# 1986 Shetland Islands Council election

An election to Shetland Islands Council was held on 8 May 1986 as part of the Scottish regional elections. The election saw Labour gain another two seats on the Shetland Islands Council, and also saw the Shetland Movement contest the election on a party political platform for the first time. The outgoing three-term Convener, A.I. Tulloch, died just one day before the election.

## Aggregate results

Shetland Islands Council election, 1986 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Independent | 16 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 64.0 | 66.9 | 4,015 | 20.9 |
| Shetland Movement | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 20.0 | 13.6 | 819 | N/A |
| Labour | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16.0 | 16.6 | 997 | 10.1 |
| Independent Progressive | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 107 | New |
| Independent Liberal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 60 | New |

## Ward Results

Aithsting and Sandsting :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Florence Grains | 211 | 51.2% |
| | Independent | Harold Leask | 201 | 48.8% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10 | 2.4% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Bressay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Irvine (Incumbent) | 135 | 69.2% |
| | Independent Liberal | Roy Whitehead | 60 | 30.8% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 75 | 38.4% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Burra and Trondra :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | William Cumming (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 |
Delting North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Andrea Manson (Incumbent) | 319 | 68.0% |
| | Labour | Fred Amphlett | 150 | 32.0% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 169 | 36.0% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Delting South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Albert Hunter (Incumbent) | 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) | 288 | 85.0% |
| | Independent | Annette Mitchell | 51 | 15.0% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 237 | 60.0% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Dunrossness South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Magnus Flaws | 195 | 78.0% |
| | Independent | Raymond Bentley (Incumbent) | 55 | 22.0% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 140 | 56.0% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Gulberwick, Quarff and Cunningsburgh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Joan McLeod (Incumbent) | 240 | 55.3% |
| | Independent | David Nicolson | 194 | 44.7% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 46 | 10.6% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Lerwick Breiwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Cecil Eunson | 203 | 60.6% |
| | Independent | Dorothy Stables | 107 | 31.9% |
| | Independent | Robert Tait | 25 | 7.5% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 96 | 28.7% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Lerwick Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Bill Smith (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Lerwick Clickimin :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | T.M.Y. Manson (Incumbent) | 216 | 74.2% |
| | Independent | Ian Byrne | 75 | 25.8% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 141 | 48.4% |
| | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent | Shetland Movement gain from Independent |
Lerwick Harbour :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | Edward Thomason (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 |
Lerwick North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Leonard Groat (Incumbent) | 328 | 55.9% |
| | Independent | Michael Thomson | 259 | 44.1% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 69 | 11.8% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Lerwick Sound :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | John Graham (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 |
Lerwick Twageos :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | James J. Paton | 281 | 70.6% |
| | Shetland Movement | Sandy Cluness (Incumbent) | 117 | 29.4% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 164 | 41.2% |
| | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent |
Nesting and Lunnasting :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Benji Hunter (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Northmavine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Chris Dowle (Incumbent) | 238 | 76.3% |
| | Independent | William Beattie | 74 | 23.7% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 164 | 52.6% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Sandness and Walls :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Nicolson | 179 | 42.5% |
| | Shetland Movement | Gordon Walterson (Incumbent) | 163 | 38.7% |
| | Independent | Chris Young | 79 | 18.8% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16 | 3.8% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Sandwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Shetland Movement | Malcolm Bray (Incumbent) | 165 | 47.3% |
| | Independent | Peter Watts | 124 | 35.5% |
| | Independent | Graham Jamieson | 60 | 17.2% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 41 | 11.8% |
| | 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 | % |
| | Independent | William Anderson (Incumbent) | unopposed | unopposed |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | unopposed | unopposed |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Unst :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Elizabeth Nicolson | 186 | 42.6% |
| | Shetland Movement | Tom Ellis | 158 | 36.2% |
| | Independent | John Ritch | 48 | 11.0% |
| | Independent | Alan Fraser (Incumbent) | 45 | 10.3% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 28 | 6.4% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |
Whalsay & 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 | 194 | 43.4% |
| | Independent | Cecil Eunson (Incumbent) | 172 | 38.5% |
| | Independent | Charles Johnson | 81 | 18.1% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22 | 4.9% |
| | 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) | 152 | 43.8% |
| | Independent | Robert Johnson | 114 | 32.9% |
| | Independent | Daniel Spence | 81 | 23.3% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 38 | 10.9% |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |

## By-elections since 1986

1987 Sandwick by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Smith | 147 | 36.8% |
| | Independent | Eddie Barclay | 136 | 34.0% |
| | Independent | Graham Jamieson | 117 | 29.3% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 2.8% |
| | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement | Independent gain from Shetland Movement |
1988 Lerwick Twageos by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Michael Johnston | 246 | 70.1% |
| | Labour | Robert Adair | 66 | 18.8% |
| | Independent | Ian Selbie | 39 | 11.1% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 2.8% |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour |