# 2007 Argyll and Bute Council election

Elections to Argyll and Bute Council were held on 3 May 2007 the same day as the other Scottish local government elections and the Scottish Parliament general election. The election was the first one using 11 new wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, each ward will elect three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation. The new wards replace 36 single-member wards which used the plurality (first past the post) system of election.

## Election result

Argyll and Bute Local Election Result 2007 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Independent | 16 | N/A | N/A | 6 | 44.4 | 39.1 | 15,715 | 12.4 |
| SNP | 10 | N/A | N/A | 7 | 27.8 | 22.2 | 8,921 | 9.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | 7 | N/A | N/A | 1 | 19.4 | 19.2 | 7,702 | 4.9 |
| Conservative | 3 | N/A | N/A | 0 | 8.3 | 15.7 | 6,301 | 1.7 |
| Labour | 0 | N/A | N/A | ±0 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 1,471 | 1.0 |
| Solidarity | 0 | N/A | N/A | ±0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 76 | New |

## Ward results

Incumbent councillors are marked with *

### South Kintyre

South Kintyre :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Conservative | Donald Kelly* | 42.9% | 1,332 | | | |
| | SNP | John Donald Semple | 21.3% | 663 | 710 | 743 | 845 |
| | Labour | George McMillan | 14.3% | 444 | 495 | 508 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rory Colville* | 14.2% | 441 | 505 | 512 | 658 |
| | Conservative | James Martin | 4.9% | 152 | 503 | 514 | 575 |
| | Solidarity | Deirdre Henderson | 2.4% | 76 | 83 | | |
| Electorate: 5,503 Valid: 3,108 Spoilt: 57 Quota: 778 Turnout: 57.51% ||||||||

### Kintyre and the Islands

Kintyre and the Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robin Currie* | 34.6% | 1,131 | | | | |
| | Independent | John McAlpine* | 18.6% | 608 | 637 | 685 | 726 | 825 |
| | SNP | Anne Horn | 14.7% | 482 | 525 | 556 | 601 | 678 |
| | Independent | Ann Newman | 10.5% | 342 | 434 | 450 | 547 | 607 |
| | Conservative | Peter Minshall | 9.2% | 300 | 317 | 370 | 387 | |
| | Labour | Phil Hawkins | 6.7% | 219 | 284 | 295 | | |
| | Independent | Maureen Scott | 5.8% | 190 | 195 | | | |
| Electorate: 5,307 Valid: 3,272 Spoilt: 45 Quota: 819 Turnout: 62.50% |||||||||

### Mid Argyll

Mid Argyll :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alison Hay* | 22.0% | 813 | 833 | 880 | 975 | | |
| | Independent | Donnie MacMillan* | 18.9% | 699 | 712 | 733 | 794 | 806 | 964 |
| | SNP | Colin Stevenson | 16.9% | 625 | 632 | 672 | 693 | 700 | 735 |
| | Independent | Douglas Trevor Philand | 15.7% | 582 | 608 | 650 | 674 | 681 | 796 |
| | Independent | Sandy Cameron | 9.3% | 344 | 359 | 375 | 414 | 420 | |
| | Conservative | Charlotte Hanbury | 8.2% | 305 | 312 | 318 | | | |
| | Labour | Wendy Reynolds | 6.1% | 225 | 230 | | | | |
| | Independent | Cameron Lewis | 2.9% | 106 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 5,948 Valid: 3,699 Spoilt: 49 Quota: 925 Turnout: 63.01% ||||||||||

### Oban South and the Isles

Oban South and the Isles :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Roddy McCuish | 23.3% | 955 | | | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mary-Jean Devon † | 16.4% | 672 | 674 | 684 | 820 | | | |
| | SNP | Donald Skye McIntosh* †††† | 12.4% | 506 | 579 | 593 | 613 | 614 | 653 | 761 |
| | Independent | Gordon Chalmers | 10.9% | 444 | 445 | 450 | 458 | 458 | 592 | 617 |
| | Conservative | Roy Rutherford | 10.1% | 413 | 417 | 440 | 473 | 473 | 496 | 550 |
| | Independent | Alastair MacDougall* | 8.5% | 347 | 348 | 376 | 389 | 390 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nicola Welsh | 7.2% | 293 | 299 | 317 | | | | |
| | Independent | Neil MacKinnon MacIntyre | 7.1% | 290 | 315 | 354 | 391 | 391 | 427 | |
| | Independent | Roderick MacEachen | 3.5% | 143 | 145 | | | | | |
| | Independent | David Gallant | 0.7% | 27 | 27 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,401 Valid: 4,090 Spoilt: 98 Quota: 819 Turnout: 56.59% |||||||||||

### Oban North and Lorn

Oban North and Lorn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | Independent | Elaine Robertson* | 22.0% | 1,005 | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Duncan MacIntyre | 17.1% | 779 | 801 | 821 | 872 | 934 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Neil MacKay ††† | 14.6% | 665 | 678 | 701 | 726 | 772 | 777 | 846 | 951 |
| | SNP | Donald MacDonald | 13.6% | 618 | 620 | 632 | 654 | 672 | 673 | 694 | 724 |
| | SNP | Mike MacKenzie | 8.8% | 401 | 407 | 411 | 419 | 434 | 435 | 466 | 486 |
| | Conservative | Eileen Mary Kirkpatrick | 8.5% | 387 | 394 | 404 | 419 | 427 | 429 | 457 | |
| | Independent | Ian Smyth | 4.4% | 200 | 211 | 222 | 240 | 267 | 271 | | |
| | Independent | Sidney MacDougall* | 4.1% | 188 | 192 | 209 | 229 | | | | |
| | Independent | George Doyle | 3.9% | 176 | 179 | 198 | | | | | |
| | Independent | Gwen Cameron | 3.1% | 140 | 146 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,431 Valid: 4,559 Spoilt: 87 Quota: 912 Turnout: 62.52% ||||||||||||

### Cowal

Cowal :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | SNP | Ron Simon | 29.8% | 1,127 | | | | |
| | Independent | Alex McNaughton | 23.3% | 880 | 909 | 996 | | |
| | Independent | Bruce Marshall* | 19.7% | 745 | 768 | 813 | 829 | 956 |
| | Conservative | Dave Petrie | 13.0% | 491 | 504 | 523 | 530 | 630 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Trevor Oxborrow | 9.2% | 346 | 376 | 391 | 397 | |
| | Independent | Iain Jarvis Gow | 5.1% | 192 | 203 | | | |
| Electorate: 5,878 Valid: 3,781 Spoilt: 61 Quota: 946 Turnout: 65.36% |||||||||

### Dunoon

Dunoon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Independent | Dick Walsh* | 24.6% | 855 | 938 | | |
| | SNP | Alister MacAlister †††††† | 23.6% | 821 | 836 | 845 | 870 |
| | Independent | Jimmy McQueen* | 21.7% | 754 | 804 | 829 | 903 |
| | Labour | David Graham | 10.3% | 358 | 371 | 376 | 384 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tony Miles | 7.4% | 257 | 269 | 278 | 336 |
| | Conservative | Sandy MacPherson | 6.9% | 239 | 245 | 252 | |
| | Independent | Gordon McKinven* | 5.6% | 193 | | | |
| Electorate: 5,862 Valid: 3,477 Spoilt: 45 Quota: 870 Turnout: 60.08% ||||||||

### Isle of Bute

Isle of Bute :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Independent | Len Scoullar* | 28.2% | 868 | | | | |
| | SNP | Robert MacIntyre* | 27.2% | 839 | | | | |
| | SNP | Isobel Strong* | 17.9% | 551 | 597 | 647 | 667 | 730 |
| | Independent | Fraser Gillies | 7.7% | 238 | 251 | 255 | 303 | 333 |
| | Labour | Harry Hattan | 7.3% | 225 | 228 | 230 | 236 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Karen Anne Hilton | 7.1% | 218 | 226 | 229 | 258 | 308 |
| | Conservative | Peter Wallace | 4.6% | 143 | 152 | 154 | | |
| Electorate: 5,354 Valid: 3,082 Spoilt: 66 Quota: 771 Turnout: 58.80% |||||||||

### Lomond North

Lomond North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Independent | Billy Petrie* | 22.2% | 794 | 893 | 1,083 | |
| | Independent | Danny Kelly* | 20.5% | 734 | 786 | 855 | 905 |
| | Independent | George Freeman* | 17.2% | 616 | 658 | 738 | 784 |
| | SNP | Elizabeth Buist | 15.6% | 557 | 604 | 649 | 669 |
| | Conservative | James Proctor | 13.5% | 484 | 548 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Nisbet | 11.0% | 395 | | | |
| Electorate: 6,239 Valid: 3,580 Spoilt: 35 Quota: 896 Turnout: 57.94% ||||||||

### Helensburgh Central

Helensburgh Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | Conservative | Gary Mulvaney* | 27.7% | 1,220 | | |
| | SNP | James Alexander Robb †† | 18.6% | 822 | 844 | 865 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Aileen Morton | 16.6% | 734 | 782 | 811 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Al Reay* ††††† | 16.5% | 728 | 808 | 849 |
| | Independent | Vivien Dance | 16.0% | 707 | 772 | 852 |
| | Independent | Richard William Humphrey | 4.5% | 198 | 228 | |
| Electorate: 7,617 Valid: 4,409 Spoilt: 67 Quota: 882 Turnout: 58.76% |||||||

### Helensburgh and Lomond South

Helensburgh and Lomond South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Conservative | David Fairbairn Kinniburgh | 26.7% | 835 | | | |
| | Independent | Ronald Kinloch* | 22.8% | 713 | 728 | 753 | 815 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ellen Morton* | 22.4% | 700 | 712 | 946 | |
| | SNP | Richard MacDonald Trail | 18.3% | 572 | 575 | 597 | 631 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Karen York | 9.9% | 309 | 314 | | |
| Electorate: 5,596 Valid: 3,129 Spoilt: 34 Quota: 783 Turnout: 56.52% ||||||||

## Changes since 2007 Election

* †In September 2007, Oban South and the Isles Cllr Mary-Jean Devon quit the Liberal Democrats and became an Independent. She joined the Scottish National Party on 1 July 2011.
* ††Since the election, Helensburgh Central Cllr James Robb quit the Scottish National Party and became an Independent Nationalist.
* †††Since the election, Oban North and Lorn Cllr Neil MacKay quit the Liberal Democrats and became an Alliance of Independent Councillor.
* ††††On 18 November 2011, Oban South and the Isles Cllr Donald Skye McIntosh died.
* †††††On 25 February 2012 Hellensburgh Central Cllr Al Reay died.
* ††††††On 30 March 2012 Dunoon Cllr Alister MacAlister died.

## By-Elections since 3 May 2007

* On 4 October 2007 the Liberal Democrats Andrew Nisbit won a by-election which arose following the death of former Independent Councillor Ronald Kinloch on 23 July 2007
Helensburgh and Lomond South by-election 4 October 2007 - 1 Seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Nisbit | 30.31 | 642 | 752 | 1,014 | 1,525 |
| | Conservative | Jim Proctor | 29.60 | 627 | 684 | 839 | |
| | Independent | Gordon Hanning | 23.28 | 493 | 606 | | |
| | SNP | Richard Trail | 16.81 | 356 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Swing | | |
| Electorate: 5,690 Valid: 2,118 Spoilt: 10 Quota: 1,060 Turnout: 2,128 (37.4%) ||||||||
* On 3 November 2011 the SNP's Louise Glen-Lee won a by-election which arose following the death of former SNP Councillor Donald MacDonald on 4 August 2011
Oban North & Lorn by-election 3 November 2011 - 1 Seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | SNP | Louise Glen-Lee | 44.14 | 1,081 | 1,117 | 1,179 | 1,374 |
| | Conservative | Roy Rutherford | 20.62 | 505 | 523 | 591 | 758 |
| | Independent | Gwyneth Neal | 17.88 | 438 | 496 | 561 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Pollard | 10.62 | 260 | 273 | | |
| | Independent | George Doyle | 6.73 | 165 | | | |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | | |
| Electorate: 7,606 Valid: 2,449 Spoilt: 19 Quota: 1,225 Turnout: 2,468 (32.4%) ||||||||