Highland Council wards and councillors 2003 to 2007

Highland council area
Shown as one of the council areas of Scotland
1999 to 2003
2003 to 2007
2007

The second general election to the Highland Council was held in May 2003, using 80 wards created for the first election, in 1999. In 1999 and 2003 each ward elected one councillor by the first past the post system of election. Elections are held on a four-year cycle: therefore the next general election is scheduled for 2007.

Wards are grouped into areas. Councillors elected from a particular area become members of the relevant area committee. The areas are similar to the districts which were abolished in 1996, when the Highland region became a unitary council area.

There are plans to use new larger wards for the next general election, each electing three or four councillors by the single transferable vote system. The total number of councillors will remain the same. The single transferable vote system, with multi-member wards, is designed to produce a form of proportional representation.

Political representation

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The 2003 election created a council of 55 independent councillors, 12 Liberal Democrats, Labour Party councillors and 6 Scottish National Party councillors.

Now, after two by-elections, there are 54 independent councillors, 12 Liberal Democrat councillors, 8 Labour Party councillors and 6 Scottish National Party councillors.

By-elections

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There have been two by-elections since the 2003 election.

Beauly and Strathglass

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In June 2004, a by-election was held to fill a vacancy in the Beauly and Strathglass ward, in the Inverness area. The vacancy was due to the resignation of an independent councillor. The by-election had no effect on the balance of political representation.

Lochardil

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In August 2006, a by-election was held to fill a vacancy in the Lochardil ward, in the Inverness area. The vacancy was due to the death of a councillor. The ward returned a Liberal Democrat to the council, so taking number of the seats held by that party up from 11 to 12.

Badenoch and Strathspey wards

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There are five wards in the Badenoch and Strathspey area:

Ward Description Councillor Party
Badenoch East Mostly rural
Includes part of Aviemore and part of Kingussie
Gregor Rimell Independent
Badenoch West Mostly rural
Includes Newtonmore and part of Kingussie
Sheena Slimon Independent
Grantown on Spey Grantown on Spey Basil Matthew Stuart Dunlop Independent
Strathspey North East Mostly rural Stuart Black Liberal Democrats
Strathspey South Mostly rural
Includes part of Aviemore
Angus Gordon † Independent

† Area Convener (or Area Chairman)

Caithness wards

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There are 10 wards in the Caithness area:

Ward Description Councillor Party
Caithness Central Mostly rural
Includes Halkirk
David Flear † Liberal Democrats
Caithness North East Mostly rural
Includes Dunnet and John o' Groats
John H Green Independent
Caithness North West Mostly rural
Includes Castletown
Alastair I MacDonald Liberal Democrats
Caithness South East Mostly rural
Includes Lybster
William A Mowat Independent
Pultneytown Pultneytown area of Wick Katrina MacNab Independent
Thurso Central Part of Thurso Donald Mackay
Thurso East Part of Thurso Tom Jackson Independent
Thurso West Part of Thurso Roger Eric Saxon Labour
Wick Part of Wick Graeme M Smith Liberal Democrats
Wick West Part of Wick William N Fernie Independent

† Area Convener

Inverness wards

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The Inverness area includes Loch Ness, Strathglass and the City of Inverness.

The city lacks clearly defined boundaries. In ward descriptions below the city means the urban area centred on the former burgh of Inverness.

There are 23 wards in the area:

Ward Description Councillor Party
Ardersier, Croy and Petty To the east of the city of Inverness
Mostly rural
Includes Ardersier
Roderick Andrew Christopher Balfour Independent
Ballifeary Part of the city Alistair Milne Independent
Balloch To the east of the city Robert Wynd Scottish National Party
Beauly and Strathglass Mostly rural
Includes Beauly and Strathglass
Garry James Coutts, until May 2004
Helen M Carmichael, since June 2004
Independent
Independent
Canal Part of the city William John Smith † Independent
Culduthel Part of the city
and a rural area to the south
Norrie Donald Independent
Culloden To the east of the city
Mostly rural
John Ford Labour
Crown Part of the city James Sutherland Gray Labour
Drumossie To the southeast of the city
Mostly rural
Kathleen Greig Matheson Independent
Hilton Part of the city Angus John Dick Liberal Democrats
Inches Part of city
and an area to the southeast
Janet Noble Home Independent
Inverness Central Part of the city Eilidh MacDonald Labour
Inverness West Part of the city
and an area to the southwest
Ronald James Lyon Independent
Kirkhill Part of the city
and a rural area to the southwest
Jack Shiels Independent
Lochardil Part of the city Margaret Agnes MacLennan, until May 2006
David Henderson, since August 2006
Independent
Liberal Democrats
Loch Ness East On the southeast side of Loch Ness
(but includes the area of the loch itself)
Mostly rural
Includes part of the city
Ella MacRae Independent
Loch Ness West Mostly on the northwest side of Loch Ness
Mostly rural
Includes Drumnadrochit and Fort Augustus
Margaret Christine Davidson Independent
Merkinch Part of the city Peter Corbett
Milton Part of the city Clive Lawrence Goodman Labour
Muirtown Part of the city Christine MacNiven Cumming Labour
Raigmore Part of the city David Ross Munro Labour
Scorguie Part of the city Jimmy MacDonald Independent
Westhill and Smithton To the east of the city Gillian McCreath Scottish National Party

† Area Convener (or Provost and Area Convener)

Lochaber wards

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There are eight wards in the Lochaber area:

Ward Towns and villages Councillor Party
Ardnamurchan and Morvern Acharacle Michael E M Foxley Liberal Democrats
Caol Olwyn J Macdonald † Independent
Claggan and Glen Spean Thomas J MacLennan Independent
Fort William North Brian J Murphy
Fort William South Neil M Clark
Glencoe Kinlochleven Andrew R McFarlane Slack Independent
Kilmallie and Invergary William Clark
Mallaig and Small Isles Mallaig Charles King Independent

† Area Convener

Nairn wards

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The Nairn area is mostly rural. Ward boundaries radiate from the town of Nairn (a former burgh), dividing the town between all four wards:

Ward Description Councillor Party
Nairn Alltan Part of the town
and a western area
John N Matheson Independent
Nairn Auldearn Part of the town
and a south-eastern area
Alexander S Park † Independent
Nairn Cawdor Part of the town
and a south-western area
Laurie Richard Fraser Independent
Nairn Ninian Part of the town
and an eastern area
Elizabeth MacDonald Scottish National Party

† Area Convener (or Area Chairman)

Ross and Cromarty wards

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There are 18 wards in the Ross and Cromarty area:

Ward Description Councillor Party
Alness and Ardross Includes Alness and Ardross Andrew Anderson Scottish National Party
Avoch and Fortrose Part of the Black Isle Billy Barclay Independent
Black Isle North Part of the Black Isle North David Alston Independent
Conon and Maryburgh Angela MacLean Liberal Democrats
Dingwall North Includes part of Dingwall Michael Muirdon MacMillan Labour
Dingwall South Includes part of Dingwall Margaret Paterson Scottish National Party
Ferindonald Val MacIver Independent
Gairloch Includes Gairloch and Ullapool Roy Macintyre Independent
Invergordon Includes Invergordon John Robert Connell Liberal Democrats
Knockbain and Killearnan Part of the Black Isle Isobel McCallum Independent
Lochbroom Jean Urquhart Scottish National Party
Lochcarron Ewen C Mackinnon Independent
Muir of Ord David J Chisholm Independent
Rosskeen and Saltburn Carolyn Anne Wilson † Independent
Seaboard Includes the Seaboard Villages Richard Durham Liberal Democrats
Strathpeffer and Strathconon Douglas Briggs Independent
Tain East Includes part of Tain Alan Torrance Independent
Tain West Includes part of Tain Alasdair Rhind Independent

† Area Convener

Skye and Lochalsh wards

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There are six wards in the Skye and Lochalsh area:

Ward Towns and villages Councillor Party
Kinlochshiel Isabelle M Campbell Liberal Democrats
Kyle and Sleat William M Fulton Independent
Portree Portree Drew Millar † Liberal Democrats
Skye Central Broadford Hamish Fraser Independent
Skye West Dunvegan John Laing Independent
Snizort and Trotternish Iain MacDonald Independent

† Area Convener (or Area Ceannaire)

Sutherland wards

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There are six wards in the Sutherland area:

Ward Towns and villages Councillor Party
Brora Brora Margaret White Finlayson* Independent
Dornoch Firth Dornoch James D W Allan Independent
Golspie and Rogart Golspie, Rogart Willi