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