# 2022 Moray Council election

The 2022 Moray Council election was held on 5 May 2022, on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used the eight wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 26 Councillors elected. Each ward elects either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system - a form of proportional representation.
Following the election, on 18 May 2022, it was announced that the council would be run by a minority Conservative group, alongside two Independents.

## Background
### Previous election

At the previous election in 2017, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won the most seats on the council, forming the largest block, but were 5 seats short of a majority. The Conservatives won the next largest amount of seats, and increased their vote share by 18.6%, gaining 5 seats. Two Independent councillors lost their seats, and so did 2 Labour councillors. Following the result a Conservative-Independent administration was formed, with an Independent councillor being appointed council leader. However, in May 2018, the Conservative-Independent administration collapsed. One month later, the SNP group formed a minority administration, following negotiations with other groups.
2017 Moray Council election result :
| Party | Seats | Vote share |
| SNP | 9 | 31.6% |
| Conservative | 8 | 36.1% |
| Independent | 8 | 24.1% |
| Labour | 1 | 4.3% |
Source:

### Electoral system

The election used the 8 wards created following the fifth statutory review of electoral arrangements conducted by Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland in 2016, with 26 councillors elected. Each ward elected either three or four councillors, using the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system – a form of proportional representation – where candidates are ranked in order of preference.

### Composition

There were two by-elections during the 2017-22 term. One by-election was held in the Elgin City North ward in May 2017, which resulted in a Conservative gain from Independent. The other by-election was held in the Keith and Cullen ward in October 2019, which also resulted in a Conservative gain from Independent. One Conservative councillor left the Conservative group in October 2017, he sat as an Independent for the remainder of the term.
Composition of Moray Council :
| Party | 2017 election | Dissolution |
| SNP | 9 | 9 |
| Conservative | 8 | 9 |
| Independent | 8 | 7 |
| Labour | 1 | 1 |

### Retiring Councillors

Retiring councillors :
| Council Ward | Party | Retiring Councillor |
| Speyside Glenlivet | Independent | Walter Wilson |
| Speyside Glenlivet | SNP | Louise Laing |
| Keith and Cullen | Conservative | Laura Powell |
| Buckie | Conservative | Tim Eagle |
| Buckie | Independent | Gordon Cowie |
| Heldon and Laich | SNP | Amy Patience |
| Heldon and Laich | Independent | Ryan Edwards |
| Elgin City North | Conservative | Frank Brown |
| Elgin City North | Conservative | Moira McLean |
| Elgin City South | Conservative | Ray McLean |
| Forres | SNP | Aaron McLean |
| Forres | Conservative | Claire Feaver |
| Forres | Independent | George Alexander |
| Forres | Independent | Lorna Creswell |
Source:

### Candidates

The total number of candidates fell from 45 in 2017 to 42. Unlike in 2017, the Conservatives stood the most candidates, standing 11, an increase of 3, while the SNP stood 4 less candidates compared to 2017 at 9. The number of independent candidates fell sharply, with only 6 independents standing, compared to 17 in 2017. Liberal Democrats also stood 6 candidates, an increase of 3, while Labour stood 5, also an increase of 3. The Greens stood 3, an increase of 1, and the Scottish Family Party and the Sovereignty Party also stood 1 candidate each.

## Results

2022 Moray Council election result :
| Party | Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| | Conservative | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 42.3 | 36.2 | 10,698 | 0.1 |
| | SNP | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30.8 | 36.0 | 10,613 | 4.4 |
| | Labour | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11.5 | 12.3 | 3,641 | 8.0 |
| | Independent | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 2,327 | 16.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 1,121 | 2.6 |
| | Scottish Green | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1,001 | 0.8 |
| | Scottish Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.3 | 99 | New |
| | Sovereignty | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.1 | 23 | New |
| Total | Total | 26 | | | | | | 29,523 | |
Source:

### Ward summary

Results of the 2022 Moray Council election by ward :
| Ward | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | Total |
| Ward | Con | Con | SNP | SNP | Lab | Lab | Lib Dem | Lib Dem | Grn | Grn | Others | Others | | Total |
| Speyside Glenlivet | 33.8 | 1 | 36.8 | 1 | | | | | 8.6 | 0 | 20.8 | 1 | 3 |
| Keith and Cullen | 43.7 | 2 | 43.5 | 1 | | | 9.9 | 0 | | | 2.9 | 0 | 3 |
| Buckie | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 |
| Fochabers Lhanbryde | 39.8 | 1 | 43.0 | 1 | 10.1 | 1 | | | | | | | 3 |
| Heldon and Laich | 39.7 | 2 | 29.5 | 1 | 7.7 | 0 | 4.6 | 0 | | | 18.5 | 1 | 4 |
| Elgin City North | 25.9 | 1 | 32.6 | 1 | 28.5 | 1 | 3.9 | 0 | 4.5 | 0 | 4.6 | 0 | 3 |
| Elgin City South | 26.8 | 1 | 35.6 | 1 | 28.1 | 1 | 3.1 | 0 | | | 6.5 | 0 | 3 |
| Forres | 40.9 | 2 | 34.3 | 1 | 10.6 | 0 | | | 9.1 | 1 | 5.1 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 36.2 | 11 | 36.0 | 8 | 12.3 | 3 | 3.8 | 1 | 3.4 | 1 | 8.3 | 2 | 26 |
Source:

### Seats changing hands

Below is a list of seats which elected a different party or parties from 2017 in order to highlight the change in political composition of the council from the previous election. The list does not include defeated incumbents who resigned or defected from their party and subsequently failed re-election while the party held the seat.
Seats changing hands :
| Seat | 2017 | 2017 | 2017 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Seat | Party | Party | Member | Party | Party | Member |
| Keith and Cullen | | Independent | Ron Shepherd | | Conservative | Tracy Colyer |
| Buckie | | Independent | Gordon Cowie | | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Price |
| Fochobers Lhanbryde | | SNP | David Bremner | | Labour | Ben Williams |
| Heldon and Laich | | Independent | Ryan Edwards | | Conservative | Bridget Mustard |
| Elgin City North | | Independent | Sandy Cooper | | Labour | Sandy Keith |
| Forres | | Independent | George Alexander | | Conservative | Paul McBain |
| Forres | | Independent | Lorna Creswell | | Greens | Draeyk Van der Horn |
Source:

## Ward results

The incumbent councillors for each ward as of March 2022 are listed below. Candidates for the election were confirmed on 30 March 2022.

### Speyside Glenlivet

Incumbent councillors:
* Derek Ross, Independent
* Walter Wilson, Independent (elected as Conservative)
* Louise Laing, Scottish National Party
Speyside Glenlivet - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | SNP | Juli Harris | 36.8 | 1,227 | | |
| | Conservative | David Gordon | 33.8 | 1,129 | | |
| | Independent | Derek Ross (incumbent) | 20.1 | 672 | 750 | 898 |
| | Scottish Green | Elidh Myrvang Brown | 8.6 | 286 | 492 | 520 |
| | Sovereignty | David Philip McHutchon | 0.7 | 23 | 31 | 51 |
| Electorate: 7,382 Valid: 3,374 Spoilt: 37 Quota: 835 Turnout: 45.7% |||||||
Source:

### Keith and Cullen

Incumbent councillors:
* Donald Gatt, Scottish Conservatives
* Theresa Coull, Scottish National Party
* Laura Powell, Scottish Conservatives. Replaced Ron Shepherd (Independent) in November 2019.
Keith and Cullen - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | SNP | Theresa Coull (incumbent) | 43.5 | 1,493 | | | | |
| | Conservative | Donald Gatt (incumbent) | 24.7 | 849 | 884 | | | |
| | Conservative | Tracy Colyer | 18.9 | 650 | 674 | 694 | 733 | 955 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Leslie Tarr | 9.9 | 341 | 589 | 592 | 674 | |
| | Scottish Family | William Barclay | 2.9 | 99 | 178 | 178 | | |
| Electorate: 8,102 Valid: 3,432 Spoilt: 37 Quota: 859 Turnout: 45.7% |||||||||
Source:

### Buckie

Incumbent councillors:
* Tim Eagle, Scottish Conservatives
* Gordon Cowie, Councillors Open Group (elected as Independent)
* Sonya Warren, Scottish National Party
Buckie - 3 seats :
| Party | Candidate |
| Conservative | Neil McLennan |
| Liberal Democrat | Christopher Thomas Price |
| SNP | Sonya Warren (incumbent) |
Note: This election was uncontested, as there are 3 candidates and 3 seats available.
Source:

### Fochabers Lhanbryde

Incumbent councillors:
* Marc Macrae, Scottish Conservatives
* Shona Morrison, Scottish National Party
* David Bremner, Scottish National Party
Fochabers Lhanbryde - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Marc Macrae (incumbent) | 39.7 | 1,590 | | | | |
| | SNP | Shona Morrison (incumbent) | 23.5 | 940 | 959 | 1,005 | | |
| | SNP | David Bremner (incumbent) | 19.4 | 778 | 792 | 812 | 816 | |
| | Labour | Ben Williams | 10.1 | 404 | 535 | 831 | 831 | 1,178 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Donald Cameron | 7.0 | 284 | 496 | | | |
| Electorate: 8,253 Valid: 3,996 Spoilt: 68 Quota: 1,000 Turnout: 49.2% |||||||||
Source:

### Heldon and Laich

Incumbent councillors:
* James Allan, Scottish Conservatives
* Amy Patience, Scottish National Party
* John Cowe, Independent
* Ryan Edwards, Independent
Heldon and Laich - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Neil Cameron | 29.5 | 1,455 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | James Allan (incumbent) | 27.0 | 1,331 | | | | | |
| | Independent | John Cowe (incumbent) | 18.5 | 914 | 1,045 | | | | |
| | Conservative | Bridget Mustard | 12.7 | 629 | 639 | 885 | 898 | 947 | 1,150 |
| | Labour | Andrew O'Neill | 7.7 | 404 | 489 | 512 | 526 | 725 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Calum Cameron | 4.6 | 228 | 307 | 326 | 337 | | |
| Electorate: 10,794 Valid: 4,936 Spoilt: 60 Quota: 988 Turnout: 46.3% ||||||||||
Source:

### Elgin City North

Incumbent councillors:
* Frank Brown, Scottish Conservatives
* Maria McLean, Scottish Conservatives. Replaced Sandy Cooper (Independent) in July 2017.
* Vacancy. Paula Coy Scottish National Party was elected in 2017.
Elgin City North - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 |
| | SNP | Jérémie Fernandes | 32.6 | 1,199 |
| | Labour | Sandy Keith | 28.5 | 1,048 |
| | Conservative | Amber Dunbar | 25.9 | 952 |
| | Independent | Graham Jarvis | 4.6 | 170 |
| | Scottish Green | Rebecca Kail | 4.5 | 165 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Neil Alexander | 3.9 | 144 |
| Electorate: 9,228 Valid: 3,678 Spoilt: 32 Quota: 920 Turnout: 40.2% |||||
Source:

### Elgin City South

Incumbent councillors:
* Ray McLean, Scottish Conservatives
* John Divers, Scottish Labour
* Graham Leadbitter, Scottish National Party
Elgin City South - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 |
| | SNP | Graham Leadbitter (incumbent) | 35.5 | 1,444 |
| | Labour | John Divers (incumbent) | 28.1 | 1,142 |
| | Conservative | Peter Bloomfield | 26.8 | 1,090 |
| | Independent | Michaela French | 4.0 | 161 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bernard Salmon | 3.1 | 124 |
| | Independent | Paul Briggs | 2.5 | 101 |
| Electorate: 10,149 Valid: 4,062 Spoilt: 51 Quota: 1,016 Turnout: 40.5% |||||
Source:

### Forres

Incumbent councillors:
* Claire Feaver, Scottish Conservatives
* Aaron McLean, Scottish National Party
* George Alexander, Councillors Open Group (elected as Independent)
* Lorna Creswell, Councillors Open Group (elected as Independent)
Forres - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Scott Lawrence | 34.3 | 2,077 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Kathleen Robertson | 25.0 | 1,516 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Paul McBain | 15.9 | 962 | 991 | 1,240 | | | |
| | Labour | James Hynam | 10.6 | 643 | 830 | 845 | 852 | 1,001 | |
| | Scottish Green | Draeyk Van der Horn | 9.1 | 550 | 928 | 933 | 934 | 1,047 | 1,514 |
| | Independent | Shaun Moat | 5.1 | 309 | 403 | 417 | 424 | | |
| Electorate: 12,511 Valid: 6,128 Spoilt: 71 Quota: 1,212 Turnout: 49.0% ||||||||||
Source:

## Aftermath

Both the SNP and Conservative groups fell short of the required 14 seats for a majority. As such negotiations took place after the election to see who would form the next administration. Council leader before the election Elgin City South SNP councillor Graham Leadbitter proposed the continuation of the previous SNP minority administration but the council instead voted 12 to 8 to approve a minority Conservative administration, co-led by Buckie Conservative councillor Neil McLennan and Forres Conservative councillor Kathleen Robertson.
In July 2022, Buckie Conservative councillor Neil McLennan left the Conservative grouping on the council after being removed as joint group leader in a secret vote.
In August 2022, Heldon and Laich Conservative councillor James Allan left the Conservative grouping on the council, and now sits as a "non-aligned Conservative."

### Buckie by-election

In August 2022, the sole Liberal Democrat councillor Christopher Price resigned after only 109 days in the job. A by-election was held in the Buckie ward on 3 November 2022, and was won by SNP candidate John Stuart.
Buckie by-election (3 November 2022) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | SNP | John Stuart | 48.9 | 1,172 | 1,181 | 1,192 | 1,269 |
| | Conservative | Tim Eagle | 36.7 | 879 | 884 | 904 | 989 |
| | Labour | Keighley Goldie | 10.0 | 239 | 247 | 276 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Les Tarr | 2.8 | 67 | 78 | | |
| | Independent | Neil Houlden | 1.6 | 38 | | | |
| Electorate: 8,139 Valid: 2,395 Spoilt: 13 Quota: 1,199 Turnout: 29.6% ||||||||
Source:

### Elgin City South by-election

In July 2024, SNP councillor Graham Leadbitter was elected to be the MP for the Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey constituency at the 2024 United Kingdom general election and decided to resign as a councillor on 14 August 2024. A by-election was held in the Elgin City South ward on 7 November 2024, and was won by Conservative candidate Elaine Kirby.
Elgin City South by-election (7 November 2024) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | SNP | Laura Mitchell | 32.2 | 849 | 928 | 1,093 |
| | Conservative | Elaine Kirby | 31.6 | 834 | 962 | 1,160 |
| | Labour | Catriona McBain | 18.5 | 487 | 615 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Neil Alexander | 17.7 | 466 | | |
| Electorate: 10,355 Valid: 2,636 Spoilt: 33 Quota: 1,319 Turnout: 25.8% |||||||
Source: