# 1978 Shetland Islands Council election

Elections to the Shetland Islands Council were held on 2 May 1978 as part of Scottish regional elections, with 11 seats uncontested. The election saw 14 new councillors enter the Shetland Islands Council, an unusually large number, in part attributable to the charged political context surrounding the devolution debate of the late 1970s. Several of these incomers consisted of members of the pro-autonomy Shetland Group, later to become the Shetland Movement, and local Scottish National Party branch, registered as independents.

## Aggregate results

Shetland Islands Council election, 1990 :
| Party | Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| | Independent | 21 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 88.0 | 81.1 | 4,039 | 8.7 |
| | Labour | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 18.9 | 941 | 8.7 |

## Ward Results

Aithsting and Sandsting :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | A.I. Tulloch (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Bressay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Irvine (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Burra and Trondra :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Arthur Williamson | 174 | 51.8% |
| | Independent | William Cumming (Incumbent) | 162 | 48.2% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12 | 3.6% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Delting North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Fraser Peterson (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Delting South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Albert Hunter | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Dunrossness North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | William Tait | 166 | 64.1% |
| | Independent | Prophet Smith (Incumbent) | 93 | 35.9% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 73 | 28.2% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Dunrossness South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Raymond Bentley | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Gulberwick, Quarff and Cunningsburgh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Joan McLeod (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Lerwick Breiwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | John Butler (Incumbent) | 194 | 53.4% |
| | Independent | Harry Gray | 169 | 46.6% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 25 | 7.8% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Lerwick Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Bill Smith (Incumbent) | 273 | 78.9% |
| | Independent | James Wiseman | 73 | 21.1% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 200 | 57.8% |
| | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent |
Lerwick Clickimin :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Ian Byrne (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Lerwick Harbour :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Edward Thomason (Incumbent) | 241 | 81.4% |
| | Independent | William Christie | 55 | 18.6% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 186 | 62.8% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Lerwick North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Alex Morrison (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Lerwick Sound :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Lindsay Smith | 141 | 38.0% |
| | Independent | Robert Brandie | 98 | 26.4% |
| | Independent | James Gair | 61 | 16.4% |
| | Independent | Donald Briers | 38 | 10.2% |
| | Independent | Donald Sutherland | 33 | 8.9% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 43 | 11.6% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Lerwick Twageos :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Sandy Cluness | 289 | 64.8% |
| | Labour | James Paton (Incumbent) | 157 | 35.2% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 132 | 29.6% |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour |
Nesting and Lunnasting :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Peter Hunter | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Northmavine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Chris Dowle | 317 | 80.3% |
| | Independent | John Jamieson (Incumbent) | 78 | 19.7% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 239 | 50.7% |
| | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent |
Sandness and Walls :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Gordon Walterson | 228 | 57.4% |
| | Independent | Williamina Tait (Incumbent) | 169 | 42.6% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 59 | 14.8% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Sandwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Peter Watts | 163 | 56.6% |
| | Independent | T.M.Y. Manson | 125 | 43.4% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 59 | 13.2% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Scalloway :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Jemima Walterson | 263 | 63.4% |
| | Independent | Andrew Irvine (Incumbent) | 123 | 29.6% |
| | Independent | James Watt | 29 | 7.0% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 140 | 33.8% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Unst :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | William Playfair | 181 | 50.7% |
| | Independent | Alan Fraser (Incumbent) | 176 | 49.3% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 1.4% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Whalsay and Skerries :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Henry Stewart | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Whiteness, Weisdale and Tingwall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Florence Grains | 169 | 40.2% |
| | Independent | Alexander Arthur | 154 | 36.7% |
| | Independent | John Rae | 97 | 23.1% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15 | 3.5% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Yell North and Fetlar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | David Johnson (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Yell South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Stewart Gray (Incumbent) | 146 | 50.2% |
| | Independent | Frank Odie | 145 | 49.8% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.4% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |

## By-elections since 1978

1980 Lerwick North by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Ratepayers | Robert Tulloch | 261 | 71.9% |
| | Independent | John Groat | 75 | 20.7% |
| | Independent | James Wiseman | 27 | 7.4% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 186 | 51.2% |
| | Ratepayers gain from Independent | Ratepayers gain from Independent | Ratepayers gain from Independent | Ratepayers gain from Independent |
The 1981 Burra and Trondra by-election was triggered by the resignation of Arthur Williamson. It was won by former councillor William Cumming, a member of the pro-autonomy Shetland Movement, as an independent candidate.
1981 Burra and Trondra by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | William Cumming | 306 | 68.3% |
| | Ratepayers | Tom Stove | 133 | 29.7% |
| | Independent | James Wiseman | 9 | 2.0% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 178 | 38.6% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |