1990 Shetland Islands Council election

An election to the Shetland Islands Council was held on 3 May 1990 as part of regional elections. Independents maintained control of the 25 seat council. The Shetland Movement gained two seats, bringing their total to seven. The Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrats also ran candidates for the first time.

1990 Shetland Islands Council election

May 3, 1990 (1990-05-03)
All 25 seats to Shetland Islands Council 13 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Edward Thomason Bill Smith Party Independent Shetland Movement Labour Leader's seat Lerwick Harbour Lerwick Central Last election 16 5 5 Seats won 16 7 1 Seat change 0 2 3 Popular vote 1,962 1,083 246 Percentage 56.9% 31.4% 7.1% Swing 10.0% 17.8% 9.5%   Fourth party   Leader Leonard Groat Party Independent Labour Leader's seat Lerwick North Last election 0 Seats won 1 Seat change 1 Popular vote 0 Percentage 0.0 Swing New
The result of the election
Council Convener before election Edward Thomason Shetland Movement Council Convener after election Edward Thomason Shetland Movement

Results by electoral district.

Former Labour councillor Leonard Groat stood on an Independent Labour ticket in protest against his party's support for the closure of Montfield Hospital in Lerwick.

Aggregate results

Shetland Islands Council election, 1990

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Independent	16	0	0	0	72	56.9	1,962	10.0
	Shetland Movement	7	2	0	2	24	31.4	1,083	17.8
	Independent Labour	1	1	0	1	4	0.0	0	New
	Labour	1	0	4	3	1	7.1	246	9.5
	Liberal Democrats	0	0	0	0	0.0	2.7	94	New
	SNP	0	0	0	0	0	1.9	65	New

Ward Results

Aithsting and Sandsting

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Florence Grains (incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Bressay

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	James Irvine (incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Burra & Trondra

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	George Pottinger	213	55.2%
	Shetland Movement	William Cumming (incumbent)	173	44.8%
Majority			40	10.4%
	Independent gain from Shetland Movement

Delting North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Andrea Manson (incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Delting South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Mary Colligan	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Dunrossness North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	William Tait (incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Dunrossness South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Movement	Magnus Flaws (incumbent)	225	79.8%
	Independent	John Johnston	57	20.2%
Majority			168	59.6%
	Shetland Movement gain from Independent

Gulberwick, Quarff and Cunningsburgh

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Joan McLeod (incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Lerwick Breiwick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Cecil Eunson (Incumbent)	241	79.8%
	Labour	Robert Adair	61	20.2%
Majority			180	59.6%
	Independent hold

Lerwick Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Bill Smith (Incumbent)	185	66.3%
	Liberal Democrats	Kenneth Crossan	94	36.7%
Majority			91	29.6%
	Labour hold

Lerwick Clickimin

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Robert Johnson	122	36.9%
	Shetland Movement	William Playfair	108	32.6%
	Independent	Ian Byrne	101	30.5%
Majority			14	4.3%
	Independent gain from Shetland Movement

Lerwick Harbour

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Movement	Edward Thomason (incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Movement hold

Lerwick North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent Labour	Leonard Groat	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent Labour gain from Labour

Lerwick Sound

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Movement	John Graham (Incumbent)	308	87.5%
	Independent	Ian Selbie	44	12.5%
Majority			264	75.0%
	Shetland Movement hold

Lerwick Twageos

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Lewis Shand Smith	179	43.6%
	Independent	Michael Johnston (Incumbent)	174	42.3%
	Independent	William Henderson	58	14.1%
Majority			5	1.3%
	Independent hold

Nesting and Lunnasting

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Greta McElvogue	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Northmavine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	James Manson	144	50.3%
	Independent	Bill Manson	142	49.7%
Majority			2	0.6%
	Independent gain from Labour

Sandness and Walls

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	James Gear	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Sandwick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Movement	James Smith (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Movement gain from Independent

Scalloway

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Movement	William Anderson (Incumbent)	183	65.8%
	Anti-Poll Tax	Ian Scott	95	34.2%
Majority			88	31.6%
	Shetland Movement gain from Independent

Unst

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Joan Easten	200	64.9%
	Independent	Elizabeth Nicolson (Incumbent)	108	35.1%
Majority			92	29.8%
	Independent hold

Whalsay and Skerries

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Henry Stewart (incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Whiteness, Weisdale and Tingwall

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Alex Arthur (incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Yell North and Fetlar

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Movement	Andrew Williamson	86	36.6%
	Independent	Philip Turner	73	31.1%
	SNP	Derrick Tulloch	65	27.7%
	Independent	Derek Rushton	7	3.0%
	Independent	Philip Anderson	4	1.7%
Majority			13	5.5%
	Shetland Movement gain from Independent

Yell South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Movement	Robert Gray	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Movement gain from Independent

By-elections since 1990

1991 Northmavine by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Bill Manson	207	62.2%
	Independent	Thomas Balfour	115	34.5%
	Independent	James Paterson	11	3.3%
Majority			92	27.7%
	Independent hold

1993 Yell South by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Peter Guy	208	70.0%
	Independent	Alan Ogden	89	30.0%
Majority			119	40.0%
	Independent gain from Shetland Movement

1993 Whalsay and Skerries by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Hazel Simpson	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

1993 Whiteness, Weisdale and Tingwall by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Jonathan Wills	388	73.8%
	Independent	A.M. Leslie	77	14.6%
	Independent	J.W. Johnson	61	11.6%
Majority			311	59.2%
	Independent hold