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2022 Fife Council election

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2022 Fife Council election

← 2017 5 May 2022 (2022-05-05) 2027 →

All 75 seats to Fife Council
38 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader David Alexander David Ross
Party SNP Labour
Leader's seat Leven, Kennoway and Largo Kirkcaldy North
Last election 29 seats, 33.8% 24 seats, 23.9%
Seats before 29 23
Seats won 34 20
Seat change Increase 5 Decrease 4
Popular vote 46,913 31,102
Percentage 36.9% 24.5%
Swing Increase 3.1% Increase 0.6%

  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Jonny Tepp Dave Dempsey
Party Liberal Democrats Conservative
Leader's seat Tay Bridgehead Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay
Last election 7 seats, 13.1% 15 seats, 21.1%
Seats before 7 13
Seats won 13 8
Seat change Increase 6 Decrease 7
Popular vote 21,320 18,247
Percentage 16.8% 14.4%
Swing Increase 3.7% Decrease 6.7%

2022 Fife Council election results map

Co-leaders before election

David Alexander (SNP) &
David Ross (Labour)
No overall control

Leader after election

David Ross
(Labour)
No overall control

Elections to Fife Council took place on 5 May 2022 on the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. As with other Scottish council elections, it was held using single transferable vote (STV) – a form of proportional representation – in which multiple candidates are elected in each ward and voters rank candidates in order of preference.

For the second consecutive election, the Scottish National Party were returned as the largest party with 34 seats but remained shy of an overall majority. Despite a small increase in vote share, Labour lost four seats but again finished second 20 councillors. The Liberal Democrats leapfrogged the Conservatives into third place after gaining six seats to hold 13 while the Conservatives lost almost half their number to return eight members. For the second time since the local government reforms in the 1990s, no independent candidates were elected.

With support from the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, Labour formed a minority administration to run the council and David Ross was elected as council leader in his own right having previously been co-leader after the 2017 election.

Background

[edit]

Previous election

[edit]

At the previous election in 2017, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won the most seats for the first time in a Fife election after gaining three seats to hold 29. Labour lost 11 seats to hold 24 as they were replaced as the largest party. The Conservatives made a net gain of 12 to hold 15 seats while the Liberal Democrats lost three seats to hold seven.[1]

2017 Fife Council election result
Party Seats Vote share
SNP 29 33.6%
Labour 24 24.3%
Conservatives 15 20.9%
Liberal Democrats 7 13.0%

Source: [1]

Electoral system

[edit]

The election used the 22 wards created by the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements, with 75 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system – a form of proportional representation – where candidates are ranked in order of preference.[2]

Composition

[edit]

Several changes in the composition of the council occurred between the 2017 and 2022 elections. Most were changes to the political affiliation of councillors including SNP councillor Kate Stewart who left the party to become an independent, Conservative councillor Linda Holt who resigned from the party to become an independent[3][4] and SNP councillor John Docherty who stood as an independent in the 2022 elections.[5] Three by-elections resulted in a Conservative gain from Labour, an SNP hold and an SNP gain from the Conservatives.[6][7]

Composition of Fife Council
Party 2017 result Dissolution
SNP 29 28
Labour 24 23
Conservatives 15 14
Liberal Democrats 7 7
Independent 0 3

Retiring councillors

[edit]
Retiring councillors
Council Ward Party Departing Councillor
West Fife and Coastal Villages Conservative Mino Manekshaw
Independent Kate Stewart
Labour Bobby McClelland
Dunfermline North SNP Ian Ferguson
Labour Helen Law
Dunfermline South SNP Fay Sinclair
Rosyth SNP Sharon Green-Wilson
Conservative Tony Orton
Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay SNP Alice McGarry
Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy Labour Gordon Langlands
Kirkcaldy North Labour Neil Crooks
Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch SNP Fiona Grant
Conservative Michael Green
Glenrothes Central and Thornton SNP Vikki Wilton
Tay Bridgehead Liberal Democrats Tim Brett
SNP Bill Connor
St Andrews Labour Brian Thompson
Conservative Dominic Nolan
East Neuk and Landward Liberal Democrats Bill Porteous
Cupar SNP Karen Marjoram
Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages Labour Ryan Smart

Source: [1][5]

Candidates

[edit]

The total number of candidates fell from 185 in 2017 to 179. As was the case five years previous, the SNP fielded the highest number of candidates at 39 (six less than in 2017) across the 22 wards. Both Labour and the Conservatives also fielded at least one candidate in every ward but the 32 candidates fielded by Labour were four less than in 2017 whereas the Conservatives increased their total number of candidates from 22 to 23. The Liberal Democrats contested all but one ward, fielding a total of 26 candidates (up two from 2017). The Greens also contested all but one ward however, the 21 candidates fielded by the party were three less than the previous election. The number of independent candidates contesting the election fell from 29 in 2017 to just eight. As with the previous election, both the Libertarians and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) fielded a single candidate. For the first time, the Scottish Family Party (14), the Alba Party (11), the Independence for Scotland Party (ISP) (one), the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) (one) and Sovereignty (one) fielded candidates in a Fife election. Neither Solidarity nor the British Unionist Party (BUP), who had contested the 2017 election, fielded any candidates.[1][5]

Election results

[edit]
2022 Fife local election result
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  SNP 34 5 0 Increase 5 35.3 36.9 46,913 Increase 3.1
  Labour 20 0 4 Decrease 4 26.7 24.5 31,102 Increase 0.6
  Liberal Democrats 13 6 0 Increase 6 17.3 16.8 21,320 Increase 3.7
  Conservative 8 1 8 Decrease 7 10.7 14.4 18,247 Decrease 6.7
  Scottish Green 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 4.6 5,854 Increase 1.2
  Independent 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 1.1 1,429 Decrease 3.3
  Alba 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.8 1,059 New
  Scottish Family 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.8 1,035 New
  TUSC 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.0 53 New
  UKIP 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.0 45 Steady
  Sovereignty 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.0 41 New
  ISP 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.0 33 New
  Scottish Libertarian 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.0 23 Steady
Total 75 127,154

Source: [8]

Note: Votes are the sum of first preference votes across all council wards. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 4 May 2017. This is because STV has an element of proportionality which is not present unless multiple seats are being elected. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at the dissolution of Scotland's councils.[9][10]

Ward summary

[edit]
Results of the 2022 Fife Council election by ward
Ward % Cllrs % Cllrs % Cllrs % Cllrs % Cllrs Total
Cllrs
SNP Lab Lib Dem Con Others
West Fife and Coastal Villages 39.1 1 32.5 1 6.7 0 17.1 1 7.9 0 3
Dunfermline North 36.2 1 28.5 1 6.4 0 17.4 1 8.2 0 3
Dunfermline Central 33.4 2 24.6 1 24.7 1 9.4 0 7.9 0 4
Dunfermline South 33.5 2 23.2 1 19.5 1 10.6 0 6.2 0 4
Rosyth 39.4 2 26.3 1 6.5 0 16.8 0 11.1 0 3
Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay 38.8 2 18.5 1 4.0 0 29.2 1 9.4 0 3
Cowdenbeath 36.6 2 38.0 1 1.4 0 28.9 1 5.0 0 4
Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty 43.2 2 43.6 2 1.8 0 7.7 0 3.8 0 4
Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy 37.9 1 29.4 1 3.5 0 21.0 1 8.3 0 3
Kirkcaldy North 38.9 1 39.0 1 15.2 1 6.8 0 3
Kirkcaldy Central 37.9 1 41.6 2 2.5 0 13.6 0 4.4 0 3
Kirkcaldy East 40.3 2 39.7 1 2.9 0 11.7 0 5.3 0 3
Glenrothes West and Kinglassie 49.5 2 32.5 1 3.8 0 11.6 0 2.6 0 3
Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch 44.6 2 26.4 1 5.1 0 18.6 1 5.3 0 4
Glenrothes Central and Thornton 48.7 2 27.9 1 3.9 0 12.1 0 7.4 0 3
Howe of Fife and Tay Coast 31.0 1 44.9 2 14.6 0 9.5 0 3
Tay Bridgehead 28.4 1 4.3 0 48.2 2 8.4 0 10.7 0 3
St Andrews 22.2 1 8.4 0 48.1 2 14.7 1 6.6 0 4
East Neuk and Landward 25.1 1 2.6 0 45.8 2 13.2 0 14.2 0 3
Cupar 25.8 1 3.4 0 52.4 2 11.5 0 7.0 0 3
Leven, Kennoway and Largo 42.4 2 24.7 1 19.3 1 10.4 0 4.5 0 4
Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages 47.4 2 40.8 2 2.3 0 6.5 0 3.5 0 4
Total 36.9 34 24.5 20 16.8 13 14.4 8 7.5 0 75

Source: [8]

Seats changing hands

[edit]

Below is a list of seats which elected a different party or parties from 2017 in order to highlight the change in political composition of the council from the previous election. The list does not include defeated incumbents who resigned or defected from their party and subsequently failed re-election while the party held the seat.

Seats changing hands
Seat 2017 2022
Party Member Party Member
Dunfermline Central Labour Garry Haldane Liberal Democrats Aude Boubaker-Calder
Dunfermline South Conservative David Ross SNP Naz Anis-Miah
Rosyth Conservative Tony Orton SNP Andy Jackson
Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay Conservative Dave Coleman SNP Sarah Neal
Cowdenbeath Labour Gary Guichan SNP Bailey-Lee Robb
Kirkcaldy North Labour Neil Crooks Conservative James Leslie
Kirkcaldy East Conservative Richard Watt SNP Nicola Patrick
Howe of Fife and Tay Coast Conservative Andy Heer Liberal Democrats Gary Holt
St Andrews Labour Brian Thompson Liberal Democrats Al Clark
East Neuk and Landward Conservative Linda Holt[Note 1] Liberal Democrats Sean Dillon
Cupar Conservative Tony Miklinski Liberal Democrats John Caffrey
Leven, Kennoway and Largo Conservative Graham Ritchie Liberal Democrats Eugene Clarke
Notes
  1. ^
    Note 1: In 2017, Linda Holt was elected as a Conservative candidate but subsequently resigned from the party.[4]

Source:[1][8]

Ward results

[edit]

West Fife and Coastal Villages

[edit]

Labour, the SNP and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

West Fife and Coastal Villages - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Labour Graeme Downie 24.9 1,482 1,487 1,492              
SNP Sam Steele 21.8 1,301 1,307 1,330 1,330 1,336 1,417 1,448 1,509    
Conservative Conner Young 17.1 1,017 1,020 1,020 1,020 1,056 1,062 1,179 1,286 1,286 1,425
SNP Katie Strang 14.0 837 843 860 860 865 933 961 1,012 1,027  
Labour Jacqueline McKenna 7.7 458 458 461 461 471 501 640      
Liberal Democrats Jo Cockburn 6.7 399 402 406 406 418 460        
Scottish Green Craig McCutcheon 4.1 246 251 264 264 273          
Scottish Family Danny Smith 1.6 94 97 107 107            
Alba William Gavin 1.4 83 92                
Independent Martin Keatings 0.8 46                  
Electorate: 13,553   Valid: 5,963   Spoilt: 129   Quota: 1,491   Turnout: 44.9%  

Source:[11][12]

Dunfermline North

[edit]

Labour, the SNP and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Dunfermline North - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Labour Gordon Pryde 28.5 1,627              
SNP Auxi Barrera 23.6 1,350 1,360 1,365 1,368 1,509      
Conservative Gavin Ellis (incumbent) 17.8 1,017 1,049 1,059 1,084 1,107 1,108 1,365 1,474
SNP Craig McIvor 15.4 882 896 897 903 973 1,042 1,120  
Liberal Democrats Caroline McIlwraith 6.4 363 421 432 448 535 538    
Scottish Green Mags Hall 5.9 338 354 372 387        
Scottish Family Karen Smith 1.4 80 86 93          
TUSC Dave Edler 0.9 53 66            
Electorate: 12,503   Valid: 5,710   Spoilt: 79   Quota: 1,428   Turnout: 46.3%  

Source:[13][14]

Dunfermline Central

[edit]

Labour retained one of the two seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP and Conservatives retained their seats and the Liberal Democrats gained one seat from Labour.

Dunfermline Central - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Liberal Democrats Aude Boubaker-Calder 24.7 1,970              
SNP Derek Glen (incumbent) 20.1 1,603              
SNP Jean Hall Muir (incumbent) 13.3 1,057 1,075 1,081 1,081 1,119 1,388 1,405 1,486
Labour Jim Leishman (incumbent) 13.2 1,055 1,139 1,139 1,155 1,171 1,243 1,473 2,367
Labour Garry Haldane (incumbent) 11.4 909 977 978 983 992 1,056 1,216  
Conservative Malcolm Macaulay 9.4 752 841 841 856 861 878    
Scottish Green Lewis Campbell 6.0 478 519 520 526 538      
Alba Leanne Tervit 1.2 94 95 95 101        
Scottish Family Gary Pratt 0.7 53 56 56          
Electorate: 16,854   Valid: 7,971   Spoilt: 100   Quota: 1,595   Turnout: 47.9%  

Source:[15][16]

Dunfermline South

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats, Labour and the SNP retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP also gained one seat from the Conservatives.

Dunfermline South - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Liberal Democrats James Calder (incumbent) 19.5 1,523 1,528 1,542 1,586          
Labour Cara Hilton 19.3 1,505 1,508 1,513 1,550 1,558 1,794      
SNP Lynn Ballantyne Wardlaw 16.9 1,316 1,340 1,344 1,408 1,410 1,425 1,446 1,543 1,601
SNP Naz Anis-Miah 16.6 1,292 1,308 1,314 1,382 1,383 1,390 1,409 1,534 1,568
Conservative David Ross (incumbent) 10.6 825 826 846 855 860 878 917 1,008  
Independent Martin Willcocks 6.9 541 564 580 611 613 619 641    
Labour Ross Paterson (incumbent) 3.9 304 308 846 327 328        
Scottish Green Tom Freeman 3.6 279 288 295            
Scottish Family Paul Lynch 1.3 105 112              
Alba Rob Thompson 1.3 103                
Electorate: 17,563   Valid: 7,793   Spoilt: 92   Quota: 1,559   Turnout: 44.9%  

Source:[17][18]

Rosyth

[edit]

The SNP and Labour retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP also gained one seat from the Conservatives.

Rosyth - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Labour Andrew Verrecchia (incumbent) 26.3 1,274                
SNP Brian Goodall 22.4 1,085 1,088 1,089 1,092 1,139 1,232      
SNP Andy Jackson 17.0 826 829 831 833 883 955 973 1,032 1,120
Conservative Grant Thomson 16.8 813 824 830 854 871 884 884 1,000  
Liberal Democrats Teresa Little 6.5 316 333 336 347 366 422 422    
Scottish Green Fiona McOwan 5.2 250 254 259 268 290        
Alba Stephen Lynas 4.0 192 194 196 203          
Scottish Family Alastair Macintyre 1.4 69 70 77            
Scottish Libertarian George Morton 0.5 23 23              
Electorate: 11,736   Valid: 4,848   Spoilt: 82   Quota: 1,213   Turnout: 42.0%  

Source:[19][20]

Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay

[edit]

The SNP (2), Labour (1) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SNP David Barratt (incumbent) 28.4 2,187              
Labour Patrick Browne 18.5 1,426 1,467 1,471 1,612        
Conservative Dave Dempsey (incumbent) 17.6 1,355 1,380 1,401 1,446 1,456 1,494 1,519 2,430
Conservative Dave Coleman (incumbent) 11.6 897 908 923 939 950 990 1,014  
SNP Sarah Neal 10.4 802 1,262 1,273 1,296 1,302 1,763    
Scottish Green Ryan Blackadder 8.2 634 709 728 791 807      
Liberal Democrats Callum Hawthorne 4.0 309 316 329          
Scottish Family Sarah Davis 1.2 93 95            
Electorate: 14,541   Valid: 7,703   Spoilt: 110   Quota: 1,541   Turnout: 53.7%  

Source:[21][22]

Cowdenbeath

[edit]

The SNP and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while Labour retained one of their two seats and the SNP gained one seat from Labour.

Cowdenbeath - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Labour Alex Campbell (incumbent) 30.6 2,028                
SNP Alie Bain (incumbent) 28.9 1,916                
Conservative Darren Watt (incumbent) 18.9 1,256 1,309 1,320 1,346          
SNP Bailey-Lee Robb 7.7 513 543.8 1,001 1,009 1,010 1,047 1,054 1,162 1,381
Labour Gary Guichan (incumbent) 7.4 489 992 1,020 1,034 1,040 1,055 1,094 1,158  
Scottish Green Alyssa Lee 2.5 169 179 207 217 218 237 260    
Liberal Democrats Peter Venturi 1.4 96 106 108 113 116 120      
Alba Jacqueline Bijster 1.3 85 92 110 115 116        
Scottish Family Helen Grieg 1.2 80 90 96            
Electorate: 17,132   Valid: 6,632   Spoilt: 182   Quota: 1,327   Turnout: 39.8%  

Source:[23][24]

Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty

[edit]

The SNP (2) and Labour (2) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3
Labour Mary Bain-Lockhart (incumbent) 24.9 1,230    
SNP Rosemary Liewald (incumbent) 23.7 1,173    
SNP Lea McLelland (incumbent) 19.5 965 983 1,143
Labour Linda Erskine (incumbent) 18.7 925 1,115  
Conservative Margaret Fairgrieve 7.7 379 385 385
Scottish Green Danny Oswald 2.3 115 117 125
Liberal Democrats Russel McPhate 1.8 88 94 95
Scottish Family Anil Alexander 1.5 72 74 75
Electorate: 14,192   Valid: 4,947   Spoilt: 125   Quota: 990   Turnout: 35.7%  

Source:[25][26]

Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy

[edit]

The SNP, Labour and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
SNP Lesley Backhouse (incumbent) 29.5 1,735                
Labour Julie MacDougall 29.4 1,730                
Conservative Kathleen Leslie (incumbent) 21.0 1,239 1,245 1,296 1,297 1,319 1,326 1,416 1,442 1,669
SNP Olaf Stando 8.4 493 677 693 699 700 742 771 1,018  
Scottish Green Claire Luxford 5.7 336 370 398 409 412 427 497    
Liberal Democrats Anne O'Brien 3.5 209 215 293 295 301 309      
Alba Colin Fraser 1.3 76 82 85 97 102        
Scottish Family Garry Downie 0.7 40 40 45 49          
ISP Andrew Bentley-Steed 0.6 33 40 42            
Electorate: 11,716   Valid: 5,891   Spoilt: 69   Quota: 1,473   Turnout: 50.9%  

Source:[27][28]

Kirkcaldy North

[edit]

The SNP retained the seat they had won at the previous election while Labour held one of their two seats and the Conservatives gained one seat from Labour.

Kirkcaldy North - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Labour David Ross (incumbent) 34.9 1,804              
SNP Carol Lindsay (incumbent) 32.1 1,661              
Conservative James Leslie 15.2 789 812 813 828 838 855 1,029 1,187
SNP Sally Walsh 6.8 352 360 669 672 710 821 936  
Labour Ryan Smart[note 1] 4.1 213 641 652 661 672 731    
Scottish Green Michael Collie 3.9 204 212 226 231 254      
Alba Craig Dempsey 2.0 101 101 108 112        
UKIP Gerald Haddrell 0.9 45 46 46          
Electorate: 12,519   Valid: 5,169   Spoilt: 100   Quota: 1,293   Turnout: 42.1%  

Source:[29][30]

Kirkcaldy Central

[edit]

Labour (2) and the SNP (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Kirkcaldy Central - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SNP Blair Allan 22.0 1,005 1,010 1,047 1,064 1,069 1,071 1,800
Labour Alistair Cameron (incumbent) 21.6 984 1,004 1,030 1,186      
Labour Judy Hamilton (incumbent) 20.0 915 938 977 1,158      
SNP Zoe Hisbent (incumbent) 15.8 723 725 800 809 813 815  
Conservative Graham Duncan 13.6 619 642 652        
Scottish Green Tao Macleod 4.4 203 224          
Liberal Democrats Karen Utting 2.5 115            
Electorate: 11,394   Valid: 4,564   Spoilt: 106   Quota: 1,142   Turnout: 41%  

Source:[31][32]

Kirkcaldy East

[edit]

The SNP and Labour retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the SNP also gained one seat from the Conservatives.

Kirkcaldy East - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Labour Ian Cameron (incumbent) 32.9 1,313              
SNP Rod Cavanagh (incumbent) 23.1 924 944 950 955 1,011      
SNP Nicola Patrick 17.2 687 693 696 702 772 782 793 931
Conservative Richard Watt (incumbent) 11.7 469 475 480 516 524 524    
Labour George Macdonald 6.8 273 510 512 539 578 579 774  
Scottish Green David Hansen 4.3 172 180 186 211        
Liberal Democrats Wink Thompson 2.9 116 123 133          
Sovereignty Walter Neilson 1.0 41 43            
Electorate: 11,052   Valid: 3,995   Spoilt: 130   Quota: 999   Turnout: 37.3%  

Source:[33][34]

Glenrothes West and Kinglassie

[edit]

The SNP (2) and Labour (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Glenrothes West and Kinglassie - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5
SNP Julie Ford (incumbent) 37.9 1,740        
Labour Altany Craik (incumbent) 32.5 1,491        
SNP Craig Walker (incumbent) 11.6 533 1,059 1,104 1,138 1,186
Conservative David Croll 11.6 531 537 613 639 745
Liberal Democrats Keith Smith 3.8 174 182 275 327  
Independent Ian Robertson 2.6 119 128 163    
Electorate: 12,068   Valid: 4,588   Spoilt: 103   Quota: 1,148   Turnout: 38.9%  

Source:[35][36]

Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch

[edit]

The SNP (2), Labour (1) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SNP John Beare (incumbent) 27.7 1,730              
Conservative Peter Gulline 18.6 1,161 1,166 1,168 1,198 1,203 1,296    
SNP Lynn Mowatt 16.9 1,059 1,433            
Labour Jan Wincott (incumbent) 15.0 940 951 973 984 1,026 1,106 1,118 1,853
Labour Afifa Khanam 11.4 714 727 737 747 806 906 917  
Liberal Democrats Frances Bennie 5.1 318 329 338 351 422      
Scottish Green Bryce Goodall 3.6 224 256 320 342        
Scottish Family George Carratt 1.7 109 112 117          
Electorate: 14,432   Valid: 6,255   Spoilt: 116   Quota: 1,252   Turnout: 44.1%  

Source:[37][38]

Glenrothes Central and Thornton

[edit]

The SNP (2) and Labour (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Glenrothes Central and Thornton - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP Ross Vettraino (incumbent) 34.1 1,588          
Labour Derek Noble (incumbent) 27.9 1,299          
SNP Daniel Wilson 14.6 679 1,046 1,063 1,067 1,114 1,220
Conservative Heather Gulline 12.1 561 566 585 607 620 631
Liberal Democrats Jane Kerr 3.9 183 188 223 231 246 297
Scottish Green Morven Ovenstone-Jones 3.7 170 180 191 207 221  
Alba Jim Bryce 2.2 101 105 109 116    
Scottish Family Steve Saunders 1.5 71 73 80      
Electorate: 12,021   Valid: 4,652   Spoilt: 90   Quota: 1,164   Turnout: 39.4%  

Source:[39][40]

Howe of Fife and Tay Coast

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats and the SNP retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats also gained one seat from the Conservatives.

Howe of Fife and Tay Coast - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP David MacDiarmid (incumbent) 31.0 1,871          
Liberal Democrats Donald Lothian (incumbent) 24.0 1,448 1,508        
Liberal Democrats Gary Holt 20.9 1,261 1,280 1,280 1,290 1,306 1,594
Conservative Andy Heer (incumbent) 14.6 880 888 888 905 914 944
Scottish Green Malcolm Jack 7.6 458 627 627 637 679  
Alba Jackie Anderson 1.0 58 91 91 95    
Scottish Family Alan Brown 0.9 54 57 57      
Electorate: 11,317   Valid: 6,030   Spoilt: 74   Quota: 1,508   Turnout: 53.9%  

Source:[41][42]

Tay Bridgehead

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats (2) and the SNP (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Tay Bridgehead - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP Louise Kennedy-Dalby 28.4 1,783          
Liberal Democrats Jonny Tepp (incumbent) 26.9 1,692          
Liberal Democrats Allan Knox 21.2 1,333 1,362 1,461 1,470 1,531 1,654
Conservative Keith Barton 8.4 527 528 534 535 559 582
Scottish Green Colin Palmer 6.3 397 500 506 553 588 676
Labour Philip Thompson 4.3 271 287 292 305 341  
Independent Sean Elder 2.8 177 184 186 214    
Alba Steven Simpson 1.6 100 120 120      
Electorate: 11,925   Valid: 6,280   Spoilt: 56   Quota: 1,571   Turnout: 53.1%  

Source:[43][44]

St Andrews

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats also gained one seat from Labour.

St Andrews - 4 Seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Liberal Democrats Jane Liston (incumbent) 25.1 1,265          
Liberal Democrats Al Clark 23.0 1,161          
SNP Ann Verner (incumbent) 22.2 1,123          
Conservative Robin Lawson 14.7 742 800 841 844 860 1,120
Labour Rosalind Garton 8.4 422 493 535 554 842  
Scottish Green Fergus Cook 6.6 335 385 408 468    
Electorate: 12,106   Valid: 5,048   Spoilt: 37   Quota: 1,010   Turnout: 42%  

Source:[45][46]

East Neuk and Landward

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats and the SNP retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats also gained one seat from the Conservatives. Independent candidates Linda Holt and John Docherty were elected as Conservative and SNP candidates respectively in 2017.[4][5]

East Neuk and Landward - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Liberal Democrats Fiona Corps 32.1 1,721            
SNP Alycia Hayes 25.1 1,345            
Conservative Debbie MacCallum 13.2 707 724 724 731 744 748 848
Liberal Democrats Sean Dillon 12.7 679 998 999 1,015 1,063 1,203 1,425
Independent Linda Holt (incumbent) 7.5 404 417 417 455 469 516  
Scottish Green David Stutchfield 5.2 281 291 293 303 339    
Labour Stuart Irwin 2.6 139 143 143 146      
Independent John Docherty (incumbent) 1.5 80 84 84        
Electorate: 10,467   Valid: 5,356   Spoilt: 58   Quota: 1,340   Turnout: 51.7%  

Source:[47][48]

Cupar

[edit]

The Liberal Democrats and the SNP retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats also gained one seat from the Conservatives.

Cupar - 3 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Liberal Democrats Margaret Kennedy (incumbent) 35.4 2,160          
SNP Stefan Hoggan-Radu 25.8 1,571          
Liberal Democrats John Caffrey 17.0 1,036 1,495 1,501 1,503 1,513 1,537
Conservative Tony Miklinski (incumbent) 11.5 698 766 766 770 774 790
Scottish Green Robert Hugh-Jones 4.9 296 327 351 361 371 277
Labour Wendy Haynes 3.4 206 234 238 242 245 250
Scottish Family Sylvia Brown 1.1 66 69 70 71 80  
Independent Donald Adey 0.5 33 37 37 51    
Independent Gordon Pay 0.5 29 32 33      
Electorate: 11,439   Valid: 6,095   Spoilt: 56   Quota: 1,524   Turnout: 53.8%  

Source:[49][50]

Leven, Kennoway and Largo

[edit]

The SNP (2) and Labour (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Liberal Democrats gained one seat from the Conservatives.

Leven, Kennoway and Largo - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3
SNP David Alexander (incumbent) 31.7 2,077    
Labour Colin Davidson (incumbent) 20.6 1,348    
Liberal Democrats Eugene Clarke 19.3 1,268 1,307 1,312
SNP Alistair Suttie (incumbent) 10.8 707 1,323  
Conservative Graham Ritchie (incumbent) 10.4 683 686 688
Labour Jacob Winton 4.1 271 287 310
Scottish Green Iain Morrice 2.4 156 199 200
Scottish Family Davina Saunders 0.7 49 52 53
Electorate: 15,245   Valid: 6,559   Spoilt: 128   Quota: 1,312   Turnout: 43.9%  

Source:[51][52]

Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages

[edit]

The SNP (2) and Labour (2) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
SNP Ken Caldwell (incumbent) 30.0 1,532      
Labour David Graham (incumbent) 24.4 1,248      
SNP John O'Brien (incumbent) 17.4 890 1,307    
Labour Thomas Adams 15.8 809 838 881 1,052
Conservative Brian Mills 6.5 330 333 336 343
Liberal Democrats Celyn Ashworth 2.3 117 119 127 130
Scottish Green Jerome van Leeuwen 2.2 113 124 193 196
Alba Susan Blair 1.3 66 75 99 102
Electorate: 13,540   Valid: 5,105   Spoilt: 136   Quota: 1,022   Turnout: 38.7%  

Source:[53][54]

Aftermath

[edit]
Provost Jim Leishman

On 19 May 2022, a Labour-minority council was backed by 41 votes to 34, with Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors voting for it. Labour denied forming a coalition with either the Lib Dems or the Conservatives but said they would need the support of others in the council to provide an effective administration. A social media post put out by the local authority explaining how the three Unionist parties had voted together was later edited to remove any reference to different parties.[55] SNP group leader, Councillor David Alexander said that this outcome was "trampling on democracy" and said there was "no coherent defence for this gerrymandered motion" given that the SNP had won the most seats.[56] Labour group leader Cllr David Ross was elected as council leader having previously been co-leader with Cllr Alexander prior to the election and Cllr Jim Leishman was re-elected as Provost.[57]

Cllr David Graham, councillor for the Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss villages, was suspended by Labour in August 2023 after he was arrested over allegations of child sex offences.[58]

In June 2024, Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy Labour councillor Julie MacDougall resigned from the party in protest over the way the party had selected candidates for the 2024 United Kingdom general election which she said was "blocking good local people" from standing.[59]

West Fife and Coastal Villages by-election

[edit]

Following his successful campaigns during the 2024 United Kingdom general election, West Fife and Coastal Villages councillor Graeme Downie - who was elected as MP for Dunfermline and Dollar - resigned his council seat in September 2024. A by-election took place on 28 November 2024 with Labour successfully retaining the seat.[60]

West Fife and Coastal Villages by-election (28 November 2024) - 1 seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Labour Karen Beaton 33.1 881 882 890 921 1,010 1,147 1,474
SNP Paul Steele 33.1 879 887 896 944 985 1,015  
Conservative David Ross 16.0 426 434 444 449 516    
Liberal Democrats Paul Buchanan-Quigley 8.5 227 232 246 279      
Scottish Green Fiona McOwan 4.8 128 130 141        
Independent George Morton 2.4 64 77          
Scottish Family Danny Smith 1.9 53            
Electorate: 13,577   Valid: 2,658   Spoilt: 26   Quota: 1,330   Turnout: 19.8%  

Source:[61][62]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Sitting councillor for Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project - 2017 - Fife". Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Notice of Election" (PDF). Fife Council. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  3. ^ Ryder, Gemma (25 March 2021). "West Fife councillor leaves SNP". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Henderson, Neil (3 December 2019). "Prominent Fife Tory councillor resigns amid claims party is dysfunctional". The Courier. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Smith, Craig (1 April 2022). "Fife Council candidate election list revealed". Fife Today. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  6. ^ Faulds, Allan (17 November 2019). "Fife and Inverness Council By-Election Results, 14/11/19". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Tory candidate Dave Coleman wins Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay by-election". The Scotsman. 7 September 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Faulds, Allan. "Fife Council 2022". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  9. ^ Faulds, Allan. "The Local STV Voting System Explained". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Single Transferable Vote". Electoral Reform Society. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 1 West Fife & Coastal Villages" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 1 West Fife & Coastal Villages" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 2 Dunfermline North" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 2 Dunfermline North" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 3 Dunfermline Central" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 3 Dunfermline Central" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 4 Dunfermline South" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 4 Dunfermline South" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 5 Rosyth" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 5 Rosyth" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 6 Inverkeithing & Dalgety Bay" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 6 Inverkeithing & Dalgety Bay" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 7 Cowdenbeath" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 7 Cowdenbeath" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 8 Lochgelly Cardenden & Benarty" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 8 Lochgelly Cardenden & Benarty" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 9 Burntisland Kinghorn & Western Kirkcaldy" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 9 Burntisland Kinghorn & Western Kirkcaldy" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 10 Kirkcaldy North" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 10 Kirkcaldy North" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  31. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 11 Kirkcaldy Central" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  32. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 11 Kirkcaldy Central" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 12 Kirkcaldy East" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 12 Kirkcaldy East" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 13 Glenrothes West & Kinglassie" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  36. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 13 Glenrothes West & Kinglassie" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  37. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 14 Glenrothes North Leslie & Markinch" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  38. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 14 Glenrothes North Leslie & Markinch" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  39. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 15 Glenrothes Central & Thornton" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 15 Glenrothes Central & Thornton" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  41. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 16 Howe of Fife & Tay Coast" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  42. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 16 Howe of Fife & Tay Coast" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 17 Tay Bridgehead" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 17 Tay Bridgehead" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  45. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 18 St. Andrews" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  46. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 18 St. Andrews" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  47. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 19 East Neuk & Landward" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  48. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 19 East Neuk & Landward" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  49. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 20 Cupar" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  50. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 20 Cupar" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  51. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 21 Leven Kennoway & Largo" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  52. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 21 Leven Kennoway & Largo" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  53. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 22 Buckhaven Methil & Wemyss Villages" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  54. ^ "Candidate votes per stage Ward 22 Buckhaven Methil & Wemyss Villages" (PDF). Fife Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  55. ^ Richards, Xander (24 May 2022). "Kathleen Leslie: Tory who called Nicola Sturgeon 'hag' hands Labour Fife Council". The National. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022.
  56. ^ Buchanan, Clare (19 May 2022). "Fife Council to be run by minority Labour administration as SNP accuse party of "trampling on democracy". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  57. ^ Crow, Allan (19 May 2022). "Jim Leishman re-appointed Provost of Fife after SNP challenge". Fife Today. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  58. ^ McRoberts, Ally (29 August 2023). "Fife councillor David Graham accused of 'grooming offences'". The National. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  59. ^ Elliards, Xander (6 June 2024). "Scottish Labour councillor quits party over 'autocratic' MP selections". The National. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  60. ^ Fell, Rory (31 October 2024). "West Fife and Coastal Villages by-election: All candidates revealed". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  61. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 1 - West Fife and Coastal Villages" (PDF). Fife Council. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  62. ^ "Candidate Votes Per Stage Report Ward 1 - West Fife and Coastal Villages" (PDF). 29 November 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.