Tories have triumphed in an all-female political bout for a vacant seat on Perth and Kinross Council.
Audrey Coates was elected to represent the City South ward, fighting off competition from all major parties.
She will join ward councillors Bob Band and Sheila McCole (both SNP) and the Liberal Democrat Willie Wilson.
The by-election was called following the sudden departure of Tory councillor Michael Jamieson, who stood down after his arrest on alleged child abuse images charges.
Award-winning businesswoman Mrs Coates, who is married to Perth City North councillor Harry, was voted in after six rounds of counting under the single transferable vote system.
Voters ranked candidates in order of preference and Mrs Coates won 1,734 first preference votes, while the SNP’s Pauline Leitch got 1,780.
The worst performing candidate was then eliminated and their votes were transferred to the second preference and so on until a majority was reached.
The turn-out was 43.1%, compared to just over 57% at May’s local election.
Mrs Coates said: “The campaign has been an intensive one and it has been an absolute pleasure meeting so many residents and hearing from them their views on local issues and their hopes and aspirations for Perth City.
“This is an exciting time for Perth and Kinross as we seek to promote ourselves as a forward looking city which builds on our rich heritage.”
She added: “I also pledge myself again to campaign to save services at PRI, for investment in our young people and their education, to protect and increase transport links in and around Perth and to protect our leisure centres from the SNP ‘swim tax’.
“I look forward to getting down to business and being a strong voice for the people of Perth South.”
Great result for @ScotTories in Perth S by election (up 6 points from 25% in May to 31% today). Well done to Audrey Coates and the whole team! https://t.co/xXTAvzuHVG
— Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonMSP) November 23, 2017
Tory MSP Murdo Fraser added: “This was a difficult by-election for us, given the circumstances in which it was called, and makes the Conservative victory here all the more significant.
“We came from third place in May to win the seat with a substantial increase in the Conservative vote. Audrey and her team worked incredibly hard on the campaign, and she will make an excellent councillor for Perth City South and a great addition to the Conservative team.”
SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “I am naturally disappointed that SNP candidate Pauline Leitch did not win the by-election, but there are some positives for us to take away.
“Not only did we win the first preference votes but we came from second place to first place on first preference votes.”
He added: “Our share of the vote increased by 6% from the last election and this gives us a great base to work from next time round.
“Pauline was an excellent candidate and I was really impressed by her hard work and genuine interest in making a difference to people’s lives in the ward. I don’t think we have seen the last of her.’
Result
Pauline Leitch (SNP): 32.1% (+6.3)
Audrey Coates (Con): 31.2% (+6.0)
Liz Barrett (Lib Dem): 28.8% (-5.9)
Tricia Duncan (Labour): 5.7% (-0.7)
Elspeth MacLachlan (Green): 1.8% (-1.2)
Denise Baylak (Ind): 0.5% (+0.5)
