NEWLY-ELECTED Scottish Labour councillor Fiona Hennebry insists it's a "privilege" to serve the people of West Dunbartonshire.

The vote was held for the seat in Ward 5 of Clydebank Central following the resignation of disgraced former independent councillor Craig Edward in March.

Hennebry was elected with 1425 votes after four stages, due to the nature of the Single Transferable Vote system which asks voters to mark their preference in numerical order.

She will now join the other three councillors who currently represent the ward; councillor Diane Docherty (Independent), councillor Clare Steel (Labour), and councillor Sophie Traynor (Scottish National Party).

Turnout for the by-election was 24.3 per cent of the electorate, with 2845 votes cast.

SNP candidate Marina Scanlan came second after the fourth stage with 1127 votes while the Scottish Conservatives' Ewan McGinnigle came third with 130.

Independent Andrew Muir finished fourth with 98.

And Hennebry opened up on her victory, vowing to put the people of Clydebank at the forefront of her role.

"I am privileged to serve the people of Clydebank Central. To achieve 49.6 per cent in the first count is phenomenal and I am looking forward to returning West Dunbartonshire Council to a Labour majority," she said.

"I will be out doing paperwork straight away, I have a few meetings already lined up with people who I will now be getting back to after being successful so I am looking forward to that.

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"I want to improve the lives of people in Clydebank Central and hopefully I can drive that forward for them."

Scanlan, meanwhile, praised her campaign team and insisted she is positive about the future.

"I am really proud of our activists and the campaign that we ran," she said.

"It is a great foundation to base ourselves on ahead of the general election. I am not disappointed at all.

"Given it is a by-election, which always has a low turnout, and the poor weather, we are ecstatic at the vote being so close and that shows there is an appetite for our policies."

Tory candidate McGinnigle explained why he thinks the result shows that Clydebank is ready to reject SNP policies.

"Of course, it is disappointing to lose but I am proud of our campaign and I think Fiona will make a fantastic councillor as I have heard wonderful things about her," he said.

"I think this result shows that Clydebank Central, and the rest of Scotland, are not in the mood for more of the SNP.

"I got more support than I expected and I am proud of that."

Announcing the new councillor, returning officer Peter Hessett added: “Congratulations to our newly elected councillor, Fiona Hennebry, and thank you to all of the candidates who put themselves forward to represent the people of Clydebank Central.

“The role of councillor is vital within local communities. Elected members ensure residents voices are heard on a range of important issues and strive for high standards in public services.

“I am grateful to everyone who voted in this by-election and to staff who ensured the democratic process of electing the new councillor ran smoothly and safely.”