West Lothian candidates vie for seat on council in Thursday poll

Stuart Sommerville

11 November 2024 at 11:05 am·2-min read

Voters in Whitburn choose a new councillor this week — -Credit: (Image: Maxi Construction)

Voters go to the polls in West Lothian again this week for the second by-election in three months.

Constituents in the Whitburn & Blackburn area go to the polls on Thursday, November 14, to elect one councillor to fill a vacancy for the council ward area.

Registered voters will have already received their poll cards, detailing their local polling station.

Seven candidates are competing for the council seat vacated by Labour’s Kirsteen Sullivan who was elected as MP for the Bathgate and Linlithgow constituency in July.

The list contains seasoned campaigners, the chair of the local community council and a former councillor bidding to make a return to the chambers in Livingston’s Civic Centre.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday. Polling cards do not have to be presented and voters are reminded that there is no need for any form of photo identification for this by-election.

Like all wards in West Lothian Whitburn and Blackburn is a multi-member ward. At the last election two Labour and two SNP members were elected.

Unlike the national “first past the post” election voting for council elections is under the Single Transferable Vote system where voters number the candidates in terms of preference, from one to seven.

Voters will be asked to number the candidates in order of choice. They should put a 1 in the box next to the first choice, a 2 in the box next to the second choice and so on. They can make as many or as few choices as they wish.

Only numbers should be used, and any other marks on the ballot paper could mean a vote may not be counted.

Replacement ballot papers are available from polling station staff if a mistake is made. Pencils will also be provided.

Arrangements are available in the polling stations for voters who need help with reading the ballot paper or marking it.

The full list of candidates is:-

Aileen Brown, SNP

Douglas Butler, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Cameron Glasgow, Scottish Greens

Charles Kennedy, Scottish Conservative and Unionist

Thomas Lynch, Independent

David McLennan, Reform

David Russell, Labour

In August Susan Manion won a by-election in the Armadale and Blackridge ward for Labour. That seat was left vacant by the death in May of Councillor Stuart Borrowman.

Further guidance for voting in person this week can be found on the West Lothian Council website: https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/.../Voting-in-person-in...

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