THE SNP have won a seat from Scottish Labour in a council by-election in Stirling.
The party’s candidate Willie Ferguson is the new councillor for Stirling East with former councillor Chris Kane having stepped down to become the MP for Stirling and Strathallan.
Ferguson, who runs a fire sprinkler company, will now take on the role.
Voter turnout was 21.7% with Ferguson elected at stage seven of the contest, having picked up 650 votes in the first preference round of voting.
Labour came in second place with 480 votes while it was another strong showing for Reform UK, who picked up 265 votes at the first preference stage.
First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney was among those to offer his congratulations to Ferguson, saying he was “delighted” at the win.
MSP for Stirling Evelyn Tweed meanwhile said it was a “fantastic result”.
Speaking to The Courier, Ferguson said his main priority would be to tackle anti-social behaviour, calling for a dedicated taskforce to help tackle the issue.
Returning officer Caroline Sinclair said: "I would like to say a huge thanks to all our staff and partners, led by the governance service, who helped deliver the Stirling East by-election.
"Elections involve a lot of careful planning and preparation and teams across the council have worked together to ensure the processes have run smoothly and successfully.
"Local government decisions impact on every aspect of people's lives, so it is important that citizens engage in the democratic process - thanks to everyone who participated in this election."
Sinclair, who also serves as the council's chief executive, also offered her congratulations to Ferguson, saying: "Everyone at Stirling Council looks forward to working with him over the coming years."
