Contents
Council-Wide Results
NOTE: Inverclyde East ward was uncontested, meaning no vote was held. This will impact vote share significantly. In 2017, Inverclyde East was a Conservative led ward.
Roughly equally sized gains for the SNP and Labour, giving both an extra seat, delivered a similar “wrong winner” result to 2017, as the SNP’s tally of 8 was still behind Labour’s 9. The Conservatives held both their seats, though one of those was in an uncontested ward. As they’d led that ward in 2017, this has a particularly significant impact on their vote share – swing in just the 6 contested wards was -3.3%. Those two gains had to come from somewhere else then, and both were the result of retirement.
The departure of a long-serving Lib Dem saw his successor fail to hold the seat, making this the first council since 1995 without any representation from that party. The other was very popular Independent Ronnie Ahlfeld, most of whose vote clearly moved to the Lynne Quinn, the ward’s other Independent. Alba had hoped to get one of their few high profile national figures into that ward, but only won a paltry 2.6% of the vote. With no Greens standing, Inverclyde is the only council never to have had a Green candidate at local level.
Administration
After the election, a Labour minority administration was formed. The Independent councillors supported the administration in the initial vote, but do not appear to be part of it.
Interactive Map
Unlike many of Scotland’s council areas, Inverclyde doesn’t preserve or indicate a particular historic unit. The name is a relatively recent coinage for what is in effect West Renfrewshire. Situated on the Firth of Clyde, this area has a long maritime and industrial history, with the formerly separate towns of Port Glasgow, Greenock and Gourock having gradually grown into one another. It also includes smaller, and generally more affluent, villages such as Wemyss Bay, Inverkip and Kilmacolm.
As you’d expect from such an industrial area, the political tendency here was mostly towards Labour, although the Conservatives did win a wider western Renfrewshire seat in 1983 that excluded the urban core. That core remained with Labour in both parliaments right up until 2015 when the SNP picked Inverclyde up in their landslide, which they repeated locally at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
Perhaps surprisingly however, Inverclyde was also long a Liberal Democrat (and predecessors) stronghold at local level. They were the primary opposition to Labour in the previous, identical, district except in 1977, when they won a majority. They’d again repeat that feat in the 2003 election, causing Inverclyde to stick out like a sore orange thumb in an otherwise red tinted Central Belt.
Individual Ward Results
Councillors and Key Stats
3 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: Christopher Curley
🔴Labour: Stephen McCabe
🔵Conservative: David Wilson
Change vs 2017: No change
Electorate: N/A
Turnout: N/A
Valid: N/A
Spoiled: N/A
Quota: N/A
Candidates
🟡SNP: Christopher Curley
🔴Labour: Stephen McCabe
🔵Conservative: David Wilson
As the number of candidates nominated in Inverclyde East was equal to the number of seats available, all candidates were elected unopposed and no vote was held.
Based on 2017 results, these were the candidates most likely to be elected in any case. As no vote was held, the candidates are listed as elected in alphabetical order.
Councillors and Key Stats
3 Councillors, in order elected:
🔴Labour: Robert Moran
🟡SNP: Kirsty Law
⚪Independent: Drew McKenzie
Change vs 2017: No change
Turnout: 40.9%
Electorate: 8065
Valid: 3227 (97.9%)
Spoiled: 69 (2.1%)
Quota: 807
Candidates
🔵Conservative: James Kelly
🟡SNP: Kirsty Law
🟡SNP: Jim MacLeod
⚪Independent: Drew McKenzie
🔴Labour: Robert Moran
⚫Alba: Louise Williams
Inverclyde East Central: First Preferences
Inverclyde East Central: Transfers
Inverclyde East Central: Results by Polling District
Inverclyde East Central: Second Preferences
Inverclyde East Central: Two-Candidate Preferred
Councillors and Key Stats
3 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: Pam Armstrong
🔴Labour: Michael McCormick
🔴Labour: Colin Jackson
Change vs 2017: No change
Turnout: 37.7%
Electorate: 7787
Valid: 2828 (96.3%)
Spoiled: 108 (3.7%)
Quota: 708
Candidates
🟡SNP: Pam Armstrong
🔵Conservative: Ian Bryson
🔴Labour: Colin Jackson
🟡SNP: Agnes Mcauley
🔴Labour: Michael McCormick
⚫Alba: Jim McEleney
Inverclyde Central: First Preferences
Inverclyde Central: Transfers
Inverclyde Central: Results by Polling District
Inverclyde Central: Second Preferences
Inverclyde Central: Two-Candidate Preferred
Councillors and Key Stats
4 Councillors, in order elected:
🔴Labour: Francesca Brennan
🟡SNP: Elizabeth Robertson
🔴Labour: Jim Clocherty
🔵Conservative: Graeme Brooks
Change vs 2017: No change
Electorate: 10353
Turnout: 49.9%
Valid: 5041 (97.5%)
Spoiled: 128 (2.5%)
Quota: 1009
Candidates
🔴Labour: Francesca Brennan
🔵Conservative: Graeme Brooks
🔴Labour: Jim Clocherty
🟤Pensioner’s: John Davidson
⚫Alba: Philomena Donnachie
⚪Independent: Gillian Maxwell
🟡SNP: Elizabeth Robertson
🟡SNP: Jenn Scott-McClafferty
🟠Lib Dem: Jacci Stoyle
Inverclyde North: First Preferences
Inverclyde North: Transfers
Inverclyde North: Results by Polling District
Inverclyde North: Second Preferences
Inverclyde North: Two-Candidate Preferred
Councillors and Key Stats
3 Councillors, in order elected:
⚪Independent: Lynne Quinn
🟡SNP: Sandra Reynolds
🔴Labour: Martin McCluskey
Change vs 2017: +1 Labour, -1 Independent (Ronald Ahlfeld retired)
Turnout: 54.8%
Electorate: 8773
Valid: 4774 (99.4%)
Spoiled: 30 (0.6%)
Quota: 1194
Candidates
🟠Lib Dem: John Burleigh
🔴Labour: Martin McCluskey
⚫Alba:Christopher McEleney
⚪Independent: Lynne Quinn
🟡SNP: Sandra Reynolds
🔵Conservative: Ted Runciman
⚪Independent: William Wilson
Inverclyde West: First Preferences
Inverclyde West: Transfers
All candidates in this ward were elected on first preferences alone, and thus no transfer rounds were required.
Inverclyde West: Results by Polling District
Inverclyde West: Second Preferences
Inverclyde West: Two-Candidate Preferred
Inverclyde West: Two-Party Preferred
Councillors and Key Stats
3 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: James Daisley
🔴Labour: Paul Cassidy
🟡SNP: Innes Nelson
Change vs 2017: +1 SNP, -1 Lib Dem
Turnout: 43.2%
Electorate: 9531
Valid: 4061 (98.6%)
Spoiled: 59 (1.4%)
Quota: 1016
Candidates
🔴Labour: Paul Cassidy
🟡SNP: James Daisley
🔵Conservative: Lisa Dallas
🟠Lib Dem: Alasdair Higgins
🟡SNP: Innes Nelson
⚪Independent: Paul Travers
Inverclyde South West: First Preferences
Inverclyde South West: Transfers
Inverclyde South West: Results by Polling District
Inverclyde South West: Second Preferences
Inverclyde South West: Two-Candidate Preferred
Councillors and Key Stats
3 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: John Crowther
🔴Labour: Natasha McGuire
⚪Independent: Tommy McVey
Change vs 2017: No change
Turnout: 40.9%
Electorate: 7877
Valid: 3157 (98.1%)
Spoiled: 62 (1.9%)
Quota: 790
Candidates
🟡SNP: John Crowther
🔵Conservative: Georgina Halfnight
🔴Labour: Natasha McGuire
🟡SNP: Irene McLeod
⚪Independent: Tommy McVey
Inverclyde South: First Preferences
Inverclyde South: Transfers
Inverclyde South: Results by Polling District
Inverclyde South: Second Preferences
Inverclyde South: Two-Candidate Preferred
If you’re unsure about what any of this data means, a quick explanation is given in this piece.
Innes Nelson (Inverclyde South West) from 🟡SNP to ⚪Independent; left party in April 2024, after it had voted to remove him as a committee convener following a one-month suspension from the Standards Commission for failing to declare an interest when intervening in a planning application near his home.
Kirsty Law (Inverclyde East Central) from 🟡SNP to ⚪Independent; left party in July 2024, citing dissatisfaction with the party on public finances especially.