Labour candidate Billy Rooney pictured with Labour leader Anas Sarwar and supporters in Hardgate, which is part of the Kilpatrick ward.
By Democrat reporter
Candidates for the by-election taking place this week to fill the Council seat vacated by former Provost Douglas McAllister (Labour) in the Kilpatrick ward have been doing their last minute canvassing around the doors and shopping precincts.
Mr McAllister has since been elected to become the Westminster MP, having beaten Martin Docherty Hughes (SNP) into second place for the constituency.
West Dunbartonshire residents in the Kilpatrick ward will be able to vote for their preferred candidate for election when the polls open on Thursday 28 November.
The deadline for nominations is now past and eight candidates have been confirmed, including Billy Rooney, son of the current council leader Martin Rooney, who was supported on the ground at Hardgate shops by Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar.
Given the support he has received from local Labour Party members and the leadership Billy Rooney must be considered favourite to win.
But that will only happen if the electorate are prepared to forgive Labour for the state West Dunbartonshire Council is now in following the collapsed of the Labour administration when they failed to secure the Provostship for Councillor Michelle McGinty.
The candidates are:
- Paula Baker: Scottish Greens
- Dylan McAllister: Communist Party of Britain
- Ewan McGinnigle: Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Andrew Joseph Muir: Scottish Family Party
- Kai O’Connor: Scottish Liberal Democrats
- William Rooney: Scottish Labour Party
- Marina Scanlan: Scottish National Party (SNP)
- David Haydn Smith: UK Reform
Voting will get underway from 7am on Thursday, with polling places remaining open until the vote closes at 10pm.
The count will take place immediately after the polls close, with a declaration of the result as soon as possible thereafter.
Returning Officer Peter Hessett said: “We want West Dunbartonshire residents who reside in the Kilpatrick ward to ensure they can use their vote to have their say on who they want to represent them.
“The successful candidate elected as a Councillor will make decisions on behalf of residents about local services including roads, parks, schools and planning.
“The by-election will use the Single Transferrable Vote (STV) system, which asks voters to mark their candidates in numerical order of preference.”
The successful candidate will join the two other councillors who currently represent this ward; councillor Lawrence O’Neill [Labour] and councillor Gordon Scanlan [SNP].
- Top of page picture is of Ex Provost McAllister making a speech after his election as MP for the constituency. The beaten candidates and returning officer Peter Hessett are in the background.