Highland Council wards and councillors 2003 to 2007
| Highland council area Shown as one of the council areas of Scotland |
The second general election to the Highland Council was held in May 2003, using 80 wards created for the first election, in 1999. In 1999 and 2003 each ward elected one councillor by the first past the post system of election. Elections are held on a four-year cycle: therefore the next general election is scheduled for 2007.
Wards are grouped into areas. Councillors elected from a particular area become members of the relevant area committee. The areas are similar to the districts which were abolished in 1996, when the Highland region became a unitary council area.
There are plans to use new larger wards for the next general election, each electing three or four councillors by the single transferable vote system. The total number of councillors will remain the same. The single transferable vote system, with multi-member wards, is designed to produce a form of proportional representation.
Political representation
The 2003 election created a council of 55 independent councillors, 12 Liberal Democrats, Labour Party councillors and 6 Scottish National Party councillors.Now, after two by-elections, there are 54 independent councillors, 12 Liberal Democrat councillors, 8 Labour Party councillors and 6 Scottish National Party councillors.
By-elections
There have been two by-elections since the 2003 election.Beauly and Strathglass
In June 2004, a by-election was held to fill a vacancy in the Beauly and Strathglass ward, in the Inverness area. The vacancy was due to the resignation of an independent councillor. The by-election had no effect on the balance of political representation.Lochardil
In August 2006, a by-election was held to fill a vacancy in the Lochardil ward, in the Inverness area. The vacancy was due to the death of a councillor. The ward returned a Liberal Democrat to the council, so taking number of the seats held by that party up from 11 to 12.Badenoch and Strathspey wards
There are five wards in the Badenoch and Strathspey area:| Ward | Description | Councillor | Party |
| Badenoch East | Mostly rural Includes part of Aviemore and part of Kingussie | Gregor Rimell | Independent |
| Badenoch West | Mostly rural Includes Newtonmore and part of Kingussie | Sheena Slimon | Independent |
| Grantown on Spey | Grantown on Spey | Basil Matthew Stuart Dunlop | Independent |
| Strathspey North East | Mostly rural | Stuart Black | Liberal Democrats |
| Strathspey South | Mostly rural Includes part of Aviemore | Angus Gordon † | Independent |
† Area Convener
Caithness wards
There are 10 wards in the Caithness area:| Ward | Description | Councillor | Party |
| Caithness Central | Mostly rural Includes Halkirk | David Flear † | Liberal Democrats |
| Caithness North East | Mostly rural Includes Dunnet and John o' Groats | John H Green | Independent |
| Caithness North West | Mostly rural Includes Castletown | Alastair I MacDonald | Liberal Democrats |
| Caithness South East | Mostly rural Includes Lybster | William A Mowat | Independent |
| Pultneytown | Pultneytown area of Wick | Katrina MacNab | Independent |
| Thurso Central | Part of Thurso | Donald Mackay | |
| Thurso East | Part of Thurso | Tom Jackson | Independent |
| Thurso West | Part of Thurso | Roger Eric Saxon | Labour |
| Wick | Part of Wick | Graeme M Smith | Liberal Democrats |
| Wick West | Part of Wick | William N Fernie | Independent |
† Area Convener
Inverness wards
The Inverness area includes Loch Ness, Strathglass and the City of Inverness.The city lacks clearly defined boundaries. In ward descriptions below the city means the urban area centred on the former burgh of Inverness.
There are 23 wards in the area:
| Ward | Description | Councillor | Party |
| Ardersier, Croy and Petty | To the east of the city of Inverness Mostly rural Includes Ardersier | Roderick Andrew Christopher Balfour | Independent |
| Ballifeary | Part of the city | Alistair Milne | Independent |
| Balloch | To the east of the city | Robert Wynd | Scottish National Party |
| Beauly and Strathglass | Mostly rural Includes Beauly and Strathglass | Garry James Coutts, until May 2004 Helen M Carmichael, since June 2004 | Independent Independent |
| Canal | Part of the city | William John Smith † | Independent |
| Culduthel | Part of the city and a rural area to the south | Norrie Donald | Independent |
| Culloden | To the east of the city Mostly rural | John Ford | Labour |
| Crown | Part of the city | James Sutherland Gray | Labour |
| Drumossie | To the southeast of the city Mostly rural | Kathleen Greig Matheson | Independent |
| Hilton | Part of the city | Angus John Dick | Liberal Democrats |
| Inches | Part of city and an area to the southeast | Janet Noble Home | Independent |
| Inverness Central | Part of the city | Eilidh MacDonald | Labour |
| Inverness West | Part of the city and an area to the southwest | Ronald James Lyon | Independent |
| Kirkhill | Part of the city and a rural area to the southwest | Jack Shiels | Independent |
| Lochardil | Part of the city | Margaret Agnes MacLennan, until May 2006 David Henderson, since August 2006 | Independent Liberal Democrats |
| Loch Ness East | On the southeast side of Loch Ness Mostly rural Includes part of the city | Ella MacRae | Independent |
| Loch Ness West | Mostly on the northwest side of Loch Ness Mostly rural Includes Drumnadrochit and Fort Augustus | Margaret Christine Davidson | Independent |
| Merkinch | Part of the city | Peter Corbett | |
| Milton | Part of the city | Clive Lawrence Goodman | Labour |
| Muirtown | Part of the city | Christine MacNiven Cumming | Labour |
| Raigmore | Part of the city | David Ross Munro | Labour |
| Scorguie | Part of the city | Jimmy MacDonald | Independent |
| Westhill and Smithton | To the east of the city | Gillian McCreath | Scottish National Party |
† Area Convener
Lochaber wards
There are eight wards in the Lochaber area:| Ward | Towns and villages | Councillor | Party |
| Ardnamurchan and Morvern | Acharacle | Michael E M Foxley | Liberal Democrats |
| Caol | Olwyn J Macdonald † | Independent | |
| Claggan and Glen Spean | Thomas J MacLennan | Independent | |
| Fort William North | Brian J Murphy | ||
| Fort William South | Neil M Clark | ||
| Glencoe | Kinlochleven | Andrew R McFarlane Slack | Independent |
| Kilmallie and Invergary | William Clark | ||
| Mallaig and Small Isles | Mallaig | Charles King | Independent |
† Area Convener
Nairn wards
The Nairn area is mostly rural. Ward boundaries radiate from the town of Nairn, dividing the town between all four wards:| Ward | Description | Councillor | Party |
| Nairn Alltan | Part of the town and a western area | John N Matheson | Independent |
| Nairn Auldearn | Part of the town and a south-eastern area | Alexander S Park † | Independent |
| Nairn Cawdor | Part of the town and a south-western area | Laurie Richard Fraser | Independent |
| Nairn Ninian | Part of the town and an eastern area | Elizabeth MacDonald | Scottish National Party |
† Area Convener
Ross and Cromarty wards
There are 18 wards in the Ross and Cromarty area:| Ward | Description | Councillor | Party |
| Alness and Ardross | Includes Alness and Ardross | Andrew Anderson | Scottish National Party |
| Avoch and Fortrose | Part of the Black Isle | Billy Barclay | Independent |
| Black Isle North | Part of the Black Isle | North David Alston | Independent |
| Conon and Maryburgh | Angela MacLean | Liberal Democrats | |
| Dingwall North | Includes part of Dingwall | Michael Muirdon MacMillan | Labour |
| Dingwall South | Includes part of Dingwall | Margaret Paterson | Scottish National Party |
| Ferindonald | Val MacIver | Independent | |
| Gairloch | Includes Gairloch and Ullapool | Roy Macintyre | Independent |
| Invergordon | Includes Invergordon | John Robert Connell | Liberal Democrats |
| Knockbain and Killearnan | Part of the Black Isle | Isobel McCallum | Independent |
| Lochbroom | Jean Urquhart | Scottish National Party | |
| Lochcarron | Ewen C Mackinnon | Independent | |
| Muir of Ord | David J Chisholm | Independent | |
| Rosskeen and Saltburn | Carolyn Anne Wilson † | Independent | |
| Seaboard | Includes the Seaboard Villages | Richard Durham | Liberal Democrats |
| Strathpeffer and Strathconon | Douglas Briggs | Independent | |
| Tain East | Includes part of Tain | Alan Torrance | Independent |
| Tain West | Includes part of Tain | Alasdair Rhind | Independent |
† Area Convener
Skye and Lochalsh wards
There are six wards in the Skye and Lochalsh area:| Ward | Towns and villages | Councillor | Party |
| Kinlochshiel | Isabelle M Campbell | Liberal Democrats | |
| Kyle and Sleat | William M Fulton | Independent | |
| Portree | Portree | Drew Millar † | Liberal Democrats |
| Skye Central | Broadford | Hamish Fraser | Independent |
| Skye West | Dunvegan | John Laing | Independent |
| Snizort and Trotternish | Iain MacDonald | Independent |
† Area Convener
Sutherland wards
There are six wards in the Sutherland area:| Ward | Towns and villages | Councillor | Party |
| Brora | Brora | Margaret White Finlayson* | Independent |
| Dornoch Firth | Dornoch | James D W Allan | Independent |
| Golspie and Rogart | Golspie, Rogart | Willi | - |