2017 Orkney Islands Council election
4 May 2017 (2017-05-04)
All 21 seats to Orkney Islands Council
11 seats needed for a majority
Turnout7,470 (49.7%)
  First party Second party Third party
  Blank Blank Blank
Leader Steven Heddle Rachael King[1] Steve Sankey
Party Independent Orkney Manifesto Group Scottish Green
Leader's seat Kirkwall East West Mainland East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray
Last election 21 seats, 97% — —
Seats won 18 2 1
Seat change Decrease3 Increase2 Increase1
First preferences 6,162 894 350
First preferences (%) 83.2% 12.1% 4.7%
Swing (pp) Decrease13.6% N/A New
Council Leader before election

Steven Heddle
Independent

 Council Leader after election

James Stockan
Independent

The 2017 Orkney Islands 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 Greens contested 2 wards in Orkney for the first time. Another group; the Orkney Manifesto Group, ran as a registered party for the first time, gaining the largest vote share of any party in the council's history. 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.[2]

Election result

Orkney Local Election Result 2017[3][4]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Independent 18 Steady0 Decrease3 Decrease3 85.7 83.20 6,162 -11.2
  Orkney Manifesto Group 2 Increase2 Steady0 Increase2* 9.5 12.07 894 N/A
  Scottish Green 1 Increase1 Steady0 Increase1 4.8 4.73 350 New

*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[5]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234567
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 Ingrid 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[6]
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    1234567
    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
      Stromness and South Isles - 3 seats[7]
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      1
      Independent Rob Crichton (incumbent) unopposed unopposed
      Independent James Stockan (incumbent) unopposed unopposed
      Independent Magnus Thomson unopposed unopposed
      Valid:   Quota:  

        West Mainland

        • 2007: 4xIndependent
        • 2012: 4xIndependent
        • 2017: 3xIndependent, 1xOMG
        • 2012–2017 change: 1 OMG gain from Independent
        West Mainland - 4 seats[8]
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        123456
        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 Woodsford-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[9]
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          1234
          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[10]
            PartyCandidateFPv%Count
            12345678
            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%)  

              Changes since 2017 Election

              • † North Isles Independent Cllr Kevin Woodbridge died on 19 April 2020 after a short illness.[11] A by-election was held on 1 October 2020 and was won by Kevin Woodbridge's daughter, Heather Woodbridge.[12]

              By-elections since 2017

              North Isles By-election (1 October 2020)
              PartyCandidateFPv%Count
              1
              Independent Heather Woodbridge 69.9 638
              Labour Coilla Drake 17.3 158
              Independent Claire Stevens 8.2 75
              Independent Daniel Adams 4.6 42
              Valid:   Quota:   Turnout: 732 (31.0%)  

                Footnotes

                1. ↑ Kirkwall councillor to stand down at end of OIC term
                2. ↑ "Orkney Manifesto Group | POLICY STATEMENTS".
                3. ↑ "Results by Ward".
                4. ↑ "SLGE2017 Summary Results Data - Electoral Management Board". Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
                5. ↑ "Ward 1 - Kirkwall East".
                6. ↑ "Ward 2 - Kirkwall West and Orphir".
                7. ↑ "Ward 3 - Stromness and South Isles".
                8. ↑ "Ward 4 - West Mainland".
                9. ↑ "Ward 5 - East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray".
                10. ↑ "Ward 6 - North Isles".
                11. ↑ "Tributes paid to North Isles councillor Kevin Woodbridge". 20 April 2020.
                12. ↑ "Heather Woodbridge wins North Isles council seat". The Orcadian. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
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