Contents

Overall 2022 Result

Council-Wide Results

A real odd duck of a result in North Ayrshire. This is the first (and so far only) council in Scotland to have single-member or five-member wards, which may have contributed. The SNP made small gains, picking up roughly an extra percentage point, plus one more councillor, reaching a total of 12. Bucking national trends, Labour lost both votes and two seats, reducing them to 9. Despite their own losses and placing third in vote share, the Conservatives made three gains, to end up with 10 councillors.

Although all of 2017’s Independents were re-standing, only two were re-elected, as the other two lost huge chunks of their vote. In keeping with Ayrshire trends, a very minimal impact for the smaller parties here. This was where they collectively achieved the highest share out of the three councils, but at a total of 5% between them, it’s not much! The Greens may have managed a half-decent overall share if they’d stood in more, as that share for 3 wards beat the Lib Dems across 6. 

Administration

After the election, an SNP minority administration was formed.

Interactive Map

Overview

Although the name may seem self-explanatory, North Ayrshire is unique amongst Central Belt council areas for including major inhabited islands in the form of Arran and Cumbrae. These were historically in the Clyde islands county of Buteshire, before being aligned with Ayrshire (and split from Bute) in the 70’s. That has given a real mix of communities, from the industrialised new town of Irvine, to the popular resort town of Largs, and the dispersed island communities on Arran.

Historically, this was a bit more Conservative leaning in the north around Largs, whereas the southern portion around Irvine went Labour – it wouldn’t be until 1987 that Labour held both the Westminster seats. At the Scottish Parliament both seats started out with Labour, until the SNP very narrowly won the northern half in 2007, before more securely holding both from 2011. Westminster success would follow in their 2015 landslide, with both constituencies covering the area remaining SNP since.

In the previous local government arrangements, the area went by the name of Cunninghame, which is preserved in the Scottish Parliament constituencies. Though usually dominated by Labour, this was one of the districts where the SNP won a lead, but no majority, in 1977. Otherwise the largest opposition bloc for most of the period were the Conservatives, though in common with the rest of Scotland they withered somewhat by the time the rebranded unitary North Ayrshire arrived in the 90’s, which was consistently majority Labour in the FPTP era.

Previous STV Elections

2007
2012
2017

Individual Ward Results

North Coast (Ward 1)

Councillors and Key Stats

5 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: Eleanor Collier
Independent: Ian Murdoch
🔵Conservative: Todd Ferguson
🟡SNP: Alan Hill
🔵Conservative: Tom Marshall
Change vs 2017: +1 Independent, -1 Labour (notional, boundary change)
Turnout: 53.9%
Electorate: 18557
Valid: 9845 (98.4%)
Spoiled: 160 (1.6%)
Quota: 1641

Candidates

🟡SNP: Eleanor Collier
🔵Conservative: Todd Ferguson
Alba: Jane Fraser
🟡SNP: Alan Hill
🟤Independence for Scotland: Nick Hobson
Independent: Wendy Low-Thomson
🔵Conservative: Tom Marshall
🟤Socialist Labour: James McDaid
🟠Lib Dem: Margaret McLellan
Independent: Ian Murdoch
🟢Green: David Nairn
🔴Labour: Valerie Reid

North Coast: First Preferences
North Coast: Transfers
North Coast: Results by Polling District
North Coast: Second Preferences
North Coast: Two-Candidate Preferred

Garnock Valley (Ward 2)

Councillors and Key Stats

5 Councillors, in order elected:
Independent: Donald Reid
🔵Conservative: Ronnie Stalker
🟡SNP: Anthea Dickson
🔴Labour: John Bell
🟡SNP: Margaret Johnson
Change vs 2017: No change (notional, boundary change – Independent Robert Barr loses seat held in old Dalry and West Kilbride ward)
Turnout: 44.1%
Electorate: 16364
Valid: 7044 (97.7%)
Spoiled: 167 (2.3%)
Quota: 1175

Candidates

Independent: Robert Barr
🔴Labour: John Bell
🟡SNP: Anthea Dickson
🟤Freedom Alliance: Carol Ann Dobson
🟡SNP: Margaret Johnson
🔵Conservative: Ted Nevill
Independent: Donald Reid
🔴Labour: James Robson
🔵Conservative: Ronnie Stalker
🟠Lib Dem: Catherine Williamson
Independent: John Willis

Garnock Valley: First Preferences
Garnock Valley: Transfers
Garnock Valley: Results by Polling District
Garnock Valley: Second Preferences
Garnock Valley: Two-Candidate Preferred
Garnock Valley: Two-Party Preferred

Ardrossan (Ward 3)

Councillors and Key Stats

3 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: Tony Gurney
🔴Labour: Amanda Kerr
🔵Conservative: Stewart Ferguson
Change vs 2017: No change (notional, boundary change)
Turnout: 42.8%
Electorate: 8512
Valid: 3577 (98.1%)
Spoiled: 70 (1.9%)
Quota: 895

Candidates

🔵Conservative: Stewart Ferguson
🟡SNP: Tony Gurney
Independent: John Hunter
🔴Labour: Amanda Kerr
🟣Family: Matthew Lynch
🟡SNP: Jim McHarg
🟠Lib Dem: Stephen McQuistin

Ardrossan: First Preferences
Ardrossan: Transfers
Ardrossan: Results by Polling District
Ardrossan: Second Preferences
Ardrossan: Two-Candidate Preferred

Arran (Ward 4)

Councillors and Key Stats

1 Councillor, in order elected:
🔵Conservative: Timothy Billings
Change vs 2017: +1 Conservative, -1 SNP (notional, boundary change)
Electorate: 4072
Turnout: 60.3%
Valid: 2431 (99.1%)
Spoiled: 23 (0.9%)
Quota: 1216

Candidates

🔵Conservative: Timothy Billings
🟡SNP: Steve Garraway
🔴Labour: Aaran McDonald
Independent: Ellen McMaster
🟢Green: Ronna Park
Independent: Tom Young

Arran: First Preferences
Arran: Transfers
Arran: Results by Polling District
Arran: Second Preferences
Arran: Two-Candidate Preferred

Saltcoats and Stevenston (Ward 5)

Councillors and Key Stats

5 Councillors, in order elected:
🔴Labour: Jim Montgomerie
🟡SNP: Jean McClung
🟡SNP: Davina McTiernan
🔴Labour: John Sweeney
🔵Conservative: Cameron Inglis
Change vs 2017: No change (notional, boundary change)
Turnout: 39.6%
Electorate: 16951
Valid: 6506 (97.0%)
Spoiled: 202 (3.0%)
Quota: 1085

Candidates

🟤Independence for Scotland: David Higgins
🔵Conservative: Cameron Inglis
🟡SNP: Jean McClung
Independent: Ronnie McNicol
🟡SNP: Davina McTiernan
Independent: Jimmy Miller
🔴Labour: Jim Montgomerie
🔴Labour: John Sweeney

Saltcoats and Stevenston: First Preferences
Saltcoats and Stevenston: Transfers
Saltcoats and Stevenston: Results by Polling District

Note that there was an abnormally high degree of merging ballot boxes across districts in the raw data for this ward, and thus districts with more than one de-merger indicator should be treated with particular caution.

Saltcoats and Stevenston: Second Preferences
Saltcoats and Stevenston: Two-Candidate Preferred

Kilwinning (Ward 6)

Councillors and Key Stats

4 Councillors, in order elected:
🔴Labour: Joe Cullinane
🟡SNP: Scott Davidson
🔴Labour: Donald Reid
🔵Conservative: John Glover
Change vs 2017: No change
Turnout: 42.2%
Electorate: 13553
Valid: 5553 (97.0%)
Spoiled: 171 (3.0%)
Quota: 1111

Candidates

🔴Labour: Joe Cullinane
🟡SNP: Scott Davidson
🟡SNP: Sheila Gibson
🔵Conservative: John Glover
🟠Lib Dem: Ruby Kirkwood
🔴Labour: Donald Reid

Kilwinning: First Preferences
Kilwinning: Transfers
Kilwinning: Results by Polling District
Kilwinning: Second Preferences
Kilwinning: Two-Candidate Preferred

Irvine West (Ward 7)

Councillors and Key Stats

4 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: Shaun Macaulay
🔵Conservative: Scott Gallacher
🟡SNP: Chloe Robertson
🔴Labour: Louise McPhater
Change vs 2017: +1 SNP, -1 Labour
Turnout: 39.8%
Electorate: 12090
Valid: 4666 (97.0%)
Spoiled: 142 (3.0%)
Quota: 934

Candidates

Independent: Kevin Blades
🟤Socialist Labour: Bobby Cochrane
🔵Conservative: Scott Gallacher
🟠Lib Dem: Lewis Hutton
Independent: Tristan Lindsay
🟡SNP: Shaun Macaulay
🔴Labour: Sylvia Mallinson
🔴Labour: Louise McPhater
🟡SNP: Chloe Robertson
🟤SSP: Colin Turbett

Irvine West: First Preferences
Irvine West: Transfers
Irvine West: Results by Polling District
Irvine West: Second Preferences
Irvine West: Two-Candidate Preferred

Irvine East (Ward 8)

Councillors and Key Stats

3 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: Marie Burns
🔴Labour: Nairn McDonald
🔵Conservative: Angela Stephen
Change vs 2017: No change
Turnout: 40.3%
Electorate: 10204
Valid: 4025 (97.9%)
Spoiled: 87 (2.1%)
Quota: 1007

Candidates

🟡SNP: Marie Burns
🟢Green: Ross Collins
🟣Family: Karin Craig
🟠Lib Dem: Barry Jackson
🟡SNP: Susan Johnson
🔴Labour: Nairn McDonald
🔵Conservative: Angela Stephen

Irvine East: First Preferences
Irvine East: Transfers
Irvine East: Results by Polling District
Irvine East: Second Preferences
Irvine East: Two-Candidate Preferred

Irvine South (Ward 9)

Councillors and Key Stats

3 Councillors, in order elected:
🟡SNP: Christina Larsen
🔴Labour: Robert Foster
🔵Conservative: Matthew McLean
Change vs 2017: No change
Turnout: 38.4%
Electorate: 8997
Valid: 3356 (97.2%)
Spoiled: 96 (2.8%)
Quota: 840

Candidates

🟣Family: Robert Craig
🔴Labour: Robert Foster
🟡SNP: Joseph Hopkins
🟤TUSC: Ian Kerr
🟡SNP: Christina Larsen
🔵Conservative: Matthew McLean
🔴Labour: David O’Neill

Irvine South: First Preferences
Irvine South: Transfers
Irvine South: Results by Polling District

Note that there was an abnormally high degree of merging ballot boxes across districts in the raw data for this ward, and thus districts with more than one de-merger indicator should be treated with particular caution.

Irvine South: Second Preferences
Irvine South: Two-Candidate Preferred

Data Notes