Conservatives take seat from SNP in Jedburgh by-election
Last updated 23rd Feb 2024
The Scottish Conservatives have won the Jedburgh and District by-election.
The vacant seat on Scottish Borders Council had previously been held by Pam Brown, who resigned in November on health grounds.
Tory candidate John Bathgate polled almost 1,000 first preference votes more than his nearest rival - the SNP's Phil Dixon.
But less than a third of the 7,232 people eligible to vote turned out.
The Conservatives now hold all three seats in the multi-member ward, with Councillor Scott Hamilton and Councillor Sandy Scott remaining in post.
Mr Bathgate, who gave his first interview as a newly-elected councillor to Greatest Hits Radio, said: "I am delighted to have the opportunity to represent Jedburgh and St Boswells ward and repay the faith that local people have placed in me.
"Thank you to everyone who voted for me and supported me during the campaign. I am very grateful.
"It is a huge honour to be elected and I am excited to get started."
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First to congratulate him was Borders Conservative MP John Lamont. he said: “Congratulations to John Bathgate on running a strong campaign focused on the issues that matter most to local people.
“I know he will be a fantastic representative and work hard for his constituents.
"This win for the Scottish Conservatives shows again that we are the only party in the Borders strong enough to beat the SNP.
“I look forward to working with the newly elected councillor to deliver on the top priorities of Jedburgh and St Boswells residents.”
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The votes - which were counted at Scottish Borders Council headquarters in Newtown St Boswells this morning - were as follows: John Lawrence Bathgate, Scottish Conservative and Unionist - 1,377; James Douglas Wilson Clark, Scottish Eco-Federalists – Sustainable UK - 25; Phil Dixon, Scottish National Party (SNP) - 410; Ray Georgeson, Scottish Liberal Democrats - 166; Kaymarie Hughes, Scottish Labour Party - 241; and Charles Strang, Scottish Greens - Think Global Act Local - 135.
Reflecting on the result, Councillor Elaine Thornton-Nicol - leader of the SNP group at Scottish Borders Council - said: "Taking into account everything that's going on around us, I find it incredibly hard to believe that people continue to vote for parties that are destroying lives on a daily basis through the cost of living crisis."
But she added: "It is about democracy."
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