The Conservatives claimed victory at an Aberdeenshire by-election yesterday, while the SNP cemented its hold on the area.
Nationalist candidate Gwyneth Petrie and Tory Margo Stewart were nominated to Aberdeenshire Council’s Huntly, Strathbogie and the Howe of Alford ward.
The results were announced at Inverurie Town Hall at noon yesterday.
Mrs Stewart received the highest number of votes through the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system with 1,469.
Miss Petrie was not far off with 1,433 votes, whilst Lib Dem nominee Daniel Millican got 928.
Labour candidate Sarah Flavell had 196 votes and Scottish Libertarian Party member Derek Scott received 20.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson claimed her party had “beaten the SNP in Alex Salmond’s back yard”.
But Gordon MP Mr Salmond said: “To increase the vote from that of the extraordinarily popular Joanna Strathdee is a huge achievement for Gwyneth as a first time candidate.”
A total of 4,097 locals took to the ballot boxes on Thursday – a 34.5% turnout in the area
The by-election was prompted by the death of SNP councillor Joanna Strathdee in August and the announcement that Lib Dem Alastair Ross was stepping down from his role due to ill health.
The results do not alter the balance of power in the council, which shifted earlier this year when the 28-strong SNP group teamed up with the Progressive Alliance and the Democratic, Independent and Green Group (Digg).
Together they ousted the Tory and Lib Dem-led Aberdeenshire Alliance.
Mrs Petrie, of Huntly, is now the local authority’s youngest councillor at the age of 26.
She said: “I want to represent the whole ward as best as I can. We will do our best to secure more social and affordable housing. We’ll try and do that and build up more social and affordable houses so we can get key workers to the area, then we can improve teachers numbers and medical staff in our area as well.
“The other thing is making sure investment in infrastructure continues in the area. As an administration, we can put pressure on the SNP Scottish Government and work with them to do that.”
Retired teacher Mrs Stewart – who is also from the Huntly area – said: “There are many issues that have been mentioned to me. Now that I am elected people will come to me with issues they have particularly and I would hope to be able to carry forward.
“Personally people I’ve been speaking to on doorsteps over the last 18 months and finding they are perhaps needing a change and I think perhaps we offered the change they were looking for.”
Aberdeenshire Council co-leader and SNP group leader, Richard Thomson, said he was “delighted” at the result, adding: “I am pleased with the overall result, the SNP have increased votes on 2012 at the last local council elections”
However Alexander Burnett, who will stand as the Conservative candidate for the Aberdeenshire West Scottish Parliamentary seat in 2016, said the result showed “the SNP is not infallible”.