THE SNP have a new councillor in Falkirk following a by-election prompted by the resignation of former provost and long-term Labour representative Pat Reid.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon sent her congratulations to Emma Russell, who saw off tight competition from the Conservatives to win the Falkirk South ward from Labour.
Russell received 1691 (39.2%) first-preference votes to Tory candidate Sarah Patrick’s 1676 (38.9%). The SNP vote share was up from 35.7% in 2017.
It was a bad night for Labour, with candidate James Marshall receiving 679 (15.7%) first-preference votes – making him unable to defend the party’s seat. This was down from the 27% secured by Reid in 2017.
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Meanwhile, Scottish Greens candidate Stuart Duffin received 267 first-preference votes, about 6%.
Turnout at Thursday’s by-election was around a third of eligible voters, down from nearly half four years ago.
There was praise from SNP figures for Russell, with the First Minister tweeting: “Many congratulations to newest @theSNP councillor, Emma Russell - fantastic win in Falkirk.”
Many congratulations to newest @theSNP councillor, Emma Russell - fantastic win in Falkirk. https://t.co/Hynl6DuFnc
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 15, 2021
Graham Campbell, the party’s NEC BAME convener, also congratulated the new councillor. “Even a Labour vote collapse into a Tory Unionist surge wasn’t enough to stop [the SNP],” he tweeted. “Sadly I think we can expect to be directly fighting Tories not Labour in some surprising places in May 2022.”
“Fantastic result for the SNP with an increased share of the vote,” added the party’s longest-serving MP Pete Wishart. “Someone is going to have to tell me how ‘hard unionism’ is working for Labour?”
Russell’s election means the SNP administration has 13 councillors. Labour and the Tories each have seven, and there are two independents.
The new councillor said she was “absolutely delighted" that Falkirk South residents voted for her.
“My team of local activists have been fantastic in their efforts to get out the vote, spread our message and ensure that the SNP came out on top," she commented.
“I am very excited to join the SNP group on Falkirk Council and continue to deliver for the people in the town.
“This is a clear demonstration from the people of Falkirk that people trust the SNP to continue to deliver for communities across Scotland.”
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