# 1977 Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council election

Elections to Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council were held on 3 May 1977, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the second election to the district council following the local government reforms in 1974.
The election used the original 16 wards created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each ward elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting.
Labour won the popular vote despite their vote share decreasing by 16.3% and, as a result, lost overall control of the district council. The party lost five seats to hold seven – two short of an overall majority. The Conservatives tied as the joint-largest party with Labour on seven seats – an increase of three from previous election in 1974. For the first time, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won seats in Kilmarnock and Loudoun as they took the remaining two seats which put them in position as the kingmaker.

## Results

1977 Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council election result :
| Party | Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| | Labour | 7 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 43.7 | 38.6 | 12,000 | 16.3 |
| | Conservative | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 43.7 | 32.2 | 10,028 | 1.4 |
| | SNP | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12.5 | 25.8 | 8,032 | New |
| | Liberal | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 2.4 | 734 | 11.2 |
| | SLP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.8 | 241 | New |
| | Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.2 | 62 | New |
| Total | Total | 16 | | | | | | 31,097 | |
Source:

## Ward results
### Ward 1

Ward 1 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | R. Brown | 1,139 | 45.3 | New |
| | Labour | J. Raphael | 901 | 35.9 | 32.3 |
| | Conservative | C. Peever | 472 | 18.8 | 13.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 238 | 9.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,512 | 54.5 | 9.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,613 | | |
| | SNP gain from Labour | SNP gain from Labour | Swing | 38.8 | |
Source:

### Ward 2

Ward 2 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | R. Creighton | 968 | 60.7 | 0.1 |
| | Liberal | P. McMillan | 626 | 39.3 | 15.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 342 | 21.4 | 15.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,594 | 42.7 | 6.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,795 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 7.6 | |
Source:

### Ward 3

Ward 3 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | J. Hunter | 917 | 44.9 | 28.9 |
| | SNP | R. Brailsford | 700 | 34.3 | New |
| | Conservative | J. Steele | 424 | 20.8 | 5.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 217 | 10.6 | 37.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,041 | 48.8 | 5.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,206 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 31.6 | |
Source:

### Ward 4

Ward 4 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | R. Ledgerwood | 782 | 38.1 | 3.8 |
| | SNP | J. Langlands | 678 | 33.0 | New |
| | Labour | B. McAree | 484 | 23.6 | 7.0 |
| | Liberal | T. Purdon | 108 | 5.3 | 12.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 104 | 5.1 | 6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,052 | 51.7 | 6.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,978 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 18.4 | |
Source:

### Ward 5

Ward 5 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | J. Anderson | 1,040 | 52.1 | 25.9 |
| | SNP | C. Calman | 957 | 47.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 83 | 4.2 | 60.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,997 | 51.6 | 4.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,895 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 36.9 | |
Source:

### Ward 6

Ward 6 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | M. Parker | 1,156 | 56.5 | 0.4 |
| | SNP | P. Gibson | 507 | 24.8 | New |
| | Labour | J. Hollywood | 383 | 18.7 | 14.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 649 | 21.7 | 2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,046 | 62.0 | 4.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,304 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 12.6 | |
Source:

### Ward 7

Ward 7 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | J. Porter | 812 | 35.9 | 8.1 |
| | SNP | R. Ferguson | 756 | 33.4 | New |
| | Labour | G. Wallace | 634 | 28.0 | 18.8 |
| | Independent | T. Ryan | 62 | 2.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 56 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,264 | 58.0 | 1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,906 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 20.7 | |
Source:

### Ward 8

Ward 8 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | M. Porter | 1,430 | 80.9 | 14.6 |
| | Labour | W. Maxwell | 337 | 19.1 | 0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,093 | 61.8 | 15.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,767 | 48.7 | 7.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,667 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 7.6 | |
Source:

### Ward 9

Ward 9 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | M. Garven | 892 | 41.7 | 26.4 |
| | SNP | C. Calderwood | 877 | 41.0 | New |
| | Conservative | J. Watson | 370 | 17.3 | 1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15 | 0.7 | 48.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,139 | 50.8 | 5.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,213 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 33.7 | |
Source:

### Ward 10

Ward 10 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | L. Flannigan | 983 | 43.8 | New |
| | Labour | T. Ferguson | 885 | 39.4 | 32.8 |
| | Conservative | W. Adams | 270 | 12.0 | 3.8 |
| | SLP | P. Clark | 108 | 4.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 98 | 4.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,246 | 48.1 | 6.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,676 | | |
| | SNP gain from Labour | SNP gain from Labour | Swing | 38.3 | |
Source:

### Ward 11

Ward 11 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | J. Thomson | 1,225 | 85.7 | 28.5 |
| | Labour | A. McKinlay | 204 | 14.3 | 4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,021 | 71.4 | 38.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,429 | 50.9 | 3.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,833 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 16.4 | |
Source:

### Ward 12

Ward 12 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Nisbet | 1,237 | 76.1 | 4.8 |
| | Conservative | D. MacIntosh | 388 | 23.9 | 4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 849 | 52.2 | 9.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,625 | 40.7 | 7.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,028 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 4.7 | |
Source:

### Ward 13

Ward 13 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | A. MacDougall | 973 | 35.2 | 13.1 |
| | SNP | W. Lamond | 915 | 33.1 | New |
| | Labour | B. McGeechan | 743 | 26.9 | 19.4 |
| | SLP | J. McFadden | 133 | 4.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 58 | 2.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,764 | 63.6 | 8.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,359 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 16.2 | |
Source:

### Ward 14

Ward 14 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Lundie | 1,059 | 64.1 | 8.8 |
| | Conservative | A. Wight | 592 | 35.9 | 17.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 467 | 28.2 | 25.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,651 | 40.1 | 12.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,156 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 12.9 | |
Source:

### Ward 15

Ward 15 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | T. Whale | 615 | 36.4 | 8.4 |
| | Labour | C. Brown | 553 | 32.8 | 14.8 |
| | SNP | M. Blaney | 520 | 30.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 62 | 3.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,688 | 55.9 | 3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,025 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 11.6 | |
Source:

### Ward 16

Ward 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | J. Anderson | 763 | 59.5 | 2.1 |
| | Conservative | J. Armstrong | 519 | 40.5 | 22.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 244 | 19.0 | 13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,282 | 51.6 | 9.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,498 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 10.8 | |
Source: