Conservative candidate Katie Harrison has won the Forth and Endrick by-election, defeating SNP rival Mhairi Duncan by 131 votes. The result was announced on Thursday night, with Harrison dedicating her victory to the memory of her predecessor, Paul Henke.
Cliffhanger contest and turnout
Harrison secured 1,188 first preference votes against Duncan's 1,057. Labour finished a distant third with 380 votes, ahead of the Greens, Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats and Independents. The electorate stood at 10,847, with 3,493 ballot papers received, giving a turnout of 32.2 per cent.
Henke passed away in July, and Harrison said she aims to continue his legacy. She thanked all candidates and described the ward as "a great ward and I think it's the best one." She added: "We would like to pay tribute to our colleague Paul Henke for his life of public service."
Priorities and tributes
Harrison pledged to scrutinise spending and ensure rural areas are not forgotten, saying: "People in my ward pay Council Tax and they feel as though they are paying more to get less and they want to see where their money is going." She highlighted the importance of roads, including their condition, speeding, and traffic calming.
Conservative group leader Neil Benny called it "a Tory hold and a really good result for the Scottish Conservative Party and the people of Stirling." He said it allows them to fight to keep Council Tax rises as low as possible, adding: "This is a nice tribute to Paul, people on the doorsteps had a lot of respect for him."
Reactions from other parties
SNP and council leader Susan McGill said the result was "very close" and that the SNP group was disappointed not to have Duncan as part of the team. Labour leader Gerry McGarvey said the voting pattern had changed in a way that leaves Labour "in a comfortable place leading up to the election in May."
The full first preference votes were: Andrew Adam (Scottish Greens) 317, Robert Davies (Independent) 55, Mhairi Duncan (SNP) 1,057, Paul Godzik (Scottish Labour) 380, Katie Harrison (Scottish Conservative and Unionist) 1,188, James MacLaren (Scottish Liberal Democrats) 175, and Jeremy McDonald (Reform UK) 298. Harrison was elected at Stage 7, with 23 rejected ballot papers and a quota of 1,736 votes.
Returning Officer Brian Roberts, Stirling Council's chief executive, congratulated Harrison and thanked staff and partners for delivering the by-election successfully.
