Ayr West is one of the eight electoral wards of South Ayrshire Council. Created in 2007, the ward elects four councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 16,793 people.

Ayr West
South Ayrshire
Outline map
Boundary of Ayr West in South Ayrshire from 2017.
Population16,793 (2021)[1]
Electorate14,541 (2022)
Major settlementsAyr (part of)
Scottish Parliament constituencyAyr
Scottish Parliament regionSouth Scotland
UK Parliament constituencyAyr, Carrick and Cumnock
Current ward
Created2007 (2007)
Number of councillors4
CouncillorMartin Dowey (Conservative)
CouncillorBob Shields (Independent)
CouncillorGeorge Weir (SNP)
CouncillorLee Lyons (Conservative)
Created fromAyr Central
Ayr Craigie
Ayr Doonfoot and Seafield
Ayr Fort
Ayr Old Belmont
Ayr Rozelle
Coylton and Minishant
North Carrick and Maybole West

The area is a stronghold for the Conservatives who have won at least half the seats at every election and held three of the ward's four seats between 2017 and 2022.

Boundaries

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The ward was created following the Fourth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2007 Scottish local elections. As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, local elections in Scotland would use the single transferable vote electoral system from 2007 onwards so Ayr West was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards.

It contained all of the former Ayr Doonfoot and Seafield, Ayr Fort and Ayr Rozelle wards as well as parts of the former Ayr Old Belmont ward, a small area from the former Ayr Craigie ward, an area in the west of the former Coylton and Minishant ward, the northern part of the former North Carrick and Maybole West and the southwestern part of the former Ayr Central ward. Despite its name, the ward centres on the southern portion of the town of Ayr which is situated on the Firth of Clyde coast in the northwest of the council area. It originally contained everything in the town south of the River Ayr, west of Carrick Road/Monument Road and south of the Rozelle Estate as well as an area north of the river around John Street.[2] Following the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2017 Scottish local elections, the ward's eastern boundary was amended west to run along the Glasgow South Western railway line.[3]

Councillors

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Year Councillors
2007 Bill Grant
(Conservative)
Mike Peddie
(SNP)
Elaine Little
(Labour/
Independent/
SNP)
Robin Reid
(Conservative)
2008
February
2012
2012 Allan Dorans
(SNP)
Kirsty Darwent
(Labour)
2017 Martin Dowey
(Conservative)
Siobhian Brown
(SNP)
Derek McCabe
(Conservative)
Lee Lyons
(Conservative)
2022 George Weir
(SNP)
Bob Sheilds
(Independent)

Election results

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2022 election

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Ayr West - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Conservative Martin Dowey (incumbent) 27.1 2,271                
Independent Bob Shields 22.8 1,909                
SNP George Weir 14.5 1,217 1,218 1,237 1,252 1,275 1,282 1,870    
Labour John Duncan 10.9 915 930 961 981 1,117 1,140 1,165 1,247  
Conservative Lee Lyons (incumbent) 8.3 699 1,113 1,164 1,199 1,235 1,646 1,649 1,652 1,893
SNP Margaret Weir 7.3 614 614 624 628 653 655      
Conservative Derek McCabe (incumbent) 4.0 341 465 503 515 548        
Liberal Democrats Jamie Ross 3.5 295 305 341 349          
Scottish Family Gordon Hawley Bryce 1.2 108 111 118            
Electorate: 14,541   Valid: 8,369   Spoilt: 133   Quota: 1,674   Turnout: 58.5%  

Source: [4][5]

2017 election

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Ayr West - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Conservative Martin Dowey 38.7 3,160            
SNP Siobhian Brown 15.5 1,267 1,276 1,276 1,376 2,006    
Conservative Lee Lyons 12.3 1,006 1,847          
Labour Liz Martin 11.1 911 952 961 1,071 1,103 1,248  
Conservative Derek McCabe 8.3 675 1,211 1,400 1,530 1,547 1,560 1,865
SNP Allan Dorans (incumbent) 7.9 646 653 654 723      
Independent Chic Brodie 6.2 506 530 535        
Electorate: 13,822   Valid: 8,171   Spoilt: 138   Quota: 1,635   Turnout: 59.4%  

Source: [6][7]

2012 election

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Ayr West - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Conservative Bill Grant (incumbent) 33.8 1,992            
Labour Kirsty Darwent 15.3 901 929 939 976 1,007 1,049 1,267
Conservative Robin Reid (incumbent) 14.4 846 1,456          
SNP Allan Dorans 14.2 836 858 867 874 1,410    
SNP Roddy MacDonald 10.8 638 660 673 688      
Independent Brian McKinlay 9.3 549 607 671 734 781 846  
Liberal Democrats Nicola Prigg 2.2 127 143 177        
Electorate: 12,401   Valid: 5,889   Spoilt: 57   Quota: 1,178   Turnout: 47.5%  

Source:[8][9]

2007 election

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Ayr West – 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Conservative Bill Grant 30.3 2,176          
SNP Mike Peddie 20.9 1,499          
Labour Elaine Little 16.9 1,213 1,238 1,249 1,384 ??? ???
Conservative Robin Reid 15.7 1,127 1,320 1,329 1,479    
Conservative Alistair Kerr 8.8 634 1,084 1,088 1,168 ???  
Independent Ian McCabe 7.5 537 559 576      
Valid: 7,186   Quota: 1,438  

Source: [10]

References

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  1. ^ "Ayr East". Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; South Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2006. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Fifth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; South Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 5 Ayr West" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Candidate Votes Per Stage Report Ward 5 Ayr West" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Ward 5 Ayr West" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Candidate Votes Per Stage Report Ward 5 Ayr West" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  8. ^ Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project - 2012 - South Ayrshire". Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Election 2012 for South Ayrshire Council Ward 5 Ayr West". South Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  10. ^ Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project - 2007 - South Ayrshire". Retrieved 15 July 2024.