North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, pronounced [ˈʃirˠəxk aːɾʲ ə ˈt̪ʰuə]) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and south respectively. The local authority is North Ayrshire Council, formed in 1996 with the same boundaries as the district of Cunninghame, which existed from 1975 to 1996. Located in the west central Lowlands with the Firth of Clyde to its west, the council area covers the northern portion of the historic county of Ayrshire, in addition to the islands of Arran and The Cumbraes from the historic county of Buteshire. North Ayrshire had an estimated population of 134,010 in 2024. Its largest towns are Irvine and Kilwinning. From 1975 to 1996 under the name Cunninghame it was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region. History The local government district was formed as Cunninghame in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure of local government across Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Cunninghame was one of nineteen districts created within the region of Strathclyde. The district covered the whole area of three former districts from the historic county of Buteshire and nine former districts from Ayrshire, plus small parts of a further two districts within the designated area for Irvine New Town: Ardrossan Burgh Arran District Ayr District (part within designated area of Irvine New Town) Cumbrae District Irvine Burgh Irvine District Kilbirnie District Kilmarnock District (part within designated area of Irvine New Town) Kilwinning Burgh Millport Burgh Largs Burgh Saltcoats Burgh Stevenston Burgh West Kilbride District Arran, Cumbrae and Millport were from Buteshire, the rest were from Ayrshire. The district was abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 which replaced regions and districts with unitary council areas. North Ayrshire council area was formed with identical boundaries to Cunninghame District. The name Cunninghame is still used for two constituencies in the Scottish Parliament, namely Cunninghame North and Cunninghame South. Political control The first election to the district council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council from 1975 was as follows: Premises The council was based at Cunnninghame House on Friars Croft in Irvine, which was purpose-built for the council and completed in 1975, forming part of the new town centre for Irvine following its designation as a New Town. Following the district's abolition in 1996 the building has been the headquarters of North Ayrshire Council. Coat of arms The Cunninghame District Council was granted a coat of arms by Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1979. The main feature of the arms was a black "shakefork" from the arms of Clan Cunningham. To the left was the arms of the former royal burgh of Irvine, based on the crest of the royal arms of Scotland, and said to have been granted to the town by King David I. To the right was an ancient ship which had appeared in the arms of both Bute County Council and Arran District Council. Above the shakefork was a leopard's head holding in its mouth a weaver's shuttle. this represented the weaving industry of the inland parts of the district. Such an emblem appeared in Scottish arms grants to weaving societies and associations, and in the armorial bearings of the Worshipful Company of Weavers of the City of London. The motto was Sense and Worth, and the arms were completed by a gold coronet of a design reserved by Lord Lyon to district councils, topped by thistle-heads. North Ayrshire was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which replaced Scotland's previous local government structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts with unitary council areas providing all local government services. North Ayrshire covered the same area as the abolished Cunninghame district, and also took over the functions of the abolished Strathclyde Regional Council within the area. The area's name references its location within the historic county of Ayrshire, which had been abolished for local government purposes in 1975 when Cunninghame district and Strathclyde region had been created, although the islands of Arran and The Cumbraes had been in Buteshire prior to 1975. North Ayrshire forms part of the Ayrshire and Arran lieutenancy area. Demography Languages The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 130,134 residents aged three and over, 49,833 (38.3%) considered themselves able to speak or read the Scots language. The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 130,127 residents aged three and over, 1,099 (0.8%) considered themselves able to speak or read Gaelic. Geography The council headquarters are located in Irvine, which is North Ayrshire's largest town. The area also contains the towns of Ardrossan, Beith, Dalry, Irvine, Kilbirnie, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Skelmorlie, Stevenston, West Kilbride, as well as the Isle of Arran and Great and Little Cumbrae. The Isle of Arran covers nearly half of the council area's territory, but is home to less than 4% of the population. North Ayrshire is known for its rural countryside, coastlines, beaches and landmarks. The towns in the north of the area, Skelmorlie, Largs, Fairlie and West Kilbride are affluent commuting towns and with them being on the coast, are very popular with tourists during the summer months. Towns in the south include Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. Towards the south of the area is Kilwinning and Irvine, the main settlement and largest town in the area. The inland towns of Dalry, Kilbirnie and Beith were steel towns with large steel mills, but these are long gone. Tourism is the main industry on Arran and Cumbrae; however, the number of holiday homes on the latter has begun to squeeze locals out of the housing market. Regeneration is currently taking place at Ardrossan Harbour and Irvine town centre, and there has been a rapid increase in the construction of new housing in recent years. Kelburn Castle, Fairlie, is the home of the 10th Earl of Glasgow, Patrick Robin Archibald Boyle. The grounds have belonged to the Boyle family since the 1100s. In 2007, the castle was transformed by the Graffiti Project. Economy North Ayrshire has a slightly higher level of unemployment compared to the Scottish average. North Ayrshire launched an Economic Recovery and Renewal Strategy in September 2020 focusing on economic recovery and a renewal approach which aims to sets out a comprehensive plan for an inclusive and green economic recovery for North Ayrshire. An £8.8 million Investment Fund will be used as a key element of a Green New Deal by: Maximising renewable energy generation using the council's land and assets. The creation of a new Green Jobs Fund to ensure a just transition for North Ayrshire. Investing in commercial estate including improving sustainability. Tackling vacant and derelict land and buildings in town centres. Supporting community economic development including through community regeneration and ownership. A tree-planting programme to support carbon absorption. In May 2020, North Ayrshire Council became the first council in Scotland to become a Community Wealth Building (CWB) Council, setting out a new economic model focused on wellbeing and inclusion. North Ayrshire Council seeks to use Community Wealth Building objectives to support the recovery and renewal of North Ayrshire by creating an economy that works for people, place and planet. The North Ayrshire approach will see the creation of a new £660,000 Community Wealth Building Business Fund to provide assistance to local business and facilitating the development of co-operatives, employee ownership and social enterprises, supporting local supply chains, fair employment, digital adoption and the transition to a green economy. North Ayrshire is to benefit from the Ayrshire Growth Deal, an economic plan created by both the Scottish Government and UK Government. The £250 million Ayrshire Growth Deal is also central to the plans to support economic recovery through a bold and ambitious investment programme to create and secure jobs within the area of North Ayrshire. Education Education in North Ayrshire is provided by North Ayrshire Council, the local authority responsible for the area. Education is provided to children in the area through early years centres, primary schools, secondary schools, home schooling and additional support need facilities. There are currently ten secondary schools in North Ayrshire, all under the responsibility of North Ayrshire Council – Ardrossan Academy, Arran High School, Auchenharvie Academy, Garnock Community Campus, Greenwood Academy, Irvine Royal Academy, Kilwinning Academy, Largs Academy, Lockhart Campus and St Matthew's Academy. Governance Political control The council has been under no overall control since 2007, with various minority administrations led by both Labour and the Scottish National Party (SNP) operating since then. Following the 2022 election the council is under no overall control, being led by an SNP minority administration. The first election to North Ayrshire Council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been as follows: Leadership The leaders of the council since 1996 have been: Composition Following the 2022 election, subsequent by-elections in May and September 2024, the defection of three Conservatives to Reform UK, and the subsequent departure of one Conservative from Reform, the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2027. Elections Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows: Premises The council is based at Cunnninghame House on Friars Croft in Irvine, which was built in 1975 as the headquarters for the Cunninghame District Council, forming part of the new town centre for Irvine following its designation as a New Town. Wards As of 2022, the council area is divided into nine multi-member wards returning 33 members, composed as follows: Legal issues In 2007 a proposed lighting maintenance contract to be awarded to Centre Great Ltd. was challenged by Lightways, an unsuccessful tenderer who provided lighting maintenance services in a number of other Scottish council areas. The Council admitted that there had been failings in the way it had undertaken the tender process. Wider politics At the House of Commons, North Ayrshire is covered by the Central Ayrshire and North Ayrshire and Arran Parliamentary constituencies, both of which are represented by MPs belonging to the Scottish Labour Party. In the Scottish Parliament, the council area is divided into Cunninghame North and Cunninghame South, both represented by MSPs from the Scottish National Party. The council has been a member of the Islands Forum since 2022. Settlements The main administration centre and largest settlement in North Ayrshire is Irvine, a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde. The second biggest settlement is Kilwinning, followed by Saltcoats which is part of the 'Three Towns' - Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. On the Isle of Arran, the largest village is Lamlash and there are numerous smaller villages. On Great Cumbrae, the only town on the island is Millport. Largest settlements by population: Towns (mainland) Ardrossan Beith Dalry Irvine Kilbirnie Kilwinning Largs Saltcoats Stevenston West Kilbride Villages (mainland) Ardeer Auchentiber Barrmill Benslie Dreghorn Drybridge Fairlie Gateside Girdle Toll Glengarnock Longbar Skelmorlie Springside Stanecastle Suburbs (mainland) Barkip Broomlands Bourtreehill Burnhouse Castlepark Crosbie Chapeltoun Cunninghamhead Dalgarven Drakemyre Eglinton Fergushill Fullarton Giffordland Greenhills Hessilhead hamlet Highfield Hunterston Kelburn Lawthorn Lylestone Meigle Meikle Auchengree Montgreenan Nettlehirst Perceton Portencross Routenburn Seamill Sevenacres Shewalton Torranyard Villages (Isle of Arran) Blackwaterfoot Brodick Catacol Cladach Corrie Dippen Kildonan Kilmory Lagg Lamlash Lochranza Machrie Pirnmill Sannox Shiskine Sliddery Whitefarland Whiting Bay Settlements (Great Cumbrae) Millport Places of interest Kelburn Castle Barrmill Park Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park Eglinton Country Park, Irvine Eglinton Tournament Bridge Irvine Harbour Spier's Old School Grounds References External links Media related to North Ayrshire at Wikimedia Commons