The Scottish Conservatives bucked a national trend of decline at the local elections in Aberdeenshire, gaining eight seats at the expense of smaller parties.
The SNP group at the council also increased their number of seats from 16 ahead of the election to 21, and the Liberal Democrats went from 13 to 14.
Those gains by the north-east’s three major parties were fed by a dramatic fall in the number of independent councillors and the disappearance of the Libertarian Party, the Greens and, perhaps most notably, the Alba Party.
Leader Alex Salmond watched on at the P&J Live as Brian Topping, the longest serving councillor in the north-east, lost his Fraserburgh seat after switching from the SNP to the newer pro-independence party last year.
Leigh Wilson’s vote in Mearns also collapsed from more than 900 under the SNP in 2017 to less than 100 as an Alba candidate.
Mr Topping, who had sat on Aberdeenshire Council for 38 years, admitted to being “totally devastated” by the defeat.
But he told the P&J: “I’ve been involved in a lot of projects and so many folk over the years have said ‘everyone knows someone that Brian has helped’ – and that’s what’s given me the greatest satisfaction from all the big things I’ve achieved.”
Mr Salmond blamed the losses on the SNP’s reluctance to encourage people to vote for other pro-independence parties further down the ballot.
He said: “All you do there, in the case of Fraserburgh, is a Liberal Democrat was elected behind Alba in the first preference.
“I don’t know that lady, I’m sure she’s lovely, but I dare say she’s not an enthusiastic voice for independence.”
Council leader Andy Kille and Provost Bill Howatson both announced they would not be standing in this election, and the shock defeat of deputy leader Peter Argyle after 23 years as a councillor means three vacancies are left at the top of the local authority.
The Liberal Democrat group leader came fourth in his three-seat ward of Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside.
Elected were Geva Blackett, a former SNP councillor who left the party after the Scottish Government struck up a coalition deal with the Greens, Anouk Kloppert, who switched to the ward after representing Ellon and District since 2017, and Sarah Brown of the Conservatives.
Mr Argyle said: “I really hoped I would get back and continue to work and serve people in Aberdeenshire, but the electorate decided otherwise.
“This is a brutal game, and you’re either in or you’re out. If you’re out, that’s it, end of, pull the curtain, walk away and do something else.”
Elsewhere, former Labour group leader and Cosla president Alison Evison won a seat in the hotly contested ward of Mearns as an independent, having moved away from her previous ward of North Kincardine.
Shona Ewen failed to pick up enough Liberal Democrat votes from departing provost Bill Howatson to also succeed in Mearns, where 11 candidates were fighting for four seats.
Withey not present for win
Councillor Robbie Withey, who is currently suspended from the Conservatives after being charged in connection with a disturbance in Alford, was re-elected to his Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford seat.
Mr Withey was not in attendance at P&J Live for the announcement of the results.
Turnout was down in nearly every one of Aberdeenshire Council’s 19 wards, with Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside the sole exception with a 0.6% increase.
In contrast, the voter turnout in East Garioch was down almost 4.5%, from 45.17% in 2017 to 40.7% this year.
Results took a significant amount of time longer than expected to come in, with some blaming the large number of spoilt ballots needing to be inspected. In Turriff alone, 105 ballots were rejected.