Labour have triumphed in a Fife Council by-election, pipping the SNP by just two votes.
Karen Beaton took the West Fife and Coastal Villages seat previously held by Labour’s Graeme Downie.
The former police officer secured 881 votes, with SNP candidate Paul Steele polling 879.
Mr Downie stood down after he became the new Dunfermline and Dollar MP in July, beating second-placed SNP candidate Naz Anis-Miah by more than 8,000 votes.
Labour had hoped to stem the anger against the party’s winter fuel payment cuts.
However, Ms Beaton admitted she did not expect the result to be so narrow.
“It was always going to be close,” she said. “But we didn’t expect it to be that close.”
Disappointingly low turnout
She said voters had concentrated more on local issues, such as the fight for a new health centre in Kincardine.
The existing facility has been declared not fit for purpose but a long-promised new one has been hit by a major funding delay.
Ms Beaton said potholes, road safety and bus services had also been mentioned.
However, she was disappointed by the extremely low turnout by voters, something she hopes to address.
At only 19%, less than a fifth of the electorate actually cast a vote.
“We need to look at why we’re not engaging with people,” she said.
The new Labour councillors is now one of three members representing the West Fife and Coastal Villages Ward.
It’s a busy area that includes historic Culross as well as former mining communities.
And she says she is looking forward to working with the SNP’s Sam Steele and Conservative councillor Conner Young.
Meanwhile, Ms Steele says the SNP is “obviously disappointed” with the by-election outcome.
However, she also plans to work collaboratively for the good of the ward.
Full West Fife and Coastal Villages by-election result
The by-election result means the Fife Council minority Labour administration still has 19 members compared to the SNP’s 34.
The Liberal Democrats have 13 councillors and there are eight Conservatives and one independent.
Labour sources were left buoyant at the victory in the backyard of Dunfermline MSP and Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Sommerville.
One senior party figure said it was the second candidate hand-picked by the SNP MSP who they had defeated.
“She may be the third,” they added.
The full West Fife and Coastal Village result:
Karen Beaton (Labour) – 881
Paul Steele – (SNP) – 879
David Ross – (Scottish Conservatives) – 426
Paul Buchanan-Quigley (Liberal Democrat) – 227
Fiona McCowan – (Scottish Greens) – 128
George Morton – (Independent) – 64
Daniel Smith- (Scottish Family Party – 53
Conversation