The SNP candidate, Josh Fyvie, won the Stirling East by-election on Thursday, October 30, paving the way for the SNP to form a new administration.
Brig spoke to Josh, who told us that he feels honoured to have been elected as the SNP councillor for Stirling East, believes that he is the youngest councillor in the UK, and wants to see more young people get involved in politics.
Josh is an 18-year-old law student who’s been a member of the SNP since he was 14.
The first preference votes are as follows:
- Josh Fyvie – SNP: 808
- Yvone Dickson – Labour: 530
- William Docherty – Reform UK: 517
- James Corbett: Conservatives: 147
- Marie Stadtler: Scottish Greens: 141
- William Galloway: Liberal Democrats: 79
Fyvie was elected at the sixth round, passing the quota of 1,112.
This by-election came following the resignation of Bryan Flannagan, Conservative councillor for Stirling East, in August 2025.
He cited “increasing professional commitments” as the reason for his resignation, and had represented the ward since 2017, being re-elected in 2022.
A Historic Win for the SNP
Ever since it was created in 1996, Labour have always been a part of the administration of Stirling Council.
That looks set to change, however, as the Labour and Conservative parties no longer have a combined majority in the council.
Labour have remained in control of the current minority administration since 2022, despite only having four councillors, by relying on the support of the Conservative Party.
Josh, however, said that his victory would end “the Conservative tail wagging the Labour dog” and cited the fact that the council have yet to publish last year’s accounts as an example of the ineffectiveness of the current uneasy alliance.
His election now means that all three councillors from Stirling East Ward are from the SNP and brings the total number of SNP councillors to ten.
Green Councillor Alasdair Tollemache and Alasdair MacPherson, an independent, have previously signalled their willingness to work with the SNP to end the minority Labour administration. Their aid would give the Nationalists the 12 councillors necessary to form a majority in the council.
If the SNP were able to form an administration, it would mark the first time in just under 30 years that Labour have not controlled Stirling Council.
The Scottish Nationalists appear confident that they will be able to shift control, and so the election represents a dramatic shift in the governance of Stirling.
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