Slim 25-vote win was tense admits victor

Aberdeen shire’s newest councillor has admitted her narrow victory was “heart-stopping”. Louise McAllister narrowly held Ellon and District for the SNP by just 25 votes in a by-election.

Ms McAllister, who has lived in Aberdeenshire for 16 years and runs a business in Ellon as a humanist celebrant, won 1,683 votes after the application of the single transferable vote count rules.

Conservative John Crawley was close behind, with 1,658 votes, while Lib Dem candidate Trevor Mason received 405, Labour ’ s John Bennett attracted 114 votes and the Green Party’ s Peter Alexander won 112 votes.

Ms McAllister was elected at stage five of the vote counting process.

She fills the seat vacated by the resignation of former councillor Richard Thomson, who was elected SNP MP for Gordon.

In total, 4,006 valid votes were cast, representing a 33.7% turnout. At the 2017 council election, there was a turnout of 47.2%.

Speaking moments after her victory yesterday, Ms McAllister said the declaration had been “heart-stopping stuff ”.

With the good news confirmed, she said she was “absolutely thrilled and delighted” to have been elected.

“It was very close and that was probably always going to be the way, there’s no secret about that,” she said.

“I have been given this opportunity and I hope that everyone in the area knows that, regardless of how they voted, if they come to me with an issue I will certainly do my best to resolve t h at and help people along the way when I can.”

Mr Crawley thanked the residents of the ward who came out to vote for him, together with his election agent and party members who offered their support, and he congratulated Ms McAllister.

Voting in the by-election on Thursday had new measures in place at polling places to prevent the spread of Covid, including disposable pencils.

Jim Savege, the chief executive of Aberdeenshire Council and returning officer, said: “It has been a lot more work and taken diligence to make sure it was a safe process.

“But the fundamentals have been the same in terms of polling stations and the count today, which has all gone really well.”

WINNER: New councillor Louise McAllister won her Ellon and District ward by 25 votes.