# Ayr East (ward)

Ayr East is one of the eight electoral wards of South Ayrshire Council. Originally a four-member ward, Ayr East was reduced in size following a boundary review and has elected three councillors since the 2017 South Ayrshire Council election.
The area produced strong results for both the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Conservatives prior to the boundary changes but, since the changes, it has been politically split between the SNP, the Conservatives and Labour with each party holding one seat at each subsequent election.

## Boundaries

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 East was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards.
It contained all of the former Ayr Belmont, Ayr Forehill and Ayr Masonhill wards, the majority of the former Ayr Old Belmont ward and the southeastern part of the former Ayr Central ward. The ward centres on the eastern 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, east of Carrick Road/Monument Road and north of the Rozelle Estate. Following the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2017 Scottish local elections, the ward's western boundary was amended east to run along the Glasgow South Western railway line. As a result, the ward was reduced from a four-member ward to a three-member ward.

## Councillors

| Year | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors |
| 2007 | | Ian Douglas (SNP) | | Mary Kilpatrick (Conservative) | Eddie Bulik (Labour/ Independent) | Winifred Sloan (Conservative) |
| 2009 | | Ian Douglas (SNP) | | Mary Kilpatrick (Conservative) | Eddie Bulik (Labour/ Independent) | Winifred Sloan (Conservative) |
| 2012 | | Ian Douglas (SNP) | Brian McGinley (Labour) | Mary Kilpatrick (Conservative) | Corri Wilson (SNP) |
| 2015 | John Wallace (SNP) | Ian Douglas (SNP) | Brian McGinley (Labour) | Mary Kilpatrick (Conservative) |
| 2017 | | Chris Cullen (SNP) | Brian McGinley (Labour) | Mary Kilpatrick (Conservative) |
| 2022 | | Chris Cullen (SNP) | Brian McGinley (Labour) | Mary Kilpatrick (Conservative) |

## Election results
### 2022 election

Ayr East - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | SNP | Chris Cullen (incumbent) | 27.8 | 1,377 | | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Mary Kilpatrick (incumbent) | 19.4 | 959 | 960 | 980 | 1,003 | 1,024 | 1,068 | 1,565 | | |
| | Labour | Brian McGinley (incumbent) | 16.4 | 814 | 820 | 860 | 888 | 919 | 992 | 1,021 | 1,108 | 1,408 |
| | SNP | Ian Douglas | 11.2 | 556 | 676 | 684 | 703 | 727 | 779 | 783 | 791 | |
| | Conservative | Alan Lamont | 10.5 | 520 | 520 | 525 | 545 | 560 | 584 | | | |
| | Independent | Chic Brodie | 4.7 | 232 | 233 | 236 | 268 | 364 | | | | |
| | Independent | Andrew Bryden | 3.7 | 185 | 187 | 204 | 245 | | | | | |
| | Independent | David John Ramsay | 3.6 | 180 | 181 | 189 | | | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Deirdre Kennedy | 2.2 | 113 | 114 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 10,276 Valid: 4,936 Spoilt: 95 Quota: 1,235 Turnout: 49.0% |||||||||||||
Source:

### 2017 election

Ayr East - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Mary Kilpatrick (incumbent) | 40.5 | 2,110 | | | | |
| | SNP | Chris Cullen | 22.1 | 1,148 | 1,165 | 1,223 | 1,233 | 1,926 |
| | Labour | Brian McGinley (incumbent) | 17.3 | 900 | 1,141 | 1,356 | | |
| | SNP | Ian McPherson | 14.5 | 753 | 767 | 801 | 810 | |
| | Independent | Andrew Bryden | 5.6 | 293 | 500 | | | |
| Electorate: 10,029 Valid: 5,204 Spoilt: 49 Quota: 1,302 Turnout: 51.5% |||||||||
Source:

### 2015 by-election

Ayr East by-election (17 September 2015) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Conservative | Dan McCroskrie | 38.5 | 1,527 | 1,534 | 1,589 | 1,740 | |
| | SNP | John Wallace | 38.0 | 1,507 | 1,540 | 1,600 | 1,775 | ??? |
| | Labour | Susan Wilson | 16.2 | 642 | 654 | 708 | | |
| | Independent | Andrew Bryden | 5.5 | 218 | 227 | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Boyd Murdoch | 1.9 | 76 | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,638 Valid: 3,970 Spoilt: 36 Quota: 1,986 Turnout: 34.4% |||||||||
Source:

### 2012 election

Ayr East - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Ian Douglas (incumbent) | 24.2 | 1,238 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Brian McGinley | 23.4 | 1,199 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Mary Kilpatrick (incumbent) | 22.2 | 1,135 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Patricia McKeand | 10.8 | 554 | 557 | 571 | 665 | 691 | 758 | |
| | SNP | Corri Wilson | 7.2 | 371 | 552 | 583 | 586 | 664 | 788 | 902 |
| | Independent | Andrew Bryden | 6.5 | 331 | 337 | 364 | 367 | 495 | | |
| | Independent | Eddie Bulik (incumbent) | 5.7 | 291 | 298 | 323 | 326 | | | |
| Electorate: 11,669 Valid: 5,119 Spoilt: 84 Quota: 1,024 Turnout: 43.9% |||||||||||
Source:

### 2007 election

Ayr East – 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | SNP | Ian Douglas | 27.6 | 1,933 | | | | |
| | Conservative | Winifred Sloan | 21.7 | 1,516 | | | | |
| | Labour | Eddie Bulik | 18.4 | 1,286 | 1,354 | 1,356 | ??? | ??? |
| | Conservative | Mary Kilpatrick | 17.4 | 1,220 | 1,318 | 1,416 | | |
| | Labour | Gerry Crawley | 12.3 | 861 | 937 | 940 | ??? | ??? |
| | Solidarity | James Stewart | 2.6 | 183 | 269 | 270 | ??? | |
| Valid: 6,999 Quota: 1,400 |||||||||
Source: