1973 Zetland County Council election

1973 Zetland County Council election

← 1970 May 8, 1973 (1973-05-08) 1974 →
24 of 33 seats on the Zetland County Council 17 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Edward Thomason Clem Robb Party Independent Leader's seat Unst North (defeated) Delting South Seats won 13 11 Seat change 11 11 Popular vote 2,078 566 Percentage 78.6% 21.4% Swing 21.4 21.4
Council Convener before election Edward Thomason Independent Council Convener after election George Blance Independent

Elections to the Zetland County Council were held on 8 May 1973 as part of Scottish local elections. This was the last election for the County Council before its incorporation along with the Lerwick Town Council into the Shetland Islands Council in 1975. Elections were held in every part of Shetland except Lerwick to elect 24 landward members to the County Council, who would be joined by nine nominated members from the Lerwick Town Council.

The election saw an unusually partisan competition between supporters and opponents of the County Council's policy on North Sea oil. The Shetland Democratic Group was formed to oppose the council's attempts to gain private legislation to exert direct control over oil developments in Shetland, objecting to proposals that would allow the council to take equity in industrial development and gain compulsory purchase powers.^[1]

The Shetland Democratic Group gained 11 seats and defeated incumbent Convener Edward Thomason but failed to win enough support to gain control of the Zetland County Council. Supporters of the council's policy elected George Blance, a nominated member from the Lerwick Town Council, as the council's final Convener, defeating Shetland Democratic Group member John Jamieson by 18 votes to 12. The council's continued support for private legislation led to the passage of the Zetland County Council Act 1974, providing the council with powers to become a harbour authority, control harbour developments, invest in securities of bodies corporate, implement compulsory purchases in specified areas relating to oil developments and to establish a reserve fund from oil revenues.^[2] These powers would be inherited by the Shetland Islands Council in 1975.

13 seats were uncontested, including seven of the Shetland Democratic Group's 11 gains.

Election results[]

Zetland County Council Election Result 1973^[3]

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Independent	13	0	11	11	54.2%	78.6%	2,078	21.4
		11	11	0	11	45.8%	21.4%	566	21.4

Ward Results[]

Aithsting

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Iain Caldwell	151	54.9%
	Independent	Robert Garrick (Incumbent)	124	45.1%
Majority			27	9.8%
	gain from Independent

Bressay

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	James Irvine (Incumbent)	122	78.2%
	Independent	Brenda Scott	34	20.8%
Majority			88	58.0%
	Independent hold

Burra

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	William Cumming (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Cunningsburgh

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Joan McLeod (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	gain from Independent

Delting North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Fraser Peterson (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	gain from Independent

Delting South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Clem Robb (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	gain from Independent

Dunrossness North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		James Leask (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	gain from Independent

Dunrossness South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Raymond Bentley (Incumbent)	150	63.3%
	Independent	Arthur M. Irvine	87	36.7%
Majority			63	26.6%
	Independent hold

Fetlar

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	John Laurenson (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Gulberwick and Quarff

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Arthur Irvine (Incumbent)	45	51.4%
		Alistair Leask	43	48.6%
Majority			2	2.8%
	Independent hold

Nesting and Lunnasting

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Andrew Riddell	149	68.3%
	Independent	William Hamilton (Incumbent)	69	31.7%
Majority			80	36.6%
	Independent hold

Northmavine North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Robert Balfour	46	55.4%
	Independent	Andrew Cromarty (Incumbent)	37	44.6%
Majority			9	10.8%
	gain from Independent

Northmavine South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		John Jamieson (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	gain from Independent

Sandness

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Peter Garriock	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Sandsting

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

Sandwick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Thomas Stove (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	gain from Independent

Tingwall

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Andrew Irvine (Incumbent)	327	55.7%
	Independent	Martin Williamson	260	44.3%
Majority			67	11.4%
	Independent hold

Unst North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		William Thomson	249	70.5%
	Independent	Edward Thomason (Incumbent)	104	29.5%
Majority			145	41.0%
	gain from Independent

Unst South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Alan Fraser (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	gain from Independent

Walls

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Williamina Tait (Incumbent)	195	79.9%
	Independent	Peter Hick	49	20.1%
Majority			146	59.8%
	Independent hold

Whalsay and Skerries

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Frederick Dainty	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Whiteness and Weisdale

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		John Johnson	77	37.0%
	Independent	John Rae (Incumbent)	67	32.2%
	Independent	George Morrison	64	30.8%
Majority			10	4.8%
	gain from Independent

Yell North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Sandy Cluness	156	80.0%
	Independent	Robert Manson	39	20.0%
Majority			117	60.0%
	Independent hold

Yell South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Robert Gray	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

By-elections since 1973[]

1974 Yell North by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	David Johnson	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

References[]