South Ayrshire
Scottish council · Scotland · 28 seats in 8 wards · All seats elected every five years · Next election 6 May 2027
The Conservatives run South Ayrshire Council as a minority administration. The council has 28 councillors in 8 wards. Seats by party: Other 13, SNP 5, Labour 5, Conservative 5. The next election is on 6 May 2027.
Seats by party
Who holds each ward
Coloured by the party holding most of the ward's seats today; where seats are split evenly, by the party with the higher share at the last election.
Councillors and last results
Select a ward for its full results, candidates and last by-election.
| Ward and councillors | Last election |
|---|---|
| Ayr East Brian McGinley, Chris Cullen, Mary Kilpatrick | 5 May 2022 SNP 39.2% lead 9.2 pts |
| Ayr North Ian Cavana, Laura Brennan-Whitefield, Wullie Hogg, Ian Davis | 5 May 2022 SNP 45.9% lead 21.8 pts |
| Ayr West Martin Dowey, George Weir, Bob Shields, Lee Lyons | 5 May 2022 Conservative 39.6% lead 16.8 pts |
| Girvan and South Carrick Alan Lamont, Alec Clark, Gavin Scott | 5 May 2022 Independent 31.5% lead 3.5 pts |
| Kyle Julie Dettbarn, Stephen Ferry, Duncan Townson | 5 May 2022 Conservative 36.7% lead 2.8 pts |
| Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton Iain Campbell, William Grant, Brian Connolly | 5 May 2022 Conservative 35.5% lead 3.5 pts |
| Prestwick Cameron Ramsay, Hugh Hunter, Ian Cochrane, Martin Kilbride | 5 May 2022 SNP 34.8% lead 9.3 pts |
| Troon Philip Saxton, Craig Mackay, Bob Pollock, Kenneth Bell | 5 May 2022 Conservative 37.3% lead 1.4 pts |
Ayr East
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Cullen Elected | SNP | 1,377 | 27.9% |
| Mary Kilpatrick Elected | Conservative | 959 | 19.4% |
| Brian McGinley Elected | Labour | 814 | 16.5% |
| Ian Douglas | SNP | 556 | 11.3% |
| Alan Lamont | Conservative | 520 | 10.5% |
| Chic Brodie | Independent | 232 | 4.7% |
| Andrew Bryden | Independent | 185 | 3.7% |
| David John Ramsay | Independent | 180 | 3.6% |
| Deirdre Kennedy | Lib Dem | 113 | 2.3% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Ayr North
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Brennan-Whitefield Elected | SNP | 1,913 | 38.9% |
| Ian Cavana Elected | Labour | 1,185 | 24.1% |
| Ian Davis Elected | Conservative | 675 | 13.7% |
| Mark Dixon Elected | SNP | 344 | 7.0% |
| David Paterson | Conservative | 336 | 6.8% |
| Andrew Fleming Russell | Independent | 309 | 6.3% |
| Mason Graham | Lib Dem | 80 | 1.6% |
| Denise Sommerville | Alba | 79 | 1.6% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Last by-election, 16 October 2025
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wullie Hogg Elected | Independent | 850 | 25.1% |
| Ian Douglas | SNP | 790 | 23.3% |
| John Duncan | Labour | 691 | 20.4% |
| Andrew Fleming Russell | Reform | 584 | 17.3% |
| David Paterson | Conservative | 195 | 5.8% |
| David Petrie | Independent | 151 | 4.5% |
| Mason Graham | Lib Dem | 73 | 2.2% |
| Orhan Bulikj | Independent | 51 | 1.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Ayr West
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Dowey Elected | Conservative | 2,271 | 27.1% |
| Bob Shields Elected | Independent | 1,909 | 22.8% |
| George Weir Elected | SNP | 1,217 | 14.5% |
| John Duncan | Labour | 915 | 10.9% |
| Lee Lyons Elected | Conservative | 699 | 8.4% |
| Margaret Weir | SNP | 614 | 7.3% |
| Derek McCabe | Conservative | 341 | 4.1% |
| Jamie Ross | Lib Dem | 295 | 3.5% |
| Gordon Hawley Bryce | Scottish Family Party | 108 | 1.3% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Girvan and South Carrick
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alec Clark Elected | Independent | 1,277 | 31.5% |
| Peter Henderson Elected | SNP | 1,008 | 24.9% |
| Gavin Scott Elected | Conservative | 573 | 14.1% |
| Linda Kane | Conservative | 563 | 13.9% |
| Aaron Gilpin | Labour | 358 | 8.8% |
| Todor Joseph Radic | Independent | 230 | 5.7% |
| Eileen Spence | Alba | 47 | 1.2% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Last by-election, 21 September 2023
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Lamont Elected | Conservative | 1,315 | 47.5% |
| Joseph McLaughlin | SNP | 778 | 28.1% |
| Nicola Saxton | Labour | 499 | 18.0% |
| Jamie Ross | Lib Dem | 108 | 3.9% |
| Denise Sommerville | Alba | 70 | 2.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Kyle
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Dettbarn Elected | SNP | 1,635 | 33.9% |
| Duncan Christopher Townson Elected | Labour | 1,110 | 23.0% |
| Stephen Ferry Elected | Conservative | 955 | 19.8% |
| Arthur Spurling | Conservative | 814 | 16.9% |
| John Aitken | Lib Dem | 235 | 4.9% |
| Geoff Bush | Alba | 71 | 1.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Grant Elected | SNP | 1,370 | 32.0% |
| Iain Campbell Elected | Conservative | 895 | 20.9% |
| Brian Connolly Elected | Independent | 756 | 17.7% |
| Laura McEwan | Conservative | 623 | 14.5% |
| Nicola Saxton | Labour | 532 | 12.4% |
| Stephen Ralph | Lib Dem | 106 | 2.5% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Prestwick
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Cochrane Elected | SNP | 1,695 | 25.5% |
| Hugh Hunter Elected | Independent | 1,544 | 23.2% |
| Martin Kilbride Elected | Conservative | 1,132 | 17.0% |
| Cameron Ramsay Elected | Labour | 1,020 | 15.4% |
| Norrie Smith | SNP | 614 | 9.2% |
| Derek Stillie | Conservative | 488 | 7.3% |
| John Caddis | Alba | 78 | 1.2% |
| Owen Daniel North | Conservative | 71 | 1.1% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Troon
Last scheduled election, 5 May 2022 (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | First prefs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Mackay Elected | SNP | 1,607 | 23.0% |
| Philip Saxton Elected | Labour | 1,342 | 19.2% |
| Bob Pollock Elected | Conservative | 1,131 | 16.2% |
| Kenneth Bell Elected | Conservative | 1,015 | 14.5% |
| Annie McIndoe | SNP | 898 | 12.9% |
| Rose Hall | Conservative | 459 | 6.6% |
| Judith Godden | Lib Dem | 329 | 4.7% |
| Linda Lunan | Independent | 198 | 2.8% |
Party shares are of first-preference votes.
Changed party since the election
8 councillors now sit for a different party from the one they were elected for.
| Ward | Councillor | Elected as | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr East | Chris Cullen | SNP 2022 | Alba |
| Ayr East | Mary Kilpatrick | Conservative 2022 | Independent |
| Ayr North | Ian Davis | Conservative 2022 | Independent |
| Girvan and South Carrick | Gavin Scott | Conservative 2022 | Independent |
| Kyle | Stephen Ferry | Conservative 2022 | Independent |
| Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton | Iain Campbell | Conservative 2022 | Independent |
| Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton | William Grant | SNP 2022 | Independent |
| Troon | Bob Pollock | Conservative 2022 | Independent |
Every council by-election since 2021
2 by-elections since July 2021, 2 of them gains.
| Date | Ward | Result | Winner's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 October 2025 | Ayr North | Independent gain from SNP | |
| 29 September 2023 | Girvan and South Carrick | Conservative gain from SNP |
Parliamentary constituencies
| Constituency | Share of council | 2024 winner | Projected now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Labour | SNP 27% | |
| Central Ayrshire | Labour | SNP 30% |
Scottish councils: seats are listed without shares. The projection is PollCheck's demographic model at current polling, not a forecast.
Who lives in South Ayrshire
178,736 residents in 83,881 households
GB figure. 2021 Census (Scotland: 2022): age as a share of residents aged 15 and over, qualifications of residents aged 16 and over, housing as a share of households. Leave: 2016 EU referendum, Electoral Commission results by counting area.
Councils most like this one
Closest on the measures above: the 2016 Leave vote, age, qualifications and housing. Maps show which party holds each ward.
Sources and method
Seat totals and control: PollCheck council control tracker. Councillors: Open Council Data (CC BY-SA 4.0). Election results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), with some vote counts from DCLEAPIL, Leman (2025) (CC BY-SA 4.0), and corrections checked against councils' official declarations. Ward boundaries: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Census: Office for National Statistics and National Records of Scotland.
Councillor lists and DCLEAPIL-derived vote counts on this page are available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scottish councils use STV: party shares are of first-preference votes. The lead is the gap between the top two parties' shares.