 | 'Perhaps of greater distinction, only one year from the full quota of local government elections, the Borders Action Group candidate in Eyemouth received more votes than all three Liberal-Democrat candidates put together.' Ally McGilvray in the Border Telegraph, 7 th May 2002. |  |
A by-election was held in the Kelso Central ward of Scottish Borders Council on the 2 nd May 2006 following the death of Lib Dem Cllr Bob Jack in March 2002. Alasdair Hutton, who won the ward, was Tory MEP for South of Scotland from 1979 - 1989.
Kelso Central is in the new Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk Westminster parliamentary seat (held by Liberal Democrat Michael Moore MP) and in the Roxburgh & Berwickshire Scottish parliamentary seat (held by Liberal Democrat Euan Robson MSP).
Tory gain from Liberal Democrat. Swing: 30.6 % from Liberal Democrt to Conservative.
| 2 nd May 2002 By-election Turnout 33.6 % (- 16.5 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alasdair Hutton |  |
Conservative | 328 | 38.6 % | + 22.9 % |
| Peter Logan |  |
Liberal Democrat | 231 | 27.2 % | - 38.3 % |
| John Dawson |  |
Independent | 186 | 21.9 % | (+ 21.9 %) |
| Natasha York |  |
Scottish National Party | 104 | 12.3 % | - 6.5 % |
| Conservative gain from Liberal Democrat | |
Conservative majority | 97 | 11.4 % | |
| 6 th May 1999 Turnout 50.1 % (+ %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Bob Jack | |
Liberal Democrat | 841 | 65.5 % | |
| William J. McKenzie | |
Scottish National Party | 242 | 18.8 % | |
| James G. M. D. Scot | |
Conservative | 201 | 15.7 % | |
| Liberal Democrat hold | |
Liberal Democrat majority | 599 | 46.7 % | |
| 6 th April 1995 Turnout 0 % | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Jack | |
Liberal Democrat | Elected unopposed | ||
There are three local government by-elections in Scotland today, in the Borders Council area.
They are in the wards of Old Selkirk, Eyemouth & District, and Kelso Central.
Two of the contests are due to the death of councillors but the third, in Eyemouth, was precipitated by the resignation last February of Ian Waddell, the independent councillor, over budget cutbacks.
The votes will not be counted until tomorrow morning.
A former Tory MEP has won a Scottish Borders council seat held by theLiberal Democrats.
Alasdair Hutton won the Kelso Central ward by a majority of 97 from the LibDems in one of three council by-elections in the Borders which took place at the same times as the English polls.
The Eyemouth & District South ward was won by Michael Cook, who had no party label but was a members of th Borders Action Group which campaigned against the £5m budget cuts enacted by the council earlier this year.
Gordon Edgar, and Independent, won the Old Selkirk seat.
The Tories won a council seat from the Liberal Democrats in the Borders yesterday in the wake of the recent financial crisis which prompted severe cutbacks to services.
The former South of Scotland MEP, Alasdair Hutton won the by-election in Kelso after the Liberal Democrat vote collapsed.
The Lib Dems, who had controlled Scottish Borders Council in a coalition with independents until recently, have been implicated in a budget overspend of £4 million in the education department which has led to job losses and the closure of facilities.
The Scottish Tory party chairman, David Mitchell, said: "I warmly congratulate Alasdair on an excellent victory.
"He has the ability and experience to represent the people of Kelso."
Another by-election, in Eyemouth & District South, was won by an independent, Michael Cook. The poll was precipitated by the resignation last February of Ian Waddell, another independent councillor, over cutbacks. In a third by-election, independent candidate Gordon Edgar won the Old Selkirk council seat, beating the Lib Dems by 458 votes to 78.
The political turmoil in the Borders reached a peak in March when the controversial council leader, Drew Tulley, resigned, causing the ruling group to collapse.
Mr Tulley, 64, stepped down after a loss of public confidence in the council over budget overspend. He quit a day before Lib Dem councillors were due to table a motion of no confidence in him.
THREE new councillors have been elected to serve on Scottish Borders Council.
Gordon Edgar (Independent), Alasdair Hutton (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party), and Michael Cook (No Ticket, Borders Action Group), last week won the by-elections in the Old Selkirk, Kelso Central and Eyemouth and District South wards respectively.
They will be sworn in when the full Council meets tomorrow (Wednesday).
All three winning candidates were anti-cuts campaigners, opposed to the financial management at the Council and the budget cuts which followed.
Mr Edgar said: 'The fight starts here to get the services that the Borders deserve.'
With vital social amenities still threatened, voters turned out in their hundreds to register their disapproval.
The result from Thursday's polls has further reduced the slight majority held by the recently formed Liberal-Democrat-led Administration at the Council.
Mr Hutton is the only winning candidate to confirm his allegiance to the ruling group.
But he warned: 'I hope that the Council will hear the message that this result will send. The people have said that they are unhappy with the way the Council has behaved.
'I am quite sure that this result should be interpreted as the people wanting councillors to be closer to the wishes and the voices of the people of the Borders.
'And I hope that this message will be heard by all the councillors of Scottish Borders Council.'
Perhaps of greater distinction, only one year from the full quota of local government elections, the Borders Action Group candidate in Eyemouth received more votes than all three Liberal-Democrat candidates put together.
Mr Cook said: 'The voters have given us a massive endorsement. That endorsement sends a huge message to Scottish Borders Council and I hope the Council is listening.
'It is a message which says: 'We are dissatisfied, and we are deeply unhappy with what has been happening'.
'It is now time for the Council to start listening to our message and take on board our message because it has been delivered in unequivocal fashion. I hope they will take note,' he added.
Ironically, the first task faced by those newly elected councillors will be to vote on the Council's proposed Recovery Plan.
Reacting to the results of last week's by-elections in Selkirk, Eyemouth and Kelso, former Council Leader Drew Tulley said that he was not surprised at the results.
Councillor Tulley said that it mirrored the 'wrong' decision by the new Administration to promise an immediate recovery plan.
He said: 'They are just creating more problems for next year.'
THE result of the polls at the three by-elections to Scottish Borders Council on Thursday were as follows:
Old Selkirk
Gordon Edgar (Independent), 458.
John Thomson (Independent), 444.
John Cooper (SNP), 173.
Graeme McIver (No Ticket, Borders Action Group), 115.
Morris Manson (Liberal Democrat), 74.
Turn-out: 45.5 per cent.
Kelso Central
Alasdair Hutton (Conservative), 328.
Peter Logan (Liberal-Democrat), 231.
John Dawson (Independent), 186.
Natasha York (SNP), 104.
Turn-out: 33.6 per cent.
Eyemouth
Michael Cook (No Ticket, Borders Action Group), 567.
William Herd (SNP), 229.
Elspeth Baird (Liberal-Democrat), 225.
Michael Norcott (Conservative), 50.
Turn-out: 44.5 per cent.
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