Fife election: Counting underway but candidates face wait for results

Voters went to the polls yesterday, but the traditional overnight count was replaced with an 8:30am start today.

The Glenrothes theatre is now the venue for all 179 candidates plus their agents as local authority staff begin the process of verifying and then counting the votes.

Fife has 75 councillors to elect across 22 wards – it is the third biggest local authority in Scotland – and some 179 candidates are standing from across the political spectrum.

The count has commandeered the main theatre and the smaller studio, with the media watching proceedings from the balcony.

Results are not anticipated until late morning, with the council hopeful of having all seats declared by 4:00pm.

All the main political parties are fielding candidates across the region, and they are joined on the ballot paper for the first time by the Alba Party, while the Greens are bidding to land their first ever council seat.