Elections to

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (, for, , Scottish Gaelic, Council of the Western Isles) is the local government council for ''Na h-Eileanan Siar'' (the Outer Hebrides) council area of Scotland.

(Western Isles Council) were held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the other

Scottish local government Local government in Scotland comprises thirty-two local authorities, commonly referred to as councils. Each council provides public services, including education, social care, waste management, libraries and planning. Councils receive the majori ...

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

. The election was the second one using the 9

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

created as a result of the

Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (asp 9) is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, amongst other things, for the election of councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the single transferable vote system. The Commissi ...

. Each ward elected three or four Councillors using the

single transferable vote Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...

system: a form of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

. A total of 31 Councillors were elected.

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

councillors retained the large majority of seats on the council and retained control of the administration. The

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...

increased their representation, gaining 4 seats on the Isle of Lewis while losing 1 seat on Barra. The

Scottish Labour Party Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak o ...

also gained an additional seat.

Election result

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

Ward results

Barraigh, Bhatarsaigh, Eirisgeigh agus Uibhist a Deas

*2007: 2xSNP; 2xIndependent *2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLab *2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from SNP

Beinn Na Foghla agus Uibhist a Tuath

*2007: 2xIndependent; 1xLab *2012: 2xIndependent; 1xLab *2007: No change

Na Hearadh agus Ceann a Deas Nan Loch

*2007: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP *2012: 1xIndependent; 1xSNP; 1xLab *2007-2012 Change: Lab gain one seat from Independent

Sgir' Uige agus Ceann a Tuath Nan Loch

*2007: 1xSNP; 1xIndependent; 1xLab *2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: Independent gain one seat from Lab

Sgire an Rubha

*2007: 3xIndependent *2012: 3xIndependent *2007-2012 Change: No change

Steòrnabhagh a Deas

*2007: 4xIndependent *2012: 3xIndependent; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent

Steòrnabhagh a Tuath

*2007: 4xIndependent *2012: 3xIndependent; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent

Loch a Tuath

*2007: 3xIndependent *2012: 2xIndependent; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent

An Taobh Siar agus Nis

*2007: 4xIndependent *2012: 3xIndependent; 1xSNP *2007-2012 Change: SNP gain one seat from Independent

Changes since election

*† Sgir' Uige Agus Ceann A Tuath Nan Loch SNP Cllr Bill Houston died on 15 September 2012. A by-election was held on 29 November 2012 and was won by the Independent Angus MacDonald Morrison. *†† Sgir' An Taobh Siar agus Nis Independent Cllr Kenneth MacLeod Murray died on 23 December 2014. A by-election was to be held to fill the vacancy on 12 March 2015. Only Independent Alistair MacLennan was nominated and was deemed elected. *††† Beinn Na Foghla Agus Uibhist A Tuath Labour Cllr Archie K. McDonald resigned due to health reasons on 25 January 2015. A by-election was held to fill the vacancy on 26 March 2015 and the seat was won by the Independent Andrew Walker. *†††† Sgir' An Taobh Siar agus Nis Independent Cllr Iain Morrison died on 31 July 2015 after a battle with cancer. A by-election was held to fill the vacancy on 7 October 2015 and was won by the Independent John MacLeod.

By-elections since 2012

Ward areas in English

*Barraigh, Bhatarsaigh, Eirisgeigh agus Uibhist a Deas:

Barra Barra (; gd, Barraigh or ; sco, Barra) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by a short causeway. The island is na ...

Vatersay The island of Vatersay (; gd, Bhatarsaigh) is the southernmost and westernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and the settlement of Caolas on the north coast of the island is the westernmost permanently inhabited place in ...

Eriskay Eriskay ( gd, Èirisgeigh), from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland with a population of 143, as of the 2011 census. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is ...

and

South Uist South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...

*Beinn Na Foghla agus Uibhist a Tuath:

Benbecula Benbecula (; gd, Beinn nam Fadhla or ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census, it had a resident population of 1,283 with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It is in a ...

and

North Uist North Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Tuath; sco, North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Etymology In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and ...

*Na Hearadh agus Ceann a Deas Nan Loch:

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle o ...

and South

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

*Sgir' Uige agus Ceann a Tuath Nan Loch: Mid Lewis *Sgire an Rubha:

Eye Peninsula Point ( gd, An Rubha), also known as the Eye Peninsula, is a peninsula some 11 km long in the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), Scotland. The majority of Point is connected to the rest of the Isle of Lewis by a narrow isthmus, one mile in l ...

*Steòrnabhagh a Deas:

Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well a ...

South *Steòrnabhagh a Tuath: Stornoway North *Loch a Tuath: Broad Bay * An Taobh Siar agus

Nis Nis, Niš, NiS or NIS may refer to: Places * Niš, a city in Serbia * Nis, Iran, a village * Ness, Lewis ( gd, Nis, links=no), a village in the Outer Hebrides islands Businesses and organizations * Naftna Industrija Srbije, Petroleum Industry o ...

: North West Lewis

References

External links

Council website

Candidates list
{{United Kingdom local elections, 2012

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2012 Scottish local elections