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Council by-election · Thursday, 1 October 2026

Highland: Wick and East Caithness ward

Archive. This election has already happened. Everything below is shown as it stood at the time: the candidates, their published positions as of the campaign, and household figures under the law of 2026. Nothing here is a judgement of what happened afterwards.

5 candidates stood here, polling day 1 October 2026. The same page for each of them, in the order you will see on the ballot paper. Read them all, or start with the one you have heard of.

5candidates for one seat
0sourced positions
0with something published
0named sources

See the 5 candidatesIn a hurry? Two-minute guide →

The 5 on your paper in the order you’ll see them

  1. No. 1Independent

    Dave Buchanan

    “-Strong local vocal candidate -Passionate about Caithness -Accountable, transparent and accessible -Truly independent, no party to pander…”

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  2. No. 2Scottish Liberal Democrats

    Julie Calder

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  3. No. 3Scottish Conservative and Unionist

    Charlotte Gibson

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  4. No. 4Scottish National Party (SNP)

    John Glen

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  5. No. 5Reform UK

    Iain Richmond

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

Result pending

Voting has closed. The votes are counted after the polls close, sometimes overnight and sometimes the next day. The result will appear here, with every candidate's votes, as soon as it is published.

Results come from Democracy Club, which records the returning officer’s declaration; this page checks for it every 15 minutes.

Describe a household. Yours, a friend's, a neighbour's. Then each candidate's page shows what applies.

0 of 7 chosen
Age
Adults in the household
Children or dependants
Housing
Household income before tax, per year
Work
Studying
Optional: a few more things some policies refer to. Leave blank and nothing is assumed.
Anyone in the household is disabled or has a long-term health condition
Anyone in the household is an unpaid carer
Anyone in the household is on a UK visa, or seeking asylum
The household receives any means-tested benefit (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, etc.)
The household owns or regularly drives a car
Anyone in the household has served in the armed forces
Bands only. Nothing is sent to us.

Explore by topic

Money · Housing · Healthcare · Education · Environment · Transport and roads · Immigration · Crime · Defence · Equality and rights

Add your household and the topics that touch it come first, with the reason.

Which topics do you want to see first? Optional.Choose

Changes only the order of topic sections on this page. It never changes what is shown, who is shown, or any figure.

In this ward 5 candidates from 5 parties or independent slots are standing. Parties do not stand everywhere; here is how to find out whether yours stands nearby.

This is a council seat. A councillor's win changes what the council decides: council tax, housing repairs and allocations, planning, social care, schools admissions, parking, bins, libraries. It does not change national tax, benefits or NHS policy, so this page shows only positions published for this council election, and no national party pledges are implied.

Sourced positions found for 0 of 5 candidates

No sourced positions have been published for this ballot yet, so every candidate shows the same empty slots. Every claim that appears carries its source, date and exact quotation; see the public ledger.

Compare candidates side by side

You're voting for

Your local councillor

Councillors sit on the council that runs services where you live. They set the council's budget and council tax, and decide local planning applications. Here, for Highland: Wick and East Caithness ward.

What this office decides

  • Planning. Whether new homes, extensions and developments get permission.
  • Waste and streets. Bins, recycling, street cleaning, fly-tipping.
  • Council tax. The level you pay, within limits set nationally.
  • Social care. In county and unitary councils, care for older and disabled people.
  • Parks and libraries. Opening, funding, closing.
  • Council housing. Repairs, allocations and, in many areas, homelessness.

What it does not

  • NHS policy and waiting times. Parliament and the NHS.
  • Income tax and benefits. Parliament.
  • Immigration. Parliament.
  • Policing policy. The Home Office and your Police and Crime Commissioner or mayor.
  • Schools' curriculum. Government and, for academies, their trusts.

Candidates often campaign on things their office cannot change. That is not dishonest in itself — an MP can press a council, a councillor can lobby government — but it is worth knowing which is which. Summarised from the Local Government Association and UK Parliament descriptions of each role.

How this vote is counted: single transferable vote. You rank candidates 1, 2, 3… as far as you like.Worked example

Each ballot starts with its first choice. To win, a candidate needs a quota: votes ÷ (seats + 1), plus one. If nobody reaches the quota, the candidate with fewest votes is excluded and their ballots move to each voter's next choice. If someone passes the quota, their surplus moves on in the same way. It continues until the seats are filled.

Example: 1,000 votes, one seat, quota 501. Round one: A 400, B 350, C 250. Nobody has 501, so C is excluded; C's ballots go to their second choices, say 150 to B and 100 to A. B now has 500, A 500, and the count continues on remaining preferences. A second choice is never wasted and never harms your first.

Everyone on one page

Showing 5 of 5 candidates. Everyone on the ballot, in ballot-paper order.

Numbered as on the ballot paper. Open a candidate to see their positions on the ten topics, with sources. Until a household is described, only positions that apply to everyone are counted.

1Dave Buchanan

Independent

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2Julie Calder

Liberal Democrats

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3Charlotte Gibson

Conservative and Unionist Party

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4John Glen

Scottish National Party (SNP)

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5Iain Richmond

Reform UK

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Photos appear only on each candidate's own page, so every candidate looks the same in this list. How much sourced material we found per party · Why isn't my party standing here?

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Go deeper: independent sources

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Cross-cutting: polling, fact-checking, parliamentary research
Cite this page

Harvard style. Every figure on the page also names its original source, which is usually the better thing to cite.