# 1990 Shetland Islands Council election

An election to the Shetland Islands Council was held on 3 May 1990 as part of regional elections. Independents maintained control of the 25 seat council. The Shetland Movement gained two seats, bringing their total to seven. The Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrats also ran candidates for the first time.
Former Labour councillor Leonard Groat stood on an Independent Labour ticket in protest against his party's support for the closure of Montfield Hospital in Lerwick.

## Aggregate results

Shetland Islands Council election, 1990 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Independent | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 56.9 | 1,962 | 10.0 |
| Shetland Movement | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 31.4 | 1,083 | 17.8 |
| Independent Labour | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | New |
| Labour | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7.1 | 246 | 9.5 |
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 94 | New |
| SNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 | 65 | New |

## Ward Results

Aithsting and Sandsting :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Florence Grains (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 & Trondra :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | George Pottinger | 213 | 55.2% |
| | Shetland Movement | William Cumming (incumbent) | 173 | 44.8% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 40 | 10.4% |
| | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement |
Delting North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Andrea Manson (incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Delting South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Mary Colligan | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Dunrossness North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | William Tait (incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Dunrossness South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | Magnus Flaws (incumbent) | 225 | 79.8% |
| | Independent | John Johnston | 57 | 20.2% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 168 | 59.6% |
| | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent |
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 | % |
| | Independent | Cecil Eunson (Incumbent) | 241 | 79.8% |
| | Labour | Robert Adair | 61 | 20.2% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 180 | 59.6% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Lerwick Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Bill Smith (Incumbent) | 185 | 66.3% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kenneth Crossan | 94 | 36.7% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 91 | 29.6% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Lerwick Clickimin :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Robert Johnson | 122 | 36.9% |
| | Shetland Movement | William Playfair | 108 | 32.6% |
| | Independent | Ian Byrne | 101 | 30.5% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14 | 4.3% |
| | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement |
Lerwick Harbour :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | Edward Thomason (incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Shetland Movement hold | Shetland Movement hold | Shetland Movement hold | Shetland Movement hold |
Lerwick North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent Labour | Leonard Groat | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent Labour gain from Labour | Independent Labour gain from Labour | Independent Labour gain from Labour | Independent Labour gain from Labour |
Lerwick Sound :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | John Graham (Incumbent) | 308 | 87.5% |
| | Independent | Ian Selbie | 44 | 12.5% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 264 | 75.0% |
| | Shetland Movement hold | Shetland Movement hold | Shetland Movement hold | Shetland Movement hold |
Lerwick Twageos :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Lewis Shand Smith | 179 | 43.6% |
| | Independent | Michael Johnston (Incumbent) | 174 | 42.3% |
| | Independent | William Henderson | 58 | 14.1% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 1.3% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Nesting and Lunnasting :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Greta McElvogue | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Northmavine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Manson | 144 | 50.3% |
| | Independent | Bill Manson | 142 | 49.7% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2 | 0.6% |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour |
Sandness and Walls :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Gear | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Sandwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | James Smith (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent |
Scalloway :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | William Anderson (Incumbent) | 183 | 65.8% |
| | Anti-Poll Tax | Ian Scott | 95 | 34.2% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 88 | 31.6% |
| | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent |
Unst :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Joan Easten | 200 | 64.9% |
| | Independent | Elizabeth Nicolson (Incumbent) | 108 | 35.1% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 92 | 29.8% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Whalsay and Skerries :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Henry Stewart (incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Whiteness, Weisdale and Tingwall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Alex Arthur (incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Yell North and Fetlar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | Andrew Williamson | 86 | 36.6% |
| | Independent | Philip Turner | 73 | 31.1% |
| | SNP | Derrick Tulloch | 65 | 27.7% |
| | Independent | Derek Rushton | 7 | 3.0% |
| | Independent | Philip Anderson | 4 | 1.7% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13 | 5.5% |
| | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent |
Yell South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | Robert Gray | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent |

## By-elections since 1990

1991 Northmavine by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Bill Manson | 207 | 62.2% |
| | Independent | Thomas Balfour | 115 | 34.5% |
| | Independent | James Paterson | 11 | 3.3% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 92 | 27.7% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
1993 Yell South by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Peter Guy | 208 | 70.0% |
| | Independent | Alan Ogden | 89 | 30.0% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 119 | 40.0% |
| | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement |
1993 Whalsay and Skerries by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Hazel Simpson | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
1993 Whiteness, Weisdale and Tingwall by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Jonathan Wills | 388 | 73.8% |
| | Independent | A.M. Leslie | 77 | 14.6% |
| | Independent | J.W. Johnson | 61 | 11.6% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 311 | 59.2% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |