+ 55 143	+ 215 358

Elgin City South 3 rd May 2007

First Preference Votes

Candidate	Logo	Party	1 st Pref	Share	Quota	Count	Status	Seat
Graham Leadbitter		Scottish National Party	1,304	33.16 %	1.33	1	Made Quota	1
John Andrew Divers		Labour	1,132	28.79 %	1.15	1	Made Quota	2
Alastair George Keith Bisset		Independent	904	22.99 %	0.92	2	Made Quota	3
Dennis Michael Alexander Thompson		Conservative & Unionist	592	15.06 %	0.60	2	Eliminated

Count Details

Adjustments				Transfer of surplus from Leadbitter
Candidate	Logo	Party	Count 1	Count 2
Graham Leadbitter		Scottish National Party	1,304 Elected	- 319.99 984
John Divers		Labour	1,132 Elected
Alastair Bisset		Independent	904	+ 115.33 1,019.33 Elected
Dennis Thompson		Conservative & Unionist	592	+ 64.29 656.29 Eliminated
Non-transferable votes			0	+ 140.36 140.36

Candidates

	James Allan
	Independent
	James Allan is aged 42 and has lived in Elgin for 20 years. He owns Quayside Bingo in Lossiemouth and also works with Moray Council's customer support service in Elgin. He is a member of various Boys' Brigade associations and the Lossiemouth Hersbruck Twin Town Association. Recent electoral experience.
	Andy Anderson
	Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party
	Andy Anderson is aged 72 and is from Forres. He is a retired senior RAF NCO who has lived in the area since 1958, having served three tours at RAF Kinloss in 22 years in the RAF. Recent electoral experience.
	Frank Brown
	Conservative & Unionist
	Frank Brown works in the ward as manager of the Princess Royal Trust Moray Carers Project. He previous worked with the RAF at Kinloss then as a social worker in Elgin. He is a member of Moray Children's Panel. Recent electoral experience. May 2007 Moray Council election, Elgin City North, 592 First preference votes (16.31 %)
	Mark Cascarino
	Labour
	Mark Cascarino is aged 23 and was educated at Greenwards Primary and Elgin High School. He lives in New Elgin and works as a kitchen designer. Recent electoral experience
	Gordon Davidson
	Independent
	Gordon Davidson is from Lhanbryde. He believes membership of a single Christian church in Moray should be compulsory, and would like to see more church based education, particularly on morals. Recent electoral experience.
	Matthew Desmond
	UK Independence Party
	Matthew Desmond is aged 48 and is from Aberlour. He works in the whisky industry as a process operator, and has two years of experience in the agricultural sector. He wants the UK to be removed from the EU. He stood as an Independent in the two Speyside by-elections in Moray in 2004: He also stood as a UK candidate at Stirling at the 2005 Westmminster election and was first on UKIP's North East Scotland list at the 2007 Holyrood election. Recent electoral experience. As a UKIP candidate: 2007 Scottish parliament election, First on UKIP North East Scotland list, 1,045 votes (0.41 %) 2005 Westminster election, Stirling, 209 votes (0.48 %) As an Independent: November 2004 Moray Council by election, Speyside, 99 votes (9.72 %) August 2004 Moray Council by election, Speyside, 91 votes (9.80 %)
	Martyn Harris
	Independent
	Martyn Harris is 52 years old and is from Hopeman. He moved to Moray from Manchester six years ago. He is chairman of the charity group Moray Voluntary Service Organisation and advisor to Community First which runs the Handyperson service. Recent electoral experience. 2007 Moray Council election, Heddon & Laich, 114 First preference votes (2.15 %)
	Peter Horton
	Liberal Democrat
	Peter Horton is aged 52 and moved to Elgin seix years ago. He works as a biomedical scientist at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin. He also volunteers as a cub scout assistant with Fochabers scouts. Before moving to Moray, he was a Parish Councillor for 10 years in Nottingham. Recent electoral experience Parish Cllr for 10 years in Nottingham, England
	John Sharpe
	Scottish National Party
	John Sharp is aged 55 and lives with his partner Lorna in New Elgin. He works as a mobility advisor in the health sector and oil industry. He says he became politically motivated following 20 years in the oil industry and the "vast exploitation and squandering" of Scottish resources by successive London Unionist Governments. He is campaigning on a number of issues in  Elgin City South, including road safety, flood alleviation, car parking, housing and class sizes. Recent electoral experience
	Hamish Simpson MBE
	Independent
	Hamish Simpson is aged 59 and is from Elgin. He works as a janitorial supervisor at Elgin High School. He has as a warrant officer with 2622 (Highland) Squadron at the Royal Auxiliary Air Fprce in Lossiemouth for the past 26 years. In 2007, he was awarded an MBE for service to the RAAF. Recent electoral experience.

Elgin's council 'champion' dies

From BBC Scotland News, 13 th December 2007

The deputy convener of Moray Council, Councillor Alastair Bisset, has died at the age of 66.

After passing away in hospital, the former journalist was described by colleagues as "Elgin's champion".

Councillor Bisset collapsed last week before a meeting and died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on Wednesday night.

He had worked for many years for the Press and Journal newspaper before standing for office in 1999, when he was elected as an Independent.

Alastair Bisset

Moray mourns loss of council deputy

From the Northern Scot, 14 th December 2007

THE depute convener of Moray Council and also Elgin councillor, Alastair Bisset, has died.

He enjoyed a colourful career in his eight years as a Moray councillor and 35 years before that as a local journalist.

Tributes have been paid to Elgin-born Councillor Bisset (66) who died on Wednesday night in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

He had suffered a suspected heart attack while in the capital last Friday on council business.

Council convener George McIntyre and SNP group leader Pearl Paul had been with him for a meeting of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

His wife Marguerite, a languages teacher at Elgin Academy, said it was some comfort that he had been on council business at the time ­ something he was very passionate about.

"He died on council business and it was council business he loved. He did so much for the council and the town of Elgin," she said.

"He had a very colourful career and did so much for Elgin. He was totally passionate about his council work."

The couple have two sons, Alastair jnr and Jonathan. He is also survived by two sisters.

Councillor McIntyre added: "Moray has lost a great ambassador, Elgin has lost its greatest champion, and we in Moray Council have lost an esteemed and trusted colleague.

"Alastair made an enormous contribution to local government during his time as a councillor and depute convener, and his input will be sorely missed.

"I worked closely with Alastair over the last four years and regarded him as a friend. He will be greatly missed by family, friends and colleagues."

Flags at Moray Council HQ are flying at half-mast as a mark of respect.

Councillor Bisset had been appointed depute convener of the new Independent-Conservative administration on the council following the local government elections in May.

This was his third term of office on the council, having served from 1999 to 2007 as the independent member for Elgin Central West. He became one of three elected members for the new Elgin City South ward in May following local government reconstruction.

He chaired the local licensing committee and licensing board for many years and more recently was chairman of the new authority's policy committee.

He had stood as a Conservative parliamentary candidate many years ago but believed strongly that there was no place for party politics in local government, hence his decision to stand as an independent.

He had followed his father Sandy, former editor of the Elgin Courant, into journalism, starting out at the 'Ayrshire Post' and spending most of his 35 year career with the 'Press and Journal', running its Elgin office.

His style of journalism was very much from the old school whereby contacts were everything and much of his information was gleaned from the local pub.

He wrote a book about his life in journalism, "A Stroll along the Bisset Beat", which was published two years ago and based on his popular newspaper column. He donated all the proceeds from the book to the Oaks day hospice in Elgin.

One of his proudest claims to fame during his journalist career was the fact he was the only Scottish journalist to interview Elvis Presley on The King's only visit to Scotland.

A chance meeting at Prestwick Airport ended with the young 'Ayrshire Post' journalist scribbling the great rocker's exclusive thoughts on the back of a cigarette packet.

Former 'Press and Journal' colleague Bruce Taylor said: "I worked with Alastair for 30 years and in that time we were involved in a lot of scrapes and escapades together which are probably best not recorded. I always aspired to be as good a journalist as I considered Alastair to be.

"He was a larger than life character who loved people and the job. I will treasure my memories of him. As a journalist he loved to keep his finger on the pulse of Elgin and continued to do that in his capacity as a councillor."

He was a member of Elgin Golf Club, the New Club in Elgin and a season ticket holder at Elgin City Football Club.

City director Martyn Hunter said: "He was a great supporter of the club both on and off the pitch and a regular contributor to the match day programme.

"He was a great friend and I sought his advice and wisdom relating to Elgin City on many occasions. Match days will not be the same without him."

Ken Asher, a friend and secretary of the Moray District Licensed Trade Association, commented: "Alastair was very well liked by all the trade in Moray and throughout Scotland. During his term in office he was instrumental in promoting Moray as one of the leading lights nationally for the licensed trade.

"He was very much his own man. When taking the chair at board meetings he was able to put applicants and their representatives at ease but at the same time still retain that air of formality required at those occasions. His sense of fun and humour just added to the proceedings."

Moray Council colleague and Tory group leader Councillor Iain Young said: "He was a first-rate councillor with a great ability to put his case clearly and concisely. First and foremost in his thoughts was his beloved Elgin."

Labour group leader Councillor John Divers said: "As a fellow Elgin councillor I got to know Alastair well and we worked closely on a number of issues. He worked hard for his constituents and as a council colleague I had nothing but the utmost respect for him."

And SNP councillor Graham Leadbitter, who shared the Elgin City South ward with him, added: "As a political rival Alastair Bisset was courteous and never let politics become personal. You were always guaranteed a joke with Alastair once the serious debates were past and his absence in the council will be very noticeable."

A memorial service is set to be held next Thursday morning in Elgin Town Hall.

Councillor and Ex-Newsman dies, Aged 66

From Press & Journal, 14 th December 2007

A Journalist whose career spanned almost 40 years in the north-east and was latterly deputy convener of Moray Council has died.

Alastair Bisset collapsed just before a business meeting in Edinburgh last week and was taken to hospital.

He died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary last night.

Mr Bisset, 66, had suffered a suspected heart attack at the headquarters of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Mr Bisset, who has been a councillor for eight years and was the Press and Journal's chief reporter in Elgin for 35 years, travelled to Edinburgh the previous afternoon and had been due to attend Cosla's quarterly convention, which is attended by senior councillors from all Scottish local authorities.

Elgin-born, Mr Bisset was educated at Elgin Academy and Aberdeen Grammar School before he followed in his late father's footsteps into the world of journalism, starting at the Ayrshire Post in 1959.

It was in 1960 that he joined Aberdeen Journals, and was appointed district reporter based at Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

He returned to Aberdeen for a couple of years, before taking on the job of chief reporter for the Moray area at Elgin in 1965.

A skilled news gatherer and writer, he also wrote a regular weekly column of gossip and opinion called The Bisset Beat which attracted a wide readership. Taking early retirement from journalism in 1999, Mr Bisset brought his 40-year involvement in newspapers to an end. Later, looking back on his journalistic career, he wrote a book entitled A Stroll Along the Bisset Beat which was published at the end of 2005.

In its epilogue, Mr Bisset said he had considered it a "privilege and a pleasure to serve his home area as a regional journalist".

Work had been "a permanent vocational pastime" for nearly all of the four decades he had been employed to bring the news into tens of thousands of homes and businesses across the north-east.

His political career began in 1999, when he was elected to Moray Council as an Independent councillor representing the Elgin Central West ward.

The local government elections in May of this year saw him re-elected to the new ward of Elgin City South, and elected to the post of deputy convener.

During his time with Moray Council, he served as chairman of the licensing committee and also chaired Moray Licensing Board.

He was devoted to his family, his work and considered himself proud to be from Elgin and had its interests, and the interest of Moray as a whole, at heart.

Mr Bisset was a member of the Elgin Golf Club, the New Club, Elgin, and was a staunch supporter of Elgin City FC.

He is survived by his wife Marguerite, a modern languages teacher at Elgin Academy, and his two sons Alastair jun and Jonathan.

From Press & Journal, 13 th December 2007

Moray by-election following death

From BBC Scotland News, 8 th January 2008

A by-election following the death of a senior Moray councillor will be held next month, it has been announced.

The deputy convener of Moray Council, Alastair Bisset, who was 66, died after falling ill on council business in Edinburgh last month.

The poll to replace him in the Elgin South ward will take place on 14 February.

After passing away, the former journalist was described by colleagues as "Elgin's champion".

He had worked for many years for the Press and Journal newspaper before standing for office in 1999, when he was elected as an Independent.

The count will take place immediately after the polls close.

Briefing board

Government and public affairs in the Scotsman, 5 th January 2008

MORAY Council will hold a by-election on 14 February in the Elgin City South ward. The vacancy arose after the death of Alastair Bisset, the council's depute convener, who suffered a heart attack at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) offices in Edinburgh. He died later in hospital.

Date for by-election

From Press & Journal, 9 th January 2008

The date for a by-election has been announced to find a successor for a senior Moray councillor who died last month.

Voters in Elgin South will be asked to elect a new councillor on February 14.

It follows the sudden death of Independent deputy council convener Alastair Bisset.

He died aged 66, after falling ill while on council business in Edinburgh.

Cllr Bisset, pictured, was a journalist for the Press and Journal for many years and was described by council colleagues as "Elgin's champion".

He was first elected to the council in 1999, shortly after retiring from journalism.

Council by-election on Valentine's day

From the Northern Scot, 11 th January 2008

VALENTINE'S Day will see voters in the Elgin City South council ward go to the polls.

The bye-election to find a successor to the late Councillor Alastair Bisset will be held on Thursday, February 14.

Councillor Bisset (66) died in hospital in Edinburgh before Christmas after falling ill while on council business in the capital.

He had been one of three members for the new Elgin City South ward following the local government elections in May last year.

Prior to that he had represented the Elgin Central West ward on Moray council since entering local government in 1999 after retiring as a local journalist.

He was appointed depute convener of Moray Council last May and was chairman of the policy committee and local licensing board.

A new depute convener is set to be appointed at a meeting of the full Moray Council on Wednesday, January 30.

Council convener Councillor George McIntyre said at the time of Councillor Bisset's death that Elgin had lost its greatest champion.

It is not yet clear who the Independent-Conservative coalition administration is likely to put forward for the position, although all 25 councillors will have a say on the appointment.

Among the front runners are senior Independent councillors Jeff Hamilton and John Russell, although Tory councillors and senior administration members Iain Young and Allan Wright may also be contenders for the position.

Councillor McIntyre, confirming that the position was likely to be discussed on January 30, said: "Everyone will have a view on that date, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Nothing has been decided yet.

"The support from other senior councillors has been essential to me, although it has been a bit quieter over the Christmas period.

"We are working hard on budgets at the moment and the support I get from my colleagues is very important."

The closing date for nominations to stand in the Elgin City South by-election is January 23.

By-election candidates reveal pledges

From Press & Journal, 24 th January 2008

Nominations for Elgin City South's council by-election closed last night, with 10 candidates in the running.

The by-election will be held on February 14, and was called after the death of councillor Alastair Bisset in December last year.

Providing Elgin with more sports facilities is one pledge made by independent candidate Hamish Simpson, who has served as a warrant officer with 2622 (Highland) Squadron at the RAAF in Lossiemouth for the past 26 years.

Mr Simpson, 59, from Elgin, is due to retire and was made an MBE last year for his commitment to the service.

Liberal Democrat member Peter Horton, of Fochabers, served as a councillor for 10 years in Nottingham and moved to Moray six years ago.

Mr Horton, 52, works as a biomedical scientist at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin and volunteers as a cub scout assistant with Fochabers scouts.

Mr Horton said: "I'm not standing for my agenda, it's about what people who vote for me want me to do."

UKIP candidate Matthew Desmond, from Aberlour, said that if elected, he will tow the party line of pushing for the UK to be removed from the EU.

Mr Desmond, 48, works in the whisky industry as a process operator, and has two years of experience in the agricultural sector.

Independent candidate James Allan has lived in Elgin for the past 20 years, and owns Quayside Bingo in Lossiemouth.

The 42-year-old also works with Moray Council's customer support service in Elgin, and is a member of various Boys' Brigade associations and the Lossiemouth Hersbruck Twin Town Association.

He said: "I think the flood alleviation scheme and the bypass are important issues but I also want to listen to what people want in the area, and act as their voice."

Andy Anderson, 72, of Forres, is standing for the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party.

He said: "I'm standing for the advancement of the incomes of elderly people."

Locally, he said he wanted to ensure senior citizens were not ignored and to see anomalies in issues ironed out. Flood alleviation was also a campaign pledge.

Independent candidate Martyn Harris, of Hopeman, will also stand, but could not be contacted last night. Other previously confirmed candidates are Frank Brown, for the Scottish Conservatives, Mark Cascarino, for Scottish Labour, John Sharp for SNP, and independent Gordon Davidson.

Voters can visit their local primary schools anytime between 7am and 10pm on polling day to place their vote.

Big rush on to fill council vacancy

From the Northern Scot, 25 th January 2008

THE battle to win the hearts and minds of voters in Elgin City South will be fought by 10 contenders on Valentine's Day.

Nominations closed this week for the by-election created by the death last year of Moray Council depute convener Alastair Bisset.

The four main political parties have all put forward candidates, as have the United Kingdom Independence Party Scotland and the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party. They will be joined by four independent candidates.

The Tories have chosen Frank Brown, a social worker of 30 years experience and currently manager of the Princess Royal Trust Moray Carers Project in Elgin. He contested the Elgin North multi-member ward at the local government elections in May last year.

The Labour Party has gone for youth in 23-year-old candidate Mark Cascarino.

The former Greenwards Primary and Elgin High School pupil has been active with the local party since last year. He lives in New Elgin and works as a kitchen designer at local DIY store Homebase.

SNP contender John Sharp (55) lives with his partner, Lorna, in New Elgin, and is a mobility advisor in the health sector and oil industry.

Mr Sharp was a member of the SNP campaign team at last May's elections and canvassed on behalf of the two successful Elgin candidates.

The Lib-Dems have gone for Peter Horton (53), a biomedical scientist at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin.

He was a parish councillor in Nottingham for 10 years before moving to Moray six years ago. Married with three children, he lives in Fochabers where he is involved with local Scouts.

Andy Anderson (73), from Forres, is the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party candidate. The retired RAF officer has lived in the Forres area since 1958 and is a member of the Moray Seniors Forum, Grampian Seniors Forum and Forres Old Age Pensioners Association.

Matthew Desmond will try to win the seat for UKIP Scotland, having contested the Speyside-Glenlivet ward last May.

The Speyside distillery worker moved to Moray from his native Stirling in 1993. He has a BSc in rural development and twice stood for the Speyside ward in 2004 as an independent.

The four independent candidates are:

Martyn Harris (52), from Hopeman, stood last May in the Heldon and Laich ward. A voluntary sector worker dealing with poverty. Originally from Manchester, Mr Harris moved to Moray six years ago. He is married with two grown-up sons.

Hamish Simpson (59) is a former janitorial supervisor at Elgin High School. He has been a member of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force for 26 years. Elgin born and bred, Mr Simpson worked as a bus driver for 18 years before joining Moray Council.

James Allan (42) is a Moray Council admin worker and bingo hall owner in Lossiemouth. He lives in New Elgin.

Gordon Davidson, from Lhanbryde, advocates a two year, compulsory membership of a single unified Christian church for Moray.

Polling day nears at Elgin City South

By Chris Saunderson in the Northern Scot, 1 st February 2008

VOTERS in Elgin City South will go to the polls on Valentine's Day, Thursday, February 14 to elect a successor to the late Councillor Alastair Bisset.

They have plenty of candidates to choose from with no fewer than 10 hopefuls throwing their hats into the ring.

It is set to be a fascinating contest with six parties and four independent candidates bidding for the seat.

Here 'The Scot' gives you a rundown of the candidates and some of the main issues they will be campaigning on.

CONSERVATIVES - Moray Conservatives have selected Frank Brown as their candidate. He currently works in the ward as manager of the Princess Royal Trust Moray Carers Project.

He has a long association with Moray, initially in the Royal Air Force at Kinloss and then as a social worker based in Elgin. With more than 30 years of experience in social welfare, culminating as director of social care in a London borough, he is experienced in running large local government departments.

He contested the Elgin North multi-member ward at the local government elections in May last year.

Mr Brown said he is committed to local services for local people and wants to see communities involved in decision-taking on spending priorities.

"As a member of the Moray Children's Panel, I understand at first hand the problems facing vulnerable young people in Elgin and also the challenges that young offenders present to the community," he said.

He sits on the Parole Board for Scotland and says he knows the impact of crime on victims, and pledges to press for local crime reduction strategies.

"I want Elgin to be a safer place and favour a zero tolerance approach to public nuisance," he added.

LABOUR - The Labour Party has gone for youth in 23-year-old candidate Mark Cascarino. The former Greenwards Primary and Elgin High School pupil has been active with the local party since last year.

He lives in New Elgin and works as a kitchen designer at local DIY store Homebase. After leaving school he qualified as an IT engineer and worked in that field for a period.

He has been interested in politics for a number of years and was integral in the re-design of the local Labour Party's website last year.

The election of three councillors in their early 20s at the local government elections last May inspired him to throw his hat into the ring this time, he said.

"I always thought councillors were from the older generation but I was inspired by three young councillors getting in at the May election which shows a young person can have a voice in the council and speak for their community," he said.

He is supportive of new sports facilities based in the south side of Elgin, and also sees flood alleviation and a bypass for Elgin as key local issues.

Creating more facilities and activities for young people is also important to reduce the level of vandalism and other anti-social behaviour.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS - Peter Horton is a 52-year-old biomedical scientist at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin.

He has been a member of the Liberal Democrat party for over 25 years.

He moved to Moray six years ago from Nottingham where he had been a parish councillor for 10 years.

Married with three children, he lives in Fochabers where he is a local Cub Scout leader. Mr Horton sees the provision of an Elgin bypass and a solution to the traffic problems as the biggest issue affecting Elgin City South and Elgin in general.

In terms of other issues, he promises to be guided by the community's wishes if elected. "I am very much of a mind that a councillor works for the people electing them," he said. "I would respond to what people want rather than having my own agenda."

Mr Horton, who will celebrate his 53rd birthday on the day of the election, is delighted to be up against nine other candidates.

"It is good for Elgin City South that people are being given such a choice and good that so many people have been willing to stick their necks out and stand," he said.

SNP - NATIONALIST candidate John Sharp will campaign on a number of issues in  Elgin City South, including road safety, flood alleviation, car parking, housing and class sizes.

Mr Sharp (55), who lives with his partner Lorna in New Elgin, is a mobility advisor in the health sector and oil industry.

He says he became politically motivated following 20 years in the oil industry and the "vast exploitation and squandering" of Scottish resources by successive London Unionist Governments.

"My sense of injustice grew after working in other countries such as Norway. These countries controlled all their own resources from the start, on their terms, and benefited enormously across society from it," he said.

"I firmly believe that the SNP in Moray are a strong team which I can work together with," he said.

A key issue locally and nationally in recent years has been council tax, he added, and successive hikes under the Lab-Lib coalition had now been replaced by the SNP delivering a promise to freeze council tax.

"I believe that voters in Elgin City South will recognise that that SNP works hard to deliver on the concerns of ordinary citizens."br>
SCOTTISH SENIOR CITIZENS UNITY PARTY - Andy Anderson is a 72-year-old retired senior non-commissioned RAF officer who has lived in the Forres area since 1958. He served three tours at RAF Kinloss in his 22 years with the air force.

He was a past chairman of the now disbanded Moray Seniors Forum and is currently a member of the Grampian Seniors Forum.

Mr Anderson is also a member of the Forres Old Age Pensioners Association, and the environmental organisations Earthship and Earthshare.

He is campaigning for a better deal for older people, particularly an increase in state pension.

"We are toiling way down the league in Europe (on pensions)," he said.

Mr Anderson would like to see some of the red tape and bureacracy surrounding the claiming of allowances and entitlements made easier.

He also favours a reform of taxation towards a local taxation system.

In Elgin City South terms he would like to see a swift move towards construction of the flood alleviation scheme for Elgin and a resolution to the parking problems caused by pay and display charges at Dr Gray's Hospital.

UKIP - Matthew Desmond is a 49-year-old process operator at Mortlach Distillery on Speyside. Married with one grown up daughter, he lives at Aberlour.

Originally from Stirling, Mr Desmond has worked with drinks firm Diageo for over 30 years, the last 15 at Mortlach after moving to Moray in 1993.

In 2005 he stood for UKIP at the Westminster elections in the Stirling constituency and in 2007 was the lead list candidate for the party in the Highlands and Islands, as well as standing for the Speyside ward on Moray Council.

In 2006 Mr Desmond also gained a post graduate qualification in environmental decision making with the Open University.

He backs his party's stance in offering local people local referendums on issues of concern, such as the campaign to retain two secondary schools in Elgin.

"As a councillor I would put constituents' issues first, party second."

Mr Desmond believes local government is bound by too much European legislation.

"We are controlled by and governed by Europe. The council gets a lot of stick from the public on a lot of issues when it is simply implementing directives from Europe."br>
INDEPENDENTS - JAMES ALLAN Allan is a 42-year-old Moray Council customer support services assistant and has lived in New Elgin for 20 years.

He previously worked at Greenwards Primary School in special needs and mainstream classes.

Lossiemouth-born, Mr Allan joined Robertsons of Elgin from school before going on to complete a leisure management course with CAC Leisure. Since 2000 he has owned and run the Quayside Bingo Club in Lossiemouth.

He is captain of the 4th Lossiemouth Boys Brigade, president of the Moray battalion and sits on the executive committee for the North Scottish Area Boys Brigade.

He is a former president of the Lossiemouth-Hersbruck Twin Town Association and has served on the Lossiemouth Gala Committee and Greenwards PTA.

Mr Allan is very family orientated and his niece Lorna is his election agent and his sister Donna, brother Iain and other niece Alison are helping with his campaign.

"I am dealing with the public every day, with their issues and complaints and have a good understanding of how the council works," he said.

He says anti-social behaviour, flood alleviation, Wittet Drive and an Elgin bypass are among the main issues in the area.

* GORDON Davidson is from Lhanbryde, advocates compulsory church membership of a single Christian church in Moray.

He believes this would have a number of advantages, among them greater community interaction and generating employment through increased contacts.

Mr Davidson would like to see more church based education, particularly on morals. More safe havens for distressed or runaway children are also needed.

He supports the creation of more leisure activities for people of all ages.

He also advocates all people aged 18-20 completing a period of voluntary work.

* MARTYN Harris is 52 and lives in Hopeman. He works in the voluntary sector with Moray Against Poverty (MAP) dealing with issues of poverty and homelessness.

Originally from Manchester, he moved to Moray six years ago.

He is chairman of the charity group Moray Voluntary Service Organisation and advisor to Community First which runs the Handyperson service.

Married with two grown up sons, he also sits on the local children's charity Moray Independent Children's Advocacy Service (MICAS) which supports young people.

Mr Harris stood in the local government elections last May in the Heldon and Laich ward. "In my work with MAP a lot of the clients come from the Elgin area," he said.

Housing is a major issue for Mr Harris and in particular the lack of affordable housing.

Fuel poverty is another serious problem for many people in Moray, particularly older people.

"I see many elderly people living in fuel poverty in council properties. In the winter many elderly live in one room because they can't afford to heat the whole house.

"If I can change things for a few people then I will have done some good. I will listen to local people and if whatever they want is achievable and the money is there I will support them."

* HAMISH Simpson is a 59-year-old former janitorial supervisor at Elgin High School.

Mr Simpson, who lives at Fleurs Place near Dr Gray's Hospital, has been a member of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force for 26 years and is currently squadron warrant officer with 2622 Highland Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth.

He did plan to stand for election at last May's local government elections but was then posted on a six month tour to Afghanistan.

Elgin born and bred, Mr Simpson plans to campaign on a number of local issues, among them transport and the thorny issue of a distributor road connecting New Elgin to the west end of Elgin.

"That is an emotive issue which hasn't gone away," he said.

Mr Simpson will also campaign for a bypass for Elgin.

Achieving a solution to flooding problems in New Elgin will be another priority.

"Every time there is rain in Elgin everybody is worried," he said.

Mr Simpson, a keen sportsman and former captain of Elgin Golf Club, will also throw his weight behind a plan to resurrect a £6 million sports centre at Elgin High School.

Briefing board

From the Scotsman, 7 th February 2008

COUNCILLOR Allan Wright has been elected as the depute convenor of Moray Council. He succeeds Alastair Bisset, who died in December. Wright was elected to Moray Council last May to represent the Heldon and Laich ward, after serving on Dumfries and Galloway Council for eight years.

Counting down to D-Day for voters

By Chris Saunderson in the Northern Scot, 8 th February 2008

ELECTION officials are confident that voting in next week's Elgin City South by-election will go smoothly.

They are convinced there will be no repetition of the spoiled ballot paper fiasco of last May's nationwide elections.

This will be the first local government election in Moray to use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) proportional representation system since the Scottish elections disaster in 2007. There were more than 150,000 discounted ballot papers across the country at the joint Scottish Parliament and local council elections.

However, that was largely blamed on a confusing double Scots Parliament ballot sheet for the constituency and regional list candidates, and many people believing they had to use STV in both the council and parliament elections, when it only applied to the local government election.

Moira Patrick, depute returning officer for Moray, said that most of the spoiled ballot papers were caused by the Scottish Parliament ballot paper and not the STV local council sheet.

"I would say the public 'got' STV in Moray, and there were no real problems with the system," she said.

That was backed up by the local figures last May, which showed there were 1,018 spoiled ballot papers in the Scottish Parliament constituency vote and 831 in the regional list vote, while there were only 562 across the 26 council wards.

The council's election staff were going through a dry run of the manual STV counting system this week.

And all 10 candidates will be given a briefing on the system and how the count will operate by returning officer Alastair Keddie prior to next Thursday.

There are just under 8,000 people eligible to vote in Elgin City South, and 1,046 postal votes have already been issued to voters.

"I hope the result will be in reasonably quickly, but with 10 candidates, it will take that wee bit longer," added Mrs Patrick.

Under the STV system, a candidate will need to secure 50% plus one vote to gain victory. Voters have to indicate a preference for candidates by marking a number against their name, as opposed to the more traditional cross.

People can express a preference for as many candidates as they wish, starting with a '1' for their first choice, '2' for second choice and so on, all the way down to 10 if they wish.

The numbers you use must be in sequence. If you make a mistake, your vote will be valid up to when you made the error. For example, if you miss out a 4 and just rank 1, 2, 3 and 5, only your first three preferences will be valid.

The counting process will start by establishing the number of spoiled ballot papers, which will be removed.

Then all the first-preference votes will be allocated to the candidate in each case, and if one person has 50% of the vote plus one after that process, they will be declared the winner.

However, with 10 candidates in the running, that will almost certainly not be the case.

The count will then move to stage two, where the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes will be eliminated, and his second-preference votes distributed to the respective choices.

The benefit of ranking candidates is that the vote is not wasted and voters are more likely to have the candidates they want to represent them.

Again, if there is no clear winner after this stage, the process will move on, with the candidate with the fewest votes ejected each time and their remaining preferences redistributed.

If the counting does not reach the stage where a candidate has the magic 50% plus one, it will boil down to the last remaining two candidates and the one with the most votes.

There are three polling stations in the ward: New Elgin Primary, Greenwards Primary and West End Primary, and these will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday, February 14. The votes will be coun-ted at the close of the poll at New Elgin Primary School.

The candidates are

James Allan (Independent) ­ A 42-year-old customer support services assistant with Moray Council and Lossiemouth bingo hall owner, who lives in New Elgin.

Andy Anderson (Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party) ­ The 72-year-old retired RAF senior non-commissioned officer has lived in the Forres area since 1958.

Frank Brown (Conservative) ­ Former RAF officer (58) who is manager of the Princess Royal Trust Moray Carers Project in Elgin.

Mark Cascarino (Labour) ­ A 23-year-old New Elgin DIY store worker who has been interested in politics for a number of years.

Gordon Davidson (Independent) ­ From Lhanbryde, he advocates compulsory membership of a single compulsory Christian Church in Moray.

Matthew Desmond (United Kindgom Independence Party) ­ A 49-year-old Speyside distillery worker with a postgraduate qualification in environmental decision-making.

Martyn Harris (Independent) ­ A 52-year-old worker with Moray Against Poverty and chairman of Moray Voluntary Services Organisation, who lives in Hopeman.

Peter Horton (Liberal Democrat) ­ A 52-year-old biomedical scientist at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin who was a parish councillor in Nottingham for 10 years.

John Sharp (Scottish National Party) ­ A 55-year-old mobility advisor in the health sector and oil industry, who lives in New Elgin.

Hamish Simpson (Independent) ­ Former Elgin High School janitorial supervisor, aged 59, and member of Royal Auxiliary Air Force, who lives in the West End of Elgin.

Anxious wait for by-election result

From the Press & Journal, 15 th February 2008

Candidates were last night anxiously awaiting the outcome of Elgin City South's by-election.

Prospective councillors gathered at New Elgin Primary to watch the manual count, which received a disappointing 26.8% turnout from the 8,000 registered voters in the ward.

As the count continued into the early hours of the morning, the race for victory had been narrowed down to just two candidates out of the 10 who had entered the contest.

The by-election was called following the death of depute convener Alastair Bisset in December last year.

The former Press and Journal journalist served Elgin as a councillor for eight years and attracted the biggest personal vote in Scotland at the 1999 elections.

The two election hopefuls still in contention shortly before 1am were SNP candidate John Sharp, 55, who lives with his partner, Lorna, at New Elgin and is a mobility adviser, and independent candidate Hamish Simpson, 59, who has served as a warrant officer with 2622 (Highland) Squadron at the RAuxAF in Lossiemouth for the past 26 years.

Former BBC Scotland controller John McCormick attended in his new role as electoral commissioner for Scotland.

The winning candidate will join councillors John Divers and Graham Leadbitter in representing the ward on Moray Council.

The result will not affect the current Independent-Conservative administration on the council.

Polling stations at West End, New Elgin and Greenwoods primaries were in operation from 7am.

Votes were once again cast using the single transferable vote system, which allows voters to place candidates in order of preference.

At last year's local elections, Moray voters bucked a national trend where thousands of ballot papers were spoiled through confusion over the new voting system.

Mr McCormick said: "The turnout is a bit disappointing but it is interesting to see the manual count done with the single transferable vote system.

"The election seems to have been well organised and well administered."

Results of Election

From Moray Council, 15 th February 2008

At the conclusion of the count John Alexander SHARP of Scottish National Party (SNP) was elected at the end of Stage 9 with 884 votes.

SNP clinch place by 39 votes

From the Press & Journal, 15 th February 2008

A closely-fought battle in a North-east by-election was won by the SNP.

The by-election was called in Elgin city south following the death of depute convener Alastair Bisset in December last year.

There were just 39 votes in it as the result was announced at New Elgin Primary school after just 26.8% of the electorate turned out for the vote.

The contest was down to two hopefuls after the other eight were knocked out of the race.

They were SNP candidate John Sharp and independent candidate Hamish Simpson.

Mr Sharp won with 884 votes.

SNP win Elgin by-election

By Chris Saunderson in the Northern Scot, 15 th February 2008

THE Nationalists won the hearts and minds of voters in Elgin City South as they won the Valentine's Day by-election.

John Sharp became the newest member of Moray Council after his nail-biting success which stretched into the early hours of Friday morning.

The 55-year-old mobility advisor won the seat vacated followed the death of former council depute convener Alastair Bisset in December.

The contest developed into a two-horse race between Mr Sharp and Independent Hamish Simpson and went right down to the wire.

Following the 10th stage of counting using the Single Transferable Vote system of proportional representation just 39 votes separated the pair.

Mr Sharp polled a total of 884 votes to 59-year-old Mr Simpson's 845, with Labour a distant third and Independent James Allan relegating the Tories into fifth place.There were a total of 10 candidates.

Mr Sharp told 'The Scot': "I am very pleased, it was a tight contest. The work starts now and I am looking forward to it."

"I look forward to working with my SNP colleagues on the council, in Parliament and in the SNP Government to put forward a positive vision for Moray and to fight for the interests of Elgin South."

SNP business convenor and MP for Moray Angus Robertson declared: "This is a great victory for the SNP. There was a 6% swing from Labour to the SNP. This has been a catastrophe for Labour. Labour was supposed to be the challenger in this seat but instead their vote has collapsed and Labour have slipped from second to third.

"In John Sharp the people of Elgin South have elected an excellent and dedicated local campaigner who will represent their interests in the council." The SNP claimed 32% of the vote with Independent candidate Mr Simpson 25%, Labour 17% and the Tories 10%.

The victory gives the Nats 10 members on the Moray Council which is run by an Independent-Conservative coalition of 11 Independent and 3 Conservative councillors. There are two Labour councillors.

See 'The Northern Scot' next Friday for an in-depth interview with the new member for Elgin City South, John Sharp.

SNP Gain in Elgin South By-Election ­ Labour Vote Collapses

From the Scottish National Party, 15 th February 2008

The SNP has won an additional council seat tonight with a victory in the Elgin South by-election as the Labour vote fell by 11%. There was almost a 6% swing from Labour to the SNP and Labour collapsed from 2nd place to 3rd as their vote fell by a third.

SNP Business Convenor and MP for Moray Angus Robertson said;

"This is a great victory for the SNP.  This result sees the SNP win a new councillor on the day councils across Scotland have backed a historic deal with the SNP Government to freeze the unfair council tax.

"This has been a catastrophe for Labour.  Labour was supposed to be the challenger in this seat but instead their vote has collapsed and Labour have slipped from second to third.

"In John Sharp the people of Elgin South have elected an excellent and dedicated local campaigner who will represent their interests in the council." Cllr John Sharp said;

"It is an honour to have been elected to represent Elgin South in Moray Council.

"I look forward to working with my SNP colleagues on the council, in Parliament and in the SNP Government to put forward a positive vision for Moray and to fight for the interests of Elgin South."

ENDS

Notes:

Result, 14th Feb 2008

SNP  32%
IND  25%
LAB  17%
IND  11%
CON  10%
LD   2%

Moray Council is run by an Independent/Conservative coalition.  The party breakdown after tonight's result is as follows; Independent 11, SNP 10, Con 3, Lab 2.

By election results

From Linda, Edinburgh in the Scotsman, 18 th February 2008

The Hootsman used to be a paper of record but didn't report that SNP won the latest local by election held last week in Elgin while Labour vote slumped by 11%.

There was a 6% swing from Labour to the SNP. The seat was formerly held by an Independent Councillor but Labour were supposed to be the main challenger but went from 2nd place to 3rd.

Result, 14th Feb 2008
SNP 32%
IND 25%
LAB 17%
IND 11%
CON 10%
Lib Dem 2%

Labour's onslaught on the SNP's 'cuts' (aided by some newspapers) is failing as an analysis of the 5 Local By Elections held since May show (and is in line with recent opinion polls).

Party Votes %
SNP 4797 33%
Labour 4126 29%
Tory 1858 13%
LibDem 1835 12.9%
Other 1575 11%
TOTAL 14191

2 SNP Gains, 1 SNP Hold, 1 Lib Dem Gain, 1 Lab Hold.

Links

• Moray Council