Four candidates contest Landward Caithness By-Election

Four candidates will contest the forthcoming by-election to elect one councillor to serve The Highland Council’s Ward 4 – Landward Caithness.

The candidates are:
 David Baron, Scottish Labour Party
 Gillian Coghill
 Hanna Miedema, Scottish National Party (SNP)
 Barbara Anne Watson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Candidate

The by-election will be held on Thursday 2 May and voting will take place at 14 polling stations between 7.00 am – 10.00 pm. The polling stations are:-

• Castletown Drill Hall
• Reay Hall
• Ross Institute,  Halkirk
• Bower Community Hall
• Watten Hall
• Britannia Hall Dunnet
• Canisbay Hall
• Keiss Amenities Hall
• Reiss Hall
• Assembly Rooms, Wick
• Thrumster Hall
• Lybster Community Centre
• Dunbeath Village Hall
• Free Church Hall, Millbank Road, Thurso

The count will take place the morning of Friday 3 May at the Wick Assembly Rooms.

The vacancy has arisen as Robert Coghill (Independent) stepped down at the end of February following medical advice. He was one of four Councillors representing Landward Caithness. The other Ward members are Councillors David Bremner, Willie Mackay and Alex MacLeod.

Anyone eligible to vote can apply for either a postal vote or to vote by proxy. The latest time to apply for a postal vote is 5.00pm on Wednesday 17 April.  Wednesday 24 April is the deadline for anyone wishing to apply to vote by proxy.  Advice on postal and proxy voting is available by contacting the Electoral Registration Office on 0800 393783.

Landward Caithness is one of 22 wards within the Highland area and has a population of 11,290 with the main centres being Halkirk, John O' Groats, Castletown, Dunbeath and Lybster. The electorate is 8,678.

The Highland Council is made up of 80 elected members.  The current representation is Independent 34, SNP 21, Liberal Democrats 14, Labour 8, Independent Nationalist 2 with 1 vacancy for the Landward Caithness ward.

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