Iain Taylor (left) and Colin Clark won the by-elections
Tories took an Aberdeenshire Council seat from the SNP and another from an independent in the latest local by-elections in Scotland.
Conservatives topped the first-preference votes in both polls under the single transferable vote (STV) system.
The Tory victory over the Scottish Nationalists came in the Banff & District ward in a contest following the death of SNP councillor Ian Gray.
First-preference voting was: C 1,170, SNP 962, LD 526. Turnout was 29.5%.
The Conservatives’ second win came in the Inverurie & District ward in a by-election prompted by the resignation of independent councillor Martin Kitts-Hayes, who previously had been elected as a Liberal Democrat. He stepped down after the so-called “Legogate” row over the costs of a trip to Denmark when he returned early as he was dissatisfied with his accommodation.
First-preference voting was: C 1,302, SNP 1,164, LD 755, Lab 139. Turnout was 30.4%.
Iain Taylor and Colin Clark emerged victorious in the respective seats.
