# Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Gaelic: Carraig, Cumnaig agus Srath Dhùn) is a county constituency of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, covering parts of the council areas of South Ayrshire and East Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, it is one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
The seat has been held by Elena Whitham of the Scottish National Party since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

## Electoral region

The other eight constituencies of the South Scotland region are: Ayr; Clydesdale; Dumfriesshire; East Lothian; Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire; Galloway and West Dumfries; Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale.
The region covers the Dumfries and Galloway council area, the East Ayrshire council area, part of the East Lothian council area, part of the Midlothian council area, the Scottish Borders council area, the South Ayrshire council area and part of the South Lanarkshire council area.

## Constituency boundaries and council areas

The Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.
The rest of East Ayrshire is covered by the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency, whilst the rest of the South Ayrshire is covered by Ayr constituency.
Following their First Periodic review into constituencies to the Scottish Parliament in time for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the Boundary Commission for Scotland recommended redrawing the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency. The electoral wards used in the current creation of Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley are:
* Kyle (South Ayrshire)
* Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton (South Ayrshire)
* Girvan and South Carrick (South Ayrshire)
* Ballochmyle (East Ayrshire)
* Cumnock and New Cumnock (East Ayrshire)
* Doon Valley (East Ayrshire)

## Constituency profile and voting patterns
### Constituency profile

The rural constituency of Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley is a diverse and sparsely populated area made up of former mining communities, outlying suburban villages, fertile farmlands and coastal resorts. Carrick stretches along the rugged and idyllic Ayrshire coast between Ayr and Galloway, taking in Culzean Castle and the resorts of Turnberry, home to the renowned Turnberry hotel and golf course, and Maidens. The main population centres within Carrick are Girvan, which serves as the area's main harbour and the main town of the Carrick area, and Maybole, the historic capital of the kingdom of Carrick. To the north west of the constituency, are the former mining villages of Tarbolton, Annbank and Mossblown. The more affluent suburban villages of Dundoald, Loans, Coylton and Symington serve as commuter villages to Ayr, Prestwick and Troon. Cumnock, Doon Valley and Ballochmyle in the East Ayrshire section of the constituency housed the central headquarters of coal mining operations in the Ayrshire area prior to the industry's collapse in the 1980s. The area is predominantly composed of dispersed and deprived former mining communities such as Cumnock, New Cunmock, Dalmellington, Bellsbank and Patna. The Trade Union movement was particularly strong in the area during the 1980s and 1990s. Keir Hardie, who is regarded as one of the primary founders of the Labour Party, was active in organising a local trade union for miners in the area during the late 1800s,

### Voting patterns

At Westminster, the equivalent South Ayrshire and later Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituencies consistently returned Labour MP's since the 1930s. The area was among the most reliable and safest Labour areas in Scotland and the UK as a whole, with Labour continually gaining the majority of the vote in most electoral wards in the constituency. On a local level, Cumnock, Ballochmyle, Doon Valley, Maybole, Annbank, Tarbolton, Mossblown and parts of Girvan consistently supported Labour, with these areas making up the majority of the constituency. Rural and suburban areas in Kyle and Carrick have been more supportive of Conservative candidates in the past - including Coylton, Dundoald, Loans, Monkton, Symington, Dunure, Minishant and Girvan Ailsa at the 2003 local election for South Ayrshire. At the 1979 UK general election the Scottish Labour Party - a pro-independence breakaway group from the UK Labour Party - polled second place in the constituency at just 1,521 votes behind Labour's George Foulkes.
Although the SNP have traditionally performed poorly in Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley they were able to secure the Scottish Parliamentary constituency in 2011 with a majority of 2,581 votes. In 2016 Labour's support in the constituency slumped, with the Conservatives increasing their vote share by 9.7% to take 24.2% of the vote, narrowly behind Labour's 27.4%, allowing Jeane Freeman of the SNP to increase Adam Ingram's initial majority of 2,581 in 2011 to 6,006 in 2016 despite seeing little change in the SNP's vote share in the constituency, however the SNP have performed very well in recent elections
At the 2017 council elections, the Conservatives formed the largest party across the South Ayrshire section of the constituency through Kyle and Carrick, with the Labour Party remaining the largest party in Cumnock and Doon Valley in East Ayrshire. Conservative Bill Grant went on to gain the overlapping UK Parliament constituency of Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock with a 6% majority at the 2017 UK general election. The SNP regained this seat at the 2019 UK general election.
In 2021, the area returned the third largest swing towards the Conservatives in Scotland, who overtook Labour into second place in the constituency. The SNP's majority in the constituency was reduced from 6,006 to 4,337 votes.

## Member of the Scottish Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1999 | Cathy Jamieson | Labour |
| 2011 | Adam Ingram | SNP |
| 2016 | Jeane Freeman | SNP |
| 2021 | Elena Whitham | SNP |

## Election results
### 2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Elena Whitham | 15,240 | 42.8 | 3.6 | 13,949 | 39.1 | 4.1 |
| | Conservative | Sharon Dowey | 10,903 | 30.6 | 6.4 | 10,812 | 30.3 | 6.5 |
| | Labour | Carol Mochan | 8,604 | 24.2 | 3.2 | 7,159 | 20.0 | 4.2 |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 1,200 | 3.4 | 0.3 |
| | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | 674 | 1.9 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kirsten Herbst-Grey | 875 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 646 | 1.8 | 0.1 |
| | Alba | Alba | Alba | Alba | Alba | 424 | 1.2 | New |
| | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | 201 | 0.6 | New |
| | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | 158 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | 133 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | 82 | 0.2 | New |
| | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | 73 | 0.2 | New |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 70 | 0.2 | 2.3 |
| | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | 63 | 0.2 | New |
| | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | 15 | 0.0 | New |
| | Vanguard Party (UK) | Vanguard Party (UK) | Vanguard Party (UK) | Vanguard Party (UK) | Vanguard Party (UK) | 8 | 0.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,337 | 12.2 | 6.8 | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 35,622 | | | 35,667 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 112 | | | 78 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,734 | 59.6 | 5.3 | 35,745 | 59.7 | 5.3 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | Swing | | | | |
| Notes 1 2 Elected on the party list |||||||||

### 2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Jeane Freeman | 14,690 | 46.4 | 0.2 | 13,734 | 43.2 | 1.6 |
| | Labour | Carol Mochan | 8,684 | 27.4 | 9.8 | 7,701 | 24.2 | 8.6 |
| | Conservative | Lee Lyons | 7,666 | 24.2 | 9.7 | 7,561 | 23.8 | 10.5 |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 982 | 3.1 | 1.4 |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 799 | 2.5 | 1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dawud Islam | 640 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 549 | 1.7 | 0.3 |
| | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | 207 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | 142 | 0.4 | New |
| | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | 112 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,006 | 19.0 | 10.0 | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 31,680 | | | 31,787 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 115 | | | 44 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,795 | 54.3 | 5.8 | 31,831 | 54.4 | 5.8 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | Swing | | | | |
| Notes |||||||||
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Adam Ingram | 13,250 | 46.2 | N/A | 12,893 | 44.8 | N/A |
| | Labour | Richard Leonard | 10,669 | 37.2 | N/A | 9,425 | 32.8 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Peter Kennerley | 4,160 | 14.5 | N/A | 3,834 | 13.3 | N/A |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 482 | 1.7 | N/A |
| | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | 420 | 1.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Chamberlain | 624 | 2.2 | N/A | 403 | 1.4 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 535 | 1.9 | N/A |
| | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | 252 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 215 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | 178 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | 70 | 0.2 | N/A |
| | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | 42 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,581 | 9.0 | N/A | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 28,703 | | | 28,749 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 111 | | | 88 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,814 | 48.5 | N/A | 28,837 | 48.6 | N/A |
| | SNP win (new boundaries) | SNP win (new boundaries) | SNP win (new boundaries) | SNP win (new boundaries) | SNP win (new boundaries) | SNP win (new boundaries) | SNP win (new boundaries) | SNP win (new boundaries) |
| Notes ↑ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency |||||||||

### 2000s

2007 Scottish Parliament election: Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Cathy Jamieson | 14,350 | 42.5 | −5.5 |
| | SNP | Adam Ingram | 10,364 | 30.7 | +13.8 |
| | Conservative | Tony Lewis | 6,729 | 19.9 | −6.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul McGreal | 1,409 | 4.2 | +0.4 |
| | Independent | Hugh Hill | 809 | 2.4 | New |
| | Equal Parenting Alliance | Ray Barry | 124 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,986 | 11.8 | −9.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,785 | 51.8 | −1.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
2003 Scottish Parliament election: Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Cathy Jamieson | 16,484 | 48.0 | +0.1 |
| | Conservative | Phil Gallie | 9,030 | 26.3 | +6.5 |
| | SNP | Adam Ingram | 5,822 | 16.9 | −9.5 |
| | Scottish Socialist | Murray Steele | 1,715 | 5.0 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Caron Howden | 1,315 | 3.8 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,454 | 21.7 | +0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,366 | 52.8 | −9.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### 1990s

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Cathy Jamieson | 19,667 | 47.9 | N/A |
| | SNP | Adam Ingram | 10,864 | 26.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative | John Scott | 8,123 | 19.8 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Hannay | 2,441 | 5.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,803 | 21.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,095 | 61.8 | N/A |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
* ↑ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived September 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
* ↑ "First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries Final Report" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. May 2010. p. 111. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
* ↑ "Constituencies A-Z: Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
* ↑ "Scottish Parliament Elections". East Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
* ↑ "Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Regional Result Notice" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
* ↑ "Results for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Constituency" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
* ↑ "Scottish Parliament Elections". East Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
* ↑ "Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Regional Result Notice" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
* ↑ "Results for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Constituency" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
* ↑ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
* ↑ "2011 Election analysis (Excel 2.37MB)". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 23 June 2021.