The 2017 Orkney Council election took place on 4 May 2017 to elect members of Orkney Islands Council. The election used the six wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system a form of proportional representation, with 21 Councillors being elected.
The Scottish Green Party contested 2 wards in Orkney for the first time. Another group; the Orkney Manifesto Group, ran as a registered party for the first time. The OMG advocates the politicisation of the Orkney Islands Council, however is unaffiliated to any national party. The group has a Liberal-Left political outlook.[1]
Election result
Orkney Local Election Result 2017[2][3]
Party |
Seats |
Gains |
Losses |
Net gain/loss |
Seats % |
Votes % |
Votes |
+/− |
|
Independent |
18 |
|
3 |
3 |
85.7 |
83.20 |
6,162 |
-11.2 |
|
Orkney Manifesto Group |
2 |
2 |
|
2* |
9.5 |
12.07 |
894 |
N/A |
|
Scottish Green |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
4.8 |
4.73 |
350 |
N/A |
- The OMG councillors had been previously elected as Independents. 2017 was the first election they stood under the OMG slate.
Ward results
Kirkwall East
- 2007: 4xIndependent
- 2012: 4xIndependent
- 2017: 4xIndependent
- 2012-2017 Change: No change
Kirkwall East - 4 seats[4] |
Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 | Count 6 | Count 7 |
|
Independent |
Steven Heddle (incumbent) |
29.13 |
474 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Gwenda Shearer (incumbent) |
21.14 |
344 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
John Ross Scott |
17.89 |
291 |
328.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
David Dawson |
15.73 |
256 |
294.1 |
299.4 |
300.1 |
302.2 |
322.8 |
356.7 |
|
Independent |
Rikki Lidderdale |
6.95 |
113 |
139.9 |
143.7 |
144.3 |
146.4 |
165.5 |
188.7 |
|
Independent |
Ingirid Windwick Jolly |
4.61 |
75 |
90.0 |
92.6 |
93.0 |
96.4 |
116.4 |
|
|
Independent |
Mike Berston |
3.69 |
60 |
75.6 |
78.3 |
78.6 |
80.7 |
|
|
|
Independent |
Paul Dawson |
0.86 |
14 |
15.9 |
16.1 |
16.3 |
|
|
|
Electorate: 3,470 Valid: 1,627 Spoilt: 14 Quota: 326 Turnout: 1,641 (47.3%) |
Kirkwall West & Orphir
- 2007: 4xIndependent
- 2012: 4xIndependent
- 2017: 3xIndependent; 1xOMG
- 2012-2017 Change: 1 OMG gain from Independent
Kirkwall West & Orphir - 4 seats[5] |
Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 | Count 6 | Count 7 |
|
Independent |
Leslie Manson (incumbent) |
44.64 |
646 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Orkney Manifesto Group |
John Richards (incumbent) |
23.01 |
333 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Sandy Cowie |
11.06 |
160 |
244.9 |
255.8 |
257.2 |
283.0 |
283.1 |
356.1 |
|
Independent |
Barbara Foulkes |
10.37 |
150 |
256.4 |
267.3 |
269.4 |
290.2 |
|
|
|
Independent |
Barbara Leslie |
7.53 |
109 |
152.5 |
158.6 |
161.8 |
177.2 |
177.2 |
|
|
Independent |
Alastair Macleod |
2.70 |
39 |
83.6 |
88.0 |
93.6 |
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Max Thomas |
0.69 |
10 |
16.6 |
17.8 |
|
|
|
|
Electorate: 3,466 Valid: 1,447 Spoilt: 19 Quota: 290 Turnout: 1,466 (42.3%) |
Stromness and South Isles
- 2007: 3xIndependent
- 2012: 3xIndependent
- 2017: 3xIndependent
- 2012-2017 Change: No change
West Mainland
- 2007: 4xIndependent
- 2012: 4xIndependent
- 2017: 3xIndependent, 1xOMG
- 2012-2017 Change: 1 OMG gain from Independent
West Mainland - 4 seats[7] |
Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 | Count 6 |
|
Orkney Manifesto Group |
Rachael King (incumbent) |
30.61 |
561 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Harvey Johnston (incumbent) |
29.24 |
536 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Owen Tierney (incumbent) |
20.19 |
370 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Duncan Allan Tullock |
10.42 |
191 |
245.3 |
327.6 |
328.8 |
344.5 |
369.9 |
|
Independent |
Jo Jones |
3.82 |
70 |
106.3 |
130.9 |
131.3 |
143.0 |
170.6 |
|
Scottish Green |
Helen Kathleen Woodsward-Dean |
3.60 |
66 |
95.4 |
104.5 |
104.8 |
114.8 |
|
|
Independent |
Sean Michael Lewis |
2.13 |
39 |
51.4 |
60.0 |
60.2 |
|
|
Electorate: 3,538 Valid: 1,833 Spoilt: 14 Quota: 367 Turnout: 1,847 (52.2%) |
East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray
- 2007: 3xIndependent
- 2012: 3xIndependent
- 2017: 2xIndependent, 1xGreen
- 2012-2017 Change: 1 Green gain from Independent
East Mainland, South Ronaldsay & Burray - 3 seats[8] |
Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 |
|
Independent |
Andrew Drever (incumbent) |
35.74 |
509 |
|
|
|
|
Scottish Green |
Steve Sankey |
19.94 |
284 |
301.9 |
383.4 |
|
|
Independent |
Norman Rae Craigie |
16.71 |
238 |
281.9 |
354.2 |
362.6 |
|
Independent |
John Stanley Groundwater |
14.12 |
201 |
229.4 |
|
|
|
Independent |
Jim Foubister (incumbent) |
13.48 |
192 |
231.4 |
265.4 |
269.6 |
Electorate: 2,725 Valid: 1,424 Spoilt: 12 Quota: 357 Turnout: 1,436 (52.7%) |
North Isles
- 2007: 3xIndependent
- 2012: 3xIndependent
- 2017: 3xIndependent
- 2012-2017 Change: No change
North Isles - 3 seats[9] |
Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 | Count 6 | Count 7 | Count 8 |
|
Independent |
Graham Sinclair (incumbent) |
26.98 |
290 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Kevin Woodbridge |
23.81 |
256 |
261.4 |
274.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Stephen Clackson (incumbent) |
18.33 |
197 |
200.6 |
207.9 |
209.0 |
219.4 |
231.5 |
247.1 |
321.9 |
|
Independent |
Stuart Roy McIvor |
10.98 |
118 |
120.5 |
124.6 |
125.6 |
132.7 |
143.2 |
168.2 |
|
|
Independent |
Ralph Stevenson |
6.51 |
70 |
72.9 |
77.2 |
78.1 |
92.4 |
121.7 |
|
|
|
Independent |
Simon Tarry |
6.51 |
70 |
72.8 |
72.9 |
73.5 |
78.6 |
|
|
|
|
Independent |
George Arthur Mowat-Brown |
3.35 |
39 |
39.5 |
40.6 |
41.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Billy Muir |
3.26 |
35 |
36.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Electorate: 1,840 Valid: 1,075 Spoilt: 5 Quota: 269 Turnout: 1,080 (58.7%) |