# 2017 Midlothian Council election

The 2017 Midlothian Council election took place on 4 May 2017 to elect members of Midlothian Council. The election used the six wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three Councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation, with 18 Councillors being elected.
It was the first time that the Conservative party had won council seats in Midlothian since the 1995 election.

## Summary of results

2017 Midlothian Council election result :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38.89 | 30.20 | 9,887 | 9.29 |
| SNP | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 33.34 | 30.67 | 10,038 | 8.80 |
| Conservative | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 27.78 | 22.74 | 7,444 | 14.23 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 7.49 | 2,453 | 3.74 |
| Scottish Green | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 6.87 | 2,250 | 2.38 |
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2.01 | 661 | 1.72 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

## Ward results
### Penicuik

* 2012: 2xSNP; 1xLab
* 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
* 2012-2017: 1 Con gain from SNP
Penicuik - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Hardie | 26.2 | 1,517 | | | | |
| | Labour | Adam Montgomery (incumbent)† | 25.6 | 1,482 | | | | |
| | SNP | Debbi McCall | 21.0 | 1,212 | 1,214.5 | 1,217.9 | 1,336.4 | 1,472.8 |
| | SNP | Joe Wallace (incumbent) | 14.3 | 828 | 829.7 | 832.8 | 886.1 | 940.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ken Brown | 7.3 | 425 | 455.7 | 466.9 | 571.6 | |
| | Scottish Green | Jim Garry | 5.6 | 329 | 333.1 | 336.5 | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 5,793 Spoilt: 62 Quota: 1,449 Turnout: 52.3% |||||||||

### Bonnyrigg

* 2012: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xGreen
* 2017: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
* 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from Green
Bonnyrigg - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Labour | Derek Milligan (incumbent) | 29.0 | 1,901 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Janet Lay-Douglas | 21.6 | 1,415 | 1,425.6 | 1,515.9 | 1,521.3 | 1,524.7 | 1,708.1 |
| | SNP | Dianne Alexander | 18.4 | 1,203 | 1,210.0 | 1,222.4 | 1,778.9 | | |
| | Scottish Green | Ian Baxter (incumbent) | 10.7 | 701 | 713.7 | 763.8 | 799.9 | 870.2 | 1,037.0 |
| | SNP | Colin Lawrie | 9.4 | 617 | 623.3 | 632.6 | | | |
| | Labour | Louie Lorraine Milliken | 7.1 | 466 | 665.6 | 715.8 | 728.1 | 741.4 | |
| | Independent | George McIntyre | 3.8 | 250 | 257.4 | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 6,553 Spoilt: 103 Quota: 1,639 Turnout: 48.5% ||||||||||

### Dalkeith

* 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
* 2017: 2xLab; 1xSNP
* 2012-2017 Change: No change
Dalkeith - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Colin Cassidy | 27.2 | 1,142 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Stephen Curran | 23.2 | 976 | 980.7 | 1,000.9 | 1,051.6 | | | |
| | Labour | Margot Russell (incumbent) | 19.1 | 800 | 804.2 | 840.4 | 884.7 | 885.9 | 993.5 | 1,317.5 |
| | Conservative | Robin Traquair | 16.8 | 706 | 707.3 | 716.3 | 779.4 | 779.4 | 791.8 | |
| | Independent | Jim Bryant (incumbent) | 5.9 | 248 | 249.9 | 275.1 | | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Jill Simon | 4.0 | 168 | 171.9 | | | | | |
| | SNP | Gary Young | 3.8 | 158 | 229.1 | 282.0 | 330.4 | 330.5 | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 4,198 Spoilt: 121 Quota: 1,050 Turnout: 41.9% |||||||||||

### Midlothian West

* 2012: 2xSNP; 1xLab
* 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
* 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from SNP
Midlothian West - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Conservative | Pauline Winchester | 26.9 | 1,503 | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Kelly Parry (incumbent) | 19.5 | 1,091 | 1,092.0 | 1,106.3 | 1,159.7 | 1,679.7 | | |
| | Labour | Russell Imrie (incumbent) | 12.2 | 684 | 698.8 | 737.5 | 817.0 | 837.3 | 867.9 | 1,443.5 |
| | Labour | Stephen Blain | 11.0 | 612 | 620.1 | 650.1 | 700.2 | 707.3 | 724.1 | |
| | SNP | David Temple | 10.4 | 581 | 582.7 | 587.7 | 616.9 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Helen Blackburn | 8.4 | 468 | 473.4 | 552.3 | 680.8 | 715.9 | 835.8 | 889.4 |
| | Independent | Andrew Coventry (incumbent) | 7.4 | 413 | 435.8 | 484.2 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ross Laird | 4.2 | 236 | 256.6 | | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 5,588 Spoilt: 91 Quota: 1,398 Turnout: 47.2% |||||||||||

### Midlothian East

* 2012: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
* 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
* 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from Independent
Midlothian East - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Conservative | Peter Smaill | 26.9 | 1,522 | | | |
| | Labour | John Hackett | 22.7 | 1,284 | 1,314.3 | 1,387.5 | 1,431.6 |
| | Independent | Robert Hogg | 18.8 | 1,064 | 1,098.0 | 1,169.1 | 1,210.2 |
| | SNP | Kenneth Baird†† | 15.4 | 872 | 873.1 | 928.1 | 1,485.8 |
| | SNP | Louise D'Arcy-Greig | 10.8 | 609 | 610.4 | 677.4 | |
| | Scottish Green | Helen Armstrong | 5.3 | 301 | 309.1 | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 5,652 Spoilt: 68 Quota: 1,414 Turnout: 48.3% ||||||||

### Midlothian South

* 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
* 2017: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
* 2012-2017 Change: 1 Con gain from Lab
Midlothian South - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Labour | Jim Muirhead (incumbent) | 24.6 | 1,218 | 1,257 | | | | | |
| | SNP | Cath Johnstone (incumbent) | 21.6 | 1,067 | 1,104 | 1,104.9 | 1,164.8 | 1,295.1 | | |
| | Conservative | Kieran Munro | 15.8 | 781 | 801 | 802.0 | 867.0 | 1,048.4 | 1,050.7 | 1,249.7 |
| | SNP | Ellen Scott | 13.3 | 658 | 721 | 721.9 | 748.3 | 797.5 | 844.1 | |
| | Independent | Jason Ferry | 9.7 | 478 | 541 | 541.9 | 625.5 | | | |
| | Labour | Bryan Pottinger (incumbent) | 9.4 | 464 | 497 | 510.8 | | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Malcolm Spaven | 5.7 | 283 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 4,949 Spoilt: 76 Quota: 1,238 Turnout: 45.2% |||||||||||

## Changes since the election

† On 10 January 2018 Penicuik Labour Cllr Adam Montgomery died following a short illness. A by-election was held on 22 March 2018 and the seat was gained by the SNP's Joe Wallace.
†† Midlothian East SNP Cllr Kenneth Baird resigned his seat in February 2021. A by-election was held on 25 March 2021 and the seat was retained by the SNP's Stuart McKenzie.

## By-elections since 2017

Penicuik By-election (22 March 2018) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | SNP | Joe Wallace | 35.0 | 1,663 | 1,803 | 2,237 |
| | Conservative | Murdo MacDonald | 30.2 | 1,433 | 1,469 | 1,788 |
| | Labour | Vivienne Wallace | 27.6 | 1,310 | 1,414 | |
| | Scottish Green | Helen Armstrong | 7.2 | 344 | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 4,781 Spoilt: 31 Quota: 2,376 Turnout: 4,812 (42.9%) |||||||
* Midlothian East By-election (25 March 2021) - 1 Seat PartyCandidateFPv%Count 1234 SNP Stuart McKenzie 35.4 1,538 1,547 1,662 1,963 Conservative Alan Symon 29.4 1,279 1,326 1,364 1,656 Labour Hazel Flanagan 24.6 1,070 1,114 1,222   Scottish Green Joy Godfrey 6.5 282 332     Liberal Democrats Margaret Davis 4.1 178       Electorate: TBC Valid: 4,347 Spoilt: 21 Quota: 2,174 Turnout: 4,368 (35.8%)