SNP makes gain from Labour in council by-election as Reform vote grows

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The SNP has cemented its position as the largest party on Stirling Council after it gained a seat from Labour in a by-election last night.The Nationalists won the Bannockburn ward on a paltry 17.6 per cent turn out, with the vast majority of voters choosing to stay at home.Bob Buchanan, a retired civil servant, becomes the newest SNP member on Stirling Council.

But John Swinney's party remains locked out of power as Labour continues to run a minority administration. Buchanan received 565 first preference votes, compared to 376 for the Labour candidate.

Reform, contesting the ward for the first time, won 358 votes - or 22 per cent of the total.The by-election was called after the death of Margaret Brisley, a former Labour leader of the council and veteran of Stirling politics.Buchanan told The Courier he was looking forward to working alongside Brian Hambly, his fellow SNP councillor in the ward.The 73-year-old said: "I’m dumbfounded.

I’m so happy to win. I’ve had such a great team working with me.”When asked what his first priorities would be, Buchanan said: “There’s so much to look at.“I want to get the place tidier so that people can have more pride in their neighbourhoods.