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1973 Zetland County Council election
24 of 30 seats on the Zetland County Council; 16 seats needed for a majority
Council Convener before election; Edward Thomason; Independent	Council Convener after election ; George Blance; Independent

Elections to the Zetland County Council were held on 8 May 1973 as part of Scottish local elections. This was the last election for the County Council before its incorporation along with the Lerwick Town Council into the Shetland Islands Council in 1975. Elections were held in every part of Shetland except Lerwick to elect 24 landward members to the County Council, who would be joined by six nominated members from the Lerwick Town Council.

The election saw an unusually partisan competition between supporters and opponents of the County Council's policy on North Sea oil. The Shetland Democratic Group was formed to oppose the council's attempts to gain private legislation to exert direct control over oil developments in Shetland, objecting to proposals that would allow the council to take equity in industrial development and gain compulsory purchase powers.^[1]

The Shetland Democratic Group gained 11 seats and defeated incumbent Convener Edward Thomason but failed to win enough support to gain control of the Zetland County Council. Supporters of the council's policy elected George Blance, a nominated member from the Lerwick Town Council, as the council's final Convener, defeating Shetland Democratic Group member John Jamieson by 18 votes to 12. The council's continued support for private legislation led to the passage of the Zetland County Council Act 1974, providing the council with powers to become a harbour authority, control harbour developments, invest in securities of bodies corporate, implement compulsory purchases in specified areas relating to oil developments and to establish a reserve fund from oil revenues.^[2] These powers would be inherited by the Shetland Islands Council in 1975.

13 seats were uncontested, including seven of the Shetland Democratic Group's 11 gains.^[3]

Election results

Zetland County Council Election Result 1973^[4]
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Independent	13	0	11	11	54.2%	78.6%	2,078	21.4
	Shetland Democratic Group	11	11	0	11	45.8%	21.4%	566	21.4

Ward Results

Aithsting
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	Iain Caldwell	151	54.9%
	Independent	Robert Garrick (Incumbent)	124	45.1%
Majority			27	9.8%
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Bressay
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	James Irvine (Incumbent)	122	78.2%
	Independent	Brenda Scott	34	20.8%
Majority			88	57.4%
	Independent hold

Burra
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	William Cumming (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Cunningsburgh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	Joan McLeod (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Delting North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	Fraser Peterson (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Delting South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	Clem Robb (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Dunrossness North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	James Leask (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Dunrossness South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Raymond Bentley (Incumbent)	150	63.3%
	Independent	Arthur M. Irvine	87	36.7%
Majority			63	26.6%
	Independent hold

Fetlar
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	John Laurenson (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Gulberwick and Quarff
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Arthur Irvine (Incumbent)	45	51.4%
	Shetland Democratic Group	Alistair Leask	43	48.6%
Majority			2	2.8%
	Independent hold

Nesting and Lunnasting
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Andrew Riddell	149	68.3%
	Independent	William Hamilton (Incumbent)	69	31.7%
Majority			80	36.6%
	Independent hold

Northmavine North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	Robert Balfour	46	55.4%
	Independent	Andrew Cromarty (Incumbent)	37	44.6%
Majority			9	10.8%
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Northmavine South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	John Jamieson (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Sandness
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Peter Garriock	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Sandsting
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	A.I. Tulloch (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Sandwick
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	Thomas Stove (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Tingwall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Andrew Irvine (Incumbent)	327	55.7%
	Independent	Martin Williamson	260	44.3%
Majority			67	11.4%
	Independent hold

Unst North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	William Thomson	249	70.5%
	Independent	Edward Thomason (Incumbent)	104	29.5%
Majority			145	41.0%
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Unst South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	Alan Fraser (Incumbent)	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Walls
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Williamina Tait (Incumbent)	195	79.9%
	Independent	Peter Hick	49	20.1%
Majority			146	59.8%
	Independent hold

Whalsay and Skerries
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Frederick Dainty	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

Whiteness and Weisdale
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Shetland Democratic Group	John Johnson	77	37.0%
	Independent	John Rae (Incumbent)	67	32.2%
	Independent	George Morrison	64	30.8%
Majority			10	4.8%
	Shetland Democratic Group gain from Independent

Yell North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Sandy Cluness	156	80.0%
	Independent	Robert Manson	39	20.0%
Majority			117	60.0%
	Independent hold

Yell South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Robert Gray	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

By-elections since 1973

1974 Yell North by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	David Johnson	unopposed	unopposed
Majority			unopposed	unopposed
	Independent hold

References

^ "Pro-Bill Members Retain Control". The Shetland Times. 24 May 1973.
^ Nevis Institute (1978). The Shetland Report: A constitutional study prepared for the Shetland Islands Council by The Nevis Institute under the Chairmanship of Lord Kilbrandon. Edinburgh. p. 63.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ "Landslide for "Democrats"". The Shetland Times. 11 May 1973.
^ Stewart, James. "County Council Election May 1973". Shetland History Online. Retrieved 25 January 2022.