Local By-elections

'The SNP's Janice Paterson recaptured Clackmannanshire Council's Menstrie seat which had been lost in last year's main polls. This comes after the party won at Moray last week, ending a poor results run.' Chris Mead in the Scotsman, 28 th June 2004.

Menstrie (Clackmannanshire) 19 th August 2004

Menstrie - ward 1

SNP Cllr Janis Paterson

A by-election was held in Menstrie on the 19 th August 2004 following the resignation of Independent Councillor Joe Kazemi after being found guilty of sexually abusing two young girls.

Menstrie is in the new Ochil & South Perthshire Westminster parliamentary seat (now held by Labour's Gordon Banks MP) and in the Ochil Scottish parliamentary seat (held by the Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon George Reid MSP (elected as SNP MSP for Ochil in 2003)). Scottish National Party gain from Independent. Swing: 11.9 % Labour to Scottish National Party.

19 th August 2004 By-election Turnout 42.5 % (- 21.2 %)
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
Janis Paterson		Scottish National Party	403	59.3 %	+ 31.2 %
Haldis Scott		Labour	138	20.3 %	+ 7.5 %
Richard Sullivan		Conservative	108	15.9 %	(+ 15.9 %)
Charles Bell		Liberal Democrat	31	4.6 %	(+ 4.6 %)
Scottish National Party gain from Independent		Scottish National Party majority	86	39.0 %

1 st May 2003 Turnout 63.7 % (- 4.9 %)
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
Faramaz (Joe) Kazemi		Independent	607	59.2 %	(+ 59.2 %)
Sheena Fraser		Scottish National Party	288	28.1 %	- 38.0 %
Anne Duncombe		Labour	131	12.8 %	- 13.3 %
Independent gain from Scottish National Party		Independent majority	319	31.1 %

6 th May 1999 Turnout 68.6 % (+ 19.0 %)
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
Cllr William Alexander		Scottish National Party	763	66.1 %	+ 1.7 %
Derrick Taylor		Labour	302	26.1 %	- 9.5 %
Isabella Watt		Conservative	90	7.8 %	(+ 7.8 %)
Scottish National Party hold		Scottish National Party majority	461	40.0 %	+ 11.2 %

Menstrie - ward 12

6 th April 1995 Turnout 49.6 %
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
William Alexander		Scottish National Party	883	64.4 %
Anne Brunton		Labour	488	35.6 %
Scottish National Party win		Scottish National Party majority	395	28.8 %

Sex Criminal Councillor

From the Stirling Observer 19 th May 2004

MENSTRIE councillor and shopkeeper Joe Kazemi is behind bars after being found guilty of sexually abusing two young girls.

Shamed Kazemi (63) was arrested just two weeks after becoming Clackmannanshire's first ever independent councillor in May last year.

Last Thursday at the High Court in Glasgow, Kazemi - who had been on bail since his first court appearance - was locked up pending sentence next month.

Kazemi, who lives above his grocery store, The Windmill, in East Main Street, Menstrie, was found guilty of sexually abusing the two girls, who are sisters, by using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards them.

One of the victims was only six in 1983, when her 10-year abuse ordeal began, and the other girl was abused by him for two years between 1992 and 1994, beginning when she was eight.

Gains Go on for SNP

By Chris Mead, Elections Editor, PA News in the Scotsman 28 th June 2004

Tories lost to a Ratepayers group and the Scottish National Party gained its second seat in two weeks from independent in the latest council by-elections.

The SNP's Janice Paterson recaptured Clackmannanshire Council's Menstrie seat which had been lost in last year's main polls.

This comes after the party won at Moray last week, ending a poor results run.

Stephen Mason, of the Ratepayers group at Fylde Borough, Lancashire, gained from Tories, leaving them with three losses so far this month.

But they achieved respectable swings against Liberal Democrats in three out of four comparable contests.

There was no firm evidence of whether Tories' earlier slump against Labour is continuing. In the only ward where both parties fought both times - at North Road, Darlington Borough - their vote shares fell by almost exactly the same amount.

RESULTS:

Buckinghamshire County - Gerrards Cross: C 933, Lib Dem 277. (June 2001 - C 2180, Lib Dem 881, Lab 386). C hold. Swing 8.3% Lib Dem to C.

Clackmannanshire Council - Menstrie: SNP 403, Lab 138, C 108, Scottish Socialist Party 37, Lib Dem 31. (May 2003 - Ind 607, SNP 360, Lab 131). SNP gain from Ind. Swing 10.8% Lab to SNP.

Clackmannanshire Council - Tillicoultry West: SNP 262, Lab 176, Ind 128, Lib Dem 86, C 59. (May 2003 - SNP 500, Lab 341, Ind 171). SNP hold. Swing 1.8% SNP to Lab.

Darlington Borough - North Road: Lib Dem 789, Lab 571, C 119, BNP 87, UK Independence Party 61. (May 2003 - Three seats Lib Dem 963, 881, Lab 818 734, 696, Lib Dem 690, C 211, 197, BNP 154). Lib Dem hold. Swing 4.2% Lab to Lib Dem.

Fylde Borough - Park: Ratepayers 422, C 376, Lib Dem 126. (May 2003 - Three seats C 750, Ratepayer 676, C 670, C 633, Lib Dem 376, Lab 263). Ratepayers gain from C. Swing 5.8% Lib Dem to C.

Harborough District - Logan: Lib Dem 615, C 570. (May 2003 - Two seats Lib Dem 876, 808, C 529, 466). Lib Dem hold. Swing 11% Lib Dem to C.

South Bucks District - Burnham Lent Rise: C 335, Lib Dem 143. (May 2003 - Three seats C 418, 406, 391, Ind 249, Lib Dem 209). C hold. Swing 8.7% Lib Dem to C.

Clackmannanshire Council elections

From Clackmannanshire Council 19 th August 2004

By-elections for two Clackmannanshire Council Wards.

Tillicoutry West

Candidate Votes %

John Biggam Scottish Liberal Democrats 86 11.5%

Charles Gillan Scottish Socialist Party 37 4.9%

Alan Jamieson Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party 59 7.9%

Helen McGregor Scottish National Party 262 35.0%

Joanne Ross Scottish Labour Party 176 23.5%

William Whyte 128 17.1%

Menstrie

Candidate Votes %

Charle Bell Scottish Liberal Democrats 31 4.6%

Janis Paterson Scottish National Party 403 59.3%

Haldis Scott Scottish Labour Party 138 20.3%

Richard Sullivan Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party 108 15.9%

Links

• Clackmannanshire Council