1999 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar election

1999 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar election

6 May 1999 (1999-05-06)
All 31 seats to Western Isles Council 16 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Donald Mackay Party Independent Labour SNP Leader's seat Lochs Last election 25 seats, 89.8% 4 seats, 10.2% Did not stand Seats won 22 5 4 Seat change 3 1 4 Popular vote 6,866 935 1,468 Percentage 74.1% 10.1% 15.8% Swing 15.7% 0.1% New
Council Convener before election Donald Mackay Independent Council Convener after election Alex Macdonald Independent

An election to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar was held on 6 May 1999 as part of the wider 1999 Scottish local elections.

The council, formerly known as Western Isles Council, had been renamed in 1997 in Gaelic as Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Council ward boundaries had also been changed since the previous election, and the total number of wards was increased from 30 to 31.

The election was the first since 1994. Whilst the new Scottish councils had seen elections in 1995, the three Island Councils (Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney) had not, as they had not been affected by the abolition of the regional and district levels of governance in Scotland. The Island Councils had instead utilised a unitary system, like that adopted by the other Scottish councils in 1995, since their inception.

The Scottish National Party ran candidates for the first time, gaining four seats.

Aggregate results

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar election, 1999
Turnout in contested wards: 64.2% (9,269)

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Independent	22			3		74.1	6,866	15.7
	Labour	5			1		10.1	935	0.1
	SNP	4			4		15.8	1,468	New

Ward results

Barra & Vatersay

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	SNP	Donald Manford	418	73.5%
	Independent	P. Brown	151	26.5%
Majority			267	46.9%
	SNP gain from Independent

Barvas & Arnol

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Iain Morrison	275	53.9%
	Independent	R. Macdonald (Incumbent)	235	46.1%
Majority			40	7.8%
	Independent hold

Bayhead

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	A. MacRae (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Blackwater

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Iain MacLeod	286	58.1%
	Independent	D. Murray (Incumbent)	206	41.9%
Majority			82	16.3%
	Independent hold

Braighe

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Donald Nicholson (Incumbent)	312	57.1%
	Independent	M. McCormack	156	28.6%
	Labour	E. Collier	78	14.3%
Majority			156	28.6%
	Independent hold

Carloway

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Alex MacDonald (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Castle

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	SNP	A. Nicolson	197	46.7%
	Labour	C. MacMillan (Incumbent)	146	34.6%
	Independent	M. O'Connor	79	18.7%
Majority			51	12.1%
	SNP gain from Labour

Coll

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	C. Graham	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Coulregrein

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	G. Lonie	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Labour hold

Daliburgh & Eriskay

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	David Blaney (Incumbent)	174	43.6%
	Independent	Angus MacDonald	137	34.3%
	Independent	W. Rusk	88	22.1%
Majority			37	9.3%
	Independent hold

Dell

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	SNP	M. MacLeod	161	32.2%
	Independent	J. MacKay	133	26.6%
	Independent	R. Martin	125	25.0%
	Independent	D. MacKay (Incumbent)	81	16.2%
Majority			28	5.6%
	SNP gain from Independent

Eochar

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Mary Bremner (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Goathill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	N. MacDonald (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Gress

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	A. Graham (Incumbent)	319	53.1%
	Independent	M. MacLeod	282	46.9%
Majority			37	6.2%
	Independent hold

Harris East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	D. MacDonald	463	79.7%
	Independent	Kenny MacKay (Incumbent)	118	20.3%
Majority			345	59.4%
	Independent hold

Harris West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Morag Munro	325	52.5%
	Independent	W. Fulton	294	47.5%
Majority			31	5.0%
	Independent hold

Knock & Bayble

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Norman MacLeod	295	60.3%
	Independent	I. MacIver	194	39.7%
Majority			101	20.7%
	Independent hold

Laxdale

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	R. Murray (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Labour hold

Loch Eynort

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	R. MacKinnon	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Lochmaddy

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	D. MacLean (Incumbent)	292	59.8%
	SNP	A. MacDonald	196	40.2%
Majority			96	19.7%
	Independent hold

Lochs

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	D. MacKay (Incumbent)	365	73.4%
	SNP	L. Mac An Ultaigh	132	26.6%
Majority			233	46.9%
	Independent hold

Manor Park

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	R. MacDonald	266	59.0%
	Independent	D. MacIver (Incumbent)	185	41.0%
Majority			81	18.0%
	Labour gain from Independent

Newton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Angus Campbell	284	64.4%
	Labour	F. Burns (Incumbent)	114	25.9%
	Independent	A. Smith	43	9.8%
Majority			170	38.5%
	Independent gain from Labour

North Benbecula

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	J. McArthur	159	53.4%
	Independent	D. Johnstone	139	46.6%
Majority			20	6.7%
	Independent hold

North Lochs

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	F. Morrison (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Paible

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Archie Campbell	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Labour gain from Independent

Plasterfield

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	SNP	P. McLean	260	57.0%
	Labour	M. MacLeod	196	43.0%
Majority			64	14.0%
	SNP gain from Independent

Port of Ness

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	K. MacKenzie (Incumbent)	278	61.5%
	Independent	D. MacLennan	174	38.5%
Majority			104	23.0%
	Independent hold

Shawbost

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	R. Morrison (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Tiumpan

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Donald MacSween	219	47.8%
	Labour	A. Cameron	135	29.5%
	SNP	M. MacKenzie	104	22.7%
Majority			84	18.3%
	Independent gain from Labour

Uig

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Norman MacDonald (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Labour hold