 | 'Local government is in trouble and that means that we are in trouble, each and every one of us with a dustbin to empty, a funeral to organise, an elderly relative who needs help, or a hall to hire for any of the activities which keep local communities together.' Herald Editorial, 8 th November 1996. |  |
In 1995, Robert Thomson, District Councillor for Woodlands, gained the Unitary Council seat for the Conservatives with a 112 majority over Labour. This was drastically down from his 516 majority over Labour in the 1992 District elections. The full result in 1992 was Con 803; Lab 287; SNP 260; Lib Dem 68.
Yesterday's by-election result was similar to the 1992 District Council result. The Conservatives increased their vote at the expense of Labour and the SNP. The SNP were subject to third party squeeze, while the Liberal Democrats, who have also done well in recent by-elections, made no headway at all here.
The Conservatives did so badly in 1995 that any seats which they still hold are strongholds where their vote is unlikely to fall much further. However, with the Tories still languishing at 11% in the latest opinion poll, the increase in the Tory vote here must be a thread of comfort to Michael Forsyth and his colleagues.
| 29 th November 1996 | 6 th April 1995 | ||||||
 | 604 | 54.9% | Robert Thomson | | 526 | 43.5% | |
 | 308 | 28.0% | Joseph Lemetti | | 391 | 32.3% | |
 | 161 | 14.6% | Alexander Forsyth | | 293 | 24.2% | |
 | 27 | 2.5% | |||||
| Con hold | Con maj | 296 | 26.9% | Con maj. | 135 | 11.2% | |
Return to home page