# 2017 Falkirk Council election

2017 Elections to Falkirk Council were held on 4 May 2017, the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used the nine wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 30 councillors being elected, a reduction of 2 members from 2012. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system.
Following the 2012 election, the controlling administration consisted of 14 Labour members, 2 Conservatives and 1 Independent (Cllr Buchanan). Opposition is 13 SNP members and 2 Independent (Cllrs Spears and McCabe). The Council Leader is Cllr Craig C Martin, Provost is Cllr Reid and the Depute Provost Cllr Patrick.

## Election result summary

Falkirk Local Election Result 2017 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes |
| SNP | 12 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 40.0 | 38.8 | 20,861 |
| Labour | 9 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 30.0 | 23.1 | 12,421 |
| Conservative | 7 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 23.3 | 24.5 | 13,168 |
| Independent | 2 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 6.7 | 9.8 | 5,308 |
| Scottish Green | - | - | - | - | 0.0 | 3.6 | 1,933 |
| Other parties | - | - | - | - | 0.0 | 0.1 | 63 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections in May 2012. The number of Falkirk Council seats was reduced by 2 in the 2017 election. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

## Ward results
### Bo'ness and Blackness

* 2012: 2xSNP; 1xLab
* 2017: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon
* 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain one seat from SNP
Bo'ness and Blackness – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | SNP | Ann Ritchie (incumbent) | 27.97 | 1,510 | | | |
| | Conservative | Lynn Munro | 26.15 | 1,412 | | | |
| | Labour | David Aitchison | 20.49 | 1,106 | 1,116.38 | 1,130.17 | 1,381.23 |
| | SNP | Alan Gilbert | 14.1 | 761 | 880.73 | 882.71 | 892.69 |
| | Scottish Green | Mari-Ellena Corvi | 5.78 | 312 | 324.72 | 333.19 | 360.08 |
| | Labour | Michael Burnett | 5.52 | 298 | 302.24 | 312.82 | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 5,399 Spoilt: 137 Quota: 1350 Turnout: 5,536 (46.8%) ||||||||

### Grangemouth

* 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xIndependent
* 2017: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xIndependent
* 2012-2017 Change: 1 less seat compared to 2012. Labour lose seat.
Grangemouth – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | David Balfour (incumbent) | 26.95 | 1,510 | | | | | |
| | Labour | Allyson Black (incumbent) | 23.22 | 1,301 | 1,309.44 | 1,332.73 | 1,483.53 | | |
| | Conservative | James Bundy | 18.38 | 1,030 | 1,031.79 | 1,040 | 1,074.58 | 1,094.4 | |
| | Independent | Robert Spears (incumbent) | 17.49 | 980 | 988.08 | 1,004.58 | 1,247.12 | 1,274.46 | 1,834.19 |
| | SNP | Margaret-Ann Milne | 12.06 | 676 | 756.82 | 799.39 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Judith McLaughlin | 1.91 | 107 | 109.72 | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 5,604 Spoilt: 99 Quota: 1,402 Turnout: 5,703 (44.3%) ||||||||||

### Denny and Banknock

* 2012: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
* 2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon
* 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain 1 seat from Independent
Denny and Banknock – 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| | SNP | Paul Garner (incumbent) | 26.3 | 1,664 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Jim Blackwood (incumbent) | 15.27 | 965 | 976.27 | 976.51 | 996.75 | 1,019.23 | 1,020.57 | 1,233.78 | 1,359.61 | | |
| | Conservative | Nigel Harris | 14.49 | 916 | 918.16 | 918.16 | 924.16 | 950.16 | 950.39 | 964.43 | 1,068.91 | 1,086.46 | 1,314.59 |
| | SNP | Fiona Collie | 13.98 | 884 | 1,200.27 | 1,210.99 | 1,255.15 | 1,274.11 | | | | | |
| | Independent | Brian McCabe (incumbent) | 10.87 | 687 | 719.13 | 722.85 | 737.57 | 780.57 | 782.45 | 811.89 | 984.92 | 1,002.97 | |
| | Independent | Alexander John Waddell | 8.26 | 522 | 528.47 | 529.47 | 537.7 | 615.95 | 616.69 | 640.97 | | | |
| | Labour | Khalid Hamid | 4.97 | 314 | 322.87 | 323.11 | 333.35 | 355.83 | 356.51 | | | | |
| | Independent | Anne Montgomery | 3.65 | 231 | 232.92 | 235.16 | 247.4 | | | | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Cheryl Brind | 1.89 | 119 | 122.84 | 125.08 | | | | | | | |
| | Solidarity | Sean Mellon | 0.3 | 19 | 21.64 | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 6,321 Spoilt: 95 Quota: 1,265 Turnout: 6,416 (44.1%) ||||||||||||||

### Carse, Kinnaird & Tryst

* 2012: 2xLab; 2xSNP
* 2017: 2xSNP; 1xLab; 1xCon
* 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain 1 seat from Labour
Carse, Kinnaird & Tryst – 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Conservative | Jim Flynn | 27.85 | 1,968 | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Gary Bouse | 27.18 | 1,921 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Joan Coombes * | 13.53 | 956 | 1,069.44 | 1,098.21 | 1,154.31 | 1,229.31 | 1,251.22 | 2,106.01 |
| | SNP | Laura Murtagh | 13.3 | 940 | 955.48 | 1,350.04 | 1,374.34 | 1,530.07 | | |
| | Labour | Martin Murray | 12.03 | 850 | 964.01 | 980.63 | 997.67 | 1,050.7 | 1,070.97 | |
| | Scottish Green | Chris Marsh | 4.12 | 291 | 328.16 | 358.51 | 408.87 | | | |
| | Independent | Safia Ali | 1.99 | 141 | 198.71 | 206.1 | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 7,067 Spoilt: 133 Quota: 1,414 Turnout: 7,200 (44%) |||||||||||
* = Outgoing Councillor for Grangemouth ward.

### Bonnybridge and Larbert

* 2012: 1xSNP; 1xLab; 1xIndependent
* 2017: 1xSNP; 1xCon; 1xIndependent
* 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain 1 seat from Labour
Bonnybridge and Larbert – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Tom Coleman (incumbent)† | 33.7 | 1,898 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | David Grant | 24.31 | 1,368 | 1,389.43 | 1,404.2 | 1,427.07 | | |
| | Independent | Billy Buchanan (incumbent) | 20.15 | 1,134 | 1,225.91 | 1,271.58 | 1,394.9 | 1,400.54 | 1,902.47 |
| | Labour | Linda Gow (incumbent) | 15.71 | 884 | 963.51 | 992.13 | 1,110.3 | 1,115.96 | |
| | Scottish Green | David Robertson | 3.84 | 216 | 384.58 | 417.2 | | | |
| | Independent | Janine Rennie | 2.27 | 128 | 153.3 | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 5,628 Spoilt: 51 Quota: 1,408 Turnout: 5,679 (45.1%) ||||||||||

### Falkirk North

* 2012: 2xSNP; 2xLab
* 2017: 2xSNP; 2xLab
* 2012-2017 Change: No change
Falkirk North – 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | David Alexander (incumbent) | 35.82 | 2,326 | | | | | |
| | Labour | Denis Goldie * | 17.22 | 1,118 | 1,160.83 | 1,208.1 | 1,313.84 | | |
| | SNP | Cecil Meiklejohn (incumbent) | 16.33 | 1,060 | 1,864.91 | | | | |
| | Conservative | Wendy Chandrachud | 14.11 | 916 | 933.22 | 948.14 | 978.61 | 979.61 | |
| | Labour | Robert Bissett | 12.95 | 841 | 908.11 | 962.4 | 1,102.62 | 1,113.75 | 1,563.47 |
| | Scottish Green | Debra Pickering | 3.56 | 231 | 263.23 | 519.28 | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 6,492 Spoilt: 196 Quota: 1,299 Turnout: 6,688 (41%) ||||||||||
* = Outgoing Councillor for Falkirk South.

### Falkirk South

* 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
* 2017: 1xLab; 1xSNP; 1xCon
* 2012-2017 Change: 1 less seat compared to 2012. Labour lose seat.
Falkirk South – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 |
| | SNP | Lorna Binnie | 35.68 | 2,216 |
| | Conservative | John Patrick (incumbent) | 32.09 | 1,993 |
| | Labour | Pat Reid *††† | 27.15 | 1,686 |
| | Scottish Green | Donnie Buchanan | 5.07 | 315 |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 6,210 Spoilt: 71 Quota: 1,553 Turnout: 6,281 (48.3%) |||||
* = Sitting Councillor from Falkirk North.

### Lower Braes

* 2012: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
* 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
* 2012-2017 Change: No change
Lower Braes – 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | Conservative | Malcolm Nicol (incumbent) | 34.49 | 1,864 | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Adanna McCue | 30.19 | 1,632 | | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Alan Nimmo (incumbent) | 14.06 | 760 | 894.04 | 944.99 | 961.84 | 970.94 | 1,066.33 | 1,146.65 | 1,446.12 |
| | Independent | Ricky Wilson | 10.34 | 559 | 633.98 | 669.5 | 684.89 | 725.99 | 779.78 | 993.11 | |
| | Independent | Steven Jackson (incumbent) | 5.27 | 285 | 339.93 | 359.32 | 369.06 | 421.23 | 472.93 | | |
| | Scottish Green | Chris Brind | 3.02 | 163 | 181.68 | 282.9 | 293.23 | 303.1 | | | |
| | Independent | Sam Hemple | 1.81 | 98 | 121.07 | 128.28 | 137.12 | | | | |
| | UKIP | Stuart Martin | 0.81 | 44 | 89.04 | 91.96 | | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 5,405 Spoilt: 50 Quota: 1,352 Turnout: 5,455 (46.2%) ||||||||||||

### Upper Braes

* 2012: 2xLab; 1xSNP
* 2017: 1xCon; 1xSNP; 1xLab
* 2012-2017 Change: Conservative gain 1 seat from Labour
Upper Braes – 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 | James Kerr†† | 30.22 | 1,701 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | John McLuckie (incumbent)†† | 23.85 | 1,342 | 1,441.91 | | | | | |
| | SNP | Gordon Hughes (incumbent) | 18.27 | 1,028 | 1,036.61 | 1,040.73 | 1,066.78 | 1,093.98 | 1,218.31 | 2,112.31 |
| | SNP | Farah Farzana | 14.84 | 835 | 837.07 | 838.76 | 890.08 | 910.68 | 978.8 | |
| | Independent | Jim Robertson | 6.4 | 360 | 401.68 | 409.18 | 449.03 | 602.12 | | |
| | Independent | Neil Durning | 3.25 | 183 | 224.17 | 228.32 | 262 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Tom McLaughlin | 3.18 | 179 | 193.12 | 196.92 | | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 5,628 Spoilt: 104 Quota: 1,408 Turnout: 5,732 (46.5%) |||||||||||

## Changes since 2017

* † On 30 November 2017 Bonnybridge and Larbert SNP Cllr Tom Coleman died following a short illness. A by-election was held on 15 February 2018 and the seat was retained by his son, Niall.
* †† On 21 September 2018 Upper Braes Labour Cllr John McLuckie and Conservative Cllr James Kerr were suspended by both of their respective parties and became Independents having been charged by the police following an investigation into planning irregularities in Falkirk although both being cleared at a later date.
* †††On 29 July 2021 Falkirk South Labour Cllr Pat Reid announced he was resigning his seat. A by-election will be held on 14 October and was gained by Emma Russell of the SNP.

## By-elections since 2017

Bonnybridge and Larbert By-election (15 February 2018) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | SNP | Niall Coleman | 38.6 | 1,295 | 1,300 | 1,354 | 1,619 | 1,866 |
| | Conservative | George Stevenson | 32.4 | 1,088 | 1,096 | 1,115 | 1,280 |
| | Labour | Linda Gow | 24.2 | 813 | 821 | 858 |
| | Scottish Green | David Robertson | 3.7 | 124 | 129 |
| | UKIP | Stuart Martin | 1.0 | 35 |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 3,355 Spoilt: 30 Quota: 1,678 Turnout: 3,385 (26.5%) |||||||||
Falkirk South By-election (14 October 2021) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| | SNP | Emma Russell | 39.2 | 1,691 | 1,844 | 2,019 | 2,472 |
| | Conservative | Sarah Patrick | 38.9 | 1,678 | 1,694 | 1,903 | |
| | Labour | James Marshall | 15.7 | 678 | 733 | | |
| | Scottish Green | Stuart Duffin | 6.2 | 267 | | | |
| Electorate: TBC Valid: 4,313 Spoilt: 44 Quota: 2,157 Turnout: 4,364 (32.5%) ||||||||