Voting got off to a slow start in Fife on Thursday as the region’s electorate began choosing their new councillors.
Although the sun made an appearance, only a trickle of voters appeared to do the same in the early hours of the 2017 local election.
While political party canvassers at some polling stations reported a steady flow of voters arriving for the ballot, others said it was a quiet morning.
Fife’s 280,848 registered voters are voting for 75 new councillors across 22 wards, many having already done their democratic duty by postal ballot.
Papers will be counted on Friday at the Rothes Halls, in Glenrothes, with the winning councillors who will form the new Fife Council declared throughout the day.
At Burntisland’s Toll Centre turnout in the morning was said to be steady, however, the polling stations in Burntisland High Street and Kinghorn Community Centre appeared to be quieter.
One candidate said: “The turnout has been reasonable so far but it usually gets busier when people are finishing work and are on their way home.
“The schools are off today, so people have been heading out a bit later.”
There was also a steady flow of voters at Kirkcaldy’s Templehall Community Council but there was a slow start at Thornton polling station, in the public hall.
At South Parks Primary School in Glenrothes, only 40 voters were counted in the first couple of hours of the vote.
Quiet but steady was also the start to election day at Kelty Community Centre, where voters were choosing candidates for the Cowdenbeath ward.
Labour candidate Alex Campbell, who was a councillor for the former Lochs ward, was among those out bright and early to greet voters.
As well as the main political parties, Fife had candidates from the Scottish Green Party, Solidarity, UKIP and the Scottish Liberatian Party.
There were 24 independent candidates, the most ever to stand for election to Fife Council.
Nine of the region’s wards will be represented by four councillors and 13 will have three councillors.
Polling stations close at 10pm.
