Scottish Borders
Scottish council · Scotland · 34 seats in 11 wards · All seats elected every five years · Next election 6 May 2027
Scottish Borders Council is run by a Conservative / Independent coalition. The council has 34 councillors in 11 wards. Seats by party: Conservative 14, Other 9, SNP 6, Lib Dem 3, Green 1. The next election is on 6 May 2027.
Seats by party
Who holds each ward
Coloured by the party holding most of the ward's seats today; where seats are split evenly, by the party with the higher share at the last election.
Councillors and last results
Select a ward for its full results, candidates and last by-election.
| Ward and councillors | Last election |
|---|---|
| East Berwickshire James Anderson, Aileen Orr, Carol Hamilton | 5 May 2022 Conservative 41.0% lead 19.8 pts |
| Galashiels and District Hannah Steel, Euan Jardine, Neil Mackinnon, Fay Sinclair | 5 May 2022 SNP 35.9% lead 9.5 pts |
| Hawick and Denholm Clair Ramage, Stuart Marshall, Neil Richards | 5 May 2022 Independent 69.2% lead 59.5 pts |
| Hawick and Hermitage Watson McAteer, Jane Cox, Annette Smart | 5 May 2022 Independent 48.5% lead 30.1 pts |
| Jedburgh and District Scott Hamilton, Sandy Scott, John Bathgate | 5 May 2022 Conservative 50.3% lead 27.2 pts |
| Kelso and District Euan Robson, Simon Mountford, Tom Weatherston | 5 May 2022 Conservative 47.1% lead 17.3 pts |
| Leaderdale and Melrose Jenny Linehan, David Parker, Vacant | 5 May 2022 Independent 34.3% lead 9.9 pts |
| Mid Berwickshire John Greenwell, Mark Rowley, Donald Moffat | 5 May 2022 Conservative 46.1% lead 20.3 pts |
| Selkirkshire Elaine Thornton-Nicol, Leagh Douglas, Caroline Cochrane | 5 May 2022 Independent 35.5% lead 9.3 pts |
| Tweeddale East Marshall Douglas, Robin Tatler, Julie Pirone | 5 May 2022 SNP 30.3% lead 7.8 pts |
| Tweeddale West Drummond Begg, Viv Thomson, Eric Small | 5 May 2022 Conservative 28.1% lead 1.9 pts |
East Berwickshire
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Hamilton Elected | Conservative | 1,328 | 31.3% |
| Aileen Orr Elected | SNP | 899 | 21.2% |
| James Robert Anderson Elected | Independent | 562 | 13.3% |
| Raquel Lloyd-Jones | Independent | 466 | 11.0% |
| Lynda Jones | Conservative | 409 | 9.7% |
| Paul Stirton | Labour | 296 | 7.0% |
| Peter Guthrie | Scottish Green | 245 | 5.8% |
| Edward Brownlie Prentice | Scottish Family Party | 33 | 0.8% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Galashiels and District
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fay Sinclair Elected | SNP | 1,637 | 35.9% |
| Euan Jardine Elected | Conservative | 1,205 | 26.4% |
| Hannah Steel Elected | Lib Dem | 483 | 10.6% |
| Neil MacKinnon Elected | Scottish Green | 412 | 9.0% |
| Bill White | Independent | 315 | 6.9% |
| Harry Scott | Independent | 246 | 5.4% |
| Duck Frater | Independent | 199 | 4.4% |
| Michael Banks | Vanguard Party | 36 | 0.8% |
| James Douglas Wilson Clark | Scottish Eco-Federalists | 24 | 0.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Hawick and Denholm
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Marshall Elected | Independent | 2,265 | 69.2% |
| Clair Ramage Elected | Independent | 316 | 9.7% |
| Neil Richards Elected | Conservative | 309 | 9.4% |
| Catriona Hamilton | Scottish Green | 147 | 4.5% |
| Kay Hughes | Labour | 120 | 3.7% |
| Trevor Adams | Independent | 114 | 3.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Hawick and Hermitage
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watson McAteer Elected | Independent | 1,477 | 48.5% |
| Jane Cox Elected | Conservative | 560 | 18.4% |
| Annette Smart Elected | SNP | 509 | 16.7% |
| Cameron Knox | Independent | 191 | 6.3% |
| Robert Leach | Labour | 114 | 3.7% |
| Rosemary Webster | Lib Dem | 113 | 3.7% |
| Kevin Ferguson | Scottish Green | 81 | 2.7% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Jedburgh and District
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Hamilton Elected | Conservative | 1,089 | 31.1% |
| Pam Brown Elected | SNP | 809 | 23.1% |
| Sandy Scott Elected | Conservative | 675 | 19.2% |
| John Lawrence Bathgate | Independent | 529 | 15.1% |
| Charles Strang | Scottish Green | 250 | 7.1% |
| Jesse Rae | Independent | 102 | 2.9% |
| Yvonne Anne Ridley | Alba | 53 | 1.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Last by-election, 22 February 2024
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Lawrence Bathgate Elected | Conservative | 1,377 | 58.5% |
| Phil Dixon | SNP | 410 | 17.4% |
| Kaymarie Hughes | Labour | 241 | 10.2% |
| Ray Georgeson | Lib Dem | 166 | 7.1% |
| Charles Strang | Scottish Green | 135 | 5.7% |
| James Douglas Wilson Clark | Scottish Eco-Federalists | 25 | 1.1% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Kelso and District
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euan Robson Elected | Lib Dem | 1,169 | 29.8% |
| Tom Weatherston Elected | Conservative | 942 | 24.0% |
| Simon Mountford Elected | Conservative | 904 | 23.1% |
| Shelagh King | Scottish Green | 518 | 13.2% |
| Wilson George | Labour | 301 | 7.7% |
| Kenryck Lloyd-Jones | Labour | 69 | 1.8% |
| Sunny Smith | Vanguard Party | 17 | 0.4% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Leaderdale and Melrose
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Parker Elected | Independent | 1,594 | 34.3% |
| Jenny Linehan Elected | Conservative | 1,133 | 24.4% |
| John PatonDay Elected | SNP | 918 | 19.7% |
| Simon Johnson | Lib Dem | 589 | 12.7% |
| Michael Scott | Labour | 207 | 4.5% |
| Michael Needham | Scottish Green | 199 | 4.3% |
| Chris Stefanek | Vanguard Party | 10 | 0.2% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Mid Berwickshire
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Greenwell Elected | Conservative | 1,213 | 29.0% |
| Donald Moffat Elected | SNP | 1,079 | 25.8% |
| Mark Rowley Elected | Conservative | 715 | 17.1% |
| Yvonne Huggins-Haig | Lib Dem | 479 | 11.5% |
| Gail Jackson | Scottish Green | 292 | 7.0% |
| David Smith | Labour | 254 | 6.1% |
| Hamish Goldie-Scot | Scottish Family Party | 146 | 3.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Selkirkshire
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline Cochrane Elected | Independent | 1,423 | 35.5% |
| Leagh Douglas Elected | Conservative | 1,049 | 26.2% |
| Elaine Thornton-Nicol Elected | SNP | 873 | 21.8% |
| Scott Redpath | Labour | 223 | 5.6% |
| Barbra Harvie | Scottish Green | 222 | 5.5% |
| Gordon Edgar | Independent | 217 | 5.4% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Tweeddale East
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Neil Douglas Elected | SNP | 1,485 | 30.3% |
| Julie Pirone Elected | Conservative | 1,102 | 22.5% |
| Robin Tatler Elected | Independent | 896 | 18.3% |
| David Pye | Lib Dem | 483 | 9.9% |
| Ellie Clarke | Scottish Green | 469 | 9.6% |
| Robert Bon | Labour | 449 | 9.2% |
| Calum MacEwan Watt | Vanguard Party | 11 | 0.2% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Tweeddale West
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viv Thomson Elected | SNP | 1,266 | 26.2% |
| Drummond Begg Elected | Lib Dem | 1,100 | 22.8% |
| Eric Small Elected | Conservative | 893 | 18.5% |
| Dominic Ashmole | Scottish Green | 792 | 16.4% |
| John Smith | Conservative | 466 | 9.7% |
| Julia Reid | Labour | 312 | 6.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Changed party since the election
2 councillors now sit for a different party from the one they were elected for.
| Ward | Councillor | Elected as | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Berwickshire | Aileen Orr | SNP 2022 | Independent |
| Mid Berwickshire | Mark Rowley | Conservative 2022 | Independent |
Every council by-election since 2021
1 by-election since July 2021, 1 of them gains.
| Date | Ward | Result | Winner's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 February 2024 | Jedburgh and District | Conservative gain from SNP | 58.5% |
Parliamentary constituencies
| Constituency | Share of council | 2024 winner | Projected now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Conservative | Conservative 30% | |
| Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | Conservative | Conservative 37% |
Scottish councils: seats are listed without shares. The projection is PollCheck's demographic model at current polling, not a forecast.
Who lives in Scottish Borders
184,419 residents in 87,416 households
GB figure. 2021 Census (Scotland: 2022): age as a share of residents aged 15 and over, qualifications of residents aged 16 and over, housing as a share of households. Leave: 2016 EU referendum, Electoral Commission results by counting area.
Councils most like this one
Closest on the measures above: the 2016 Leave vote, age, qualifications and housing. Maps show which party holds each ward.
Sources and method
Seat totals and control: PollCheck council control tracker. Councillors: Open Council Data (CC BY-SA 4.0). Election results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), with some vote counts from DCLEAPIL, Leman (2025) (CC BY-SA 4.0), and corrections checked against councils' official declarations. Ward boundaries: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Census: Office for National Statistics and National Records of Scotland.
Councillor lists and DCLEAPIL-derived vote counts on this page are available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scottish councils use STV: party shares are of first-preference votes. The lead is the gap between the top two parties' shares.