UNLESS there is a highly unlikely groundswell of support that sees virtually all the 49 Independent candidates elected, the Highland Council will again be ruled by a coalition administration after May 3.
No party is fielding the 40 or more candidates needed for a majority on the 80 seat council.
Like all councils, imposed cuts have dominated the political agenda over the past three years in Highland. The provision of council care homes for the elderly and the threat to end 156 full-time equivalent classroom assistant jobs saw particularly sharp divisions.
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