# 2022 North Ayrshire Council election

Elections to North Ayrshire Council took place on 5 May 2022 on the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. As with other Scottish council elections, it was held using single transferable vote (STV) – a form of proportional representation – in which multiple candidates are elected in each ward and voters rank candidates in order of preference.
For the third consecutive election, the Scottish National Party (SNP) received the highest vote share and returned the most seats at 12 – one more than the previous election. The Conservatives built on their success from five years previous and bucked the national trend as they recorded their best-ever performance in a North Ayrshire election, leapfrogging Labour into second place with 10 seats. Labour fell from their position as the joint-largest party to third, returning only nine councillors – their worst-ever performance in a North Ayrshire election. The number of independents elected fell from four to two.
The SNP subsequently took the leadership of the council, running a minority administration with Cllr Marie Burns elected as council leader.

## Background
### Previous election

At the previous election in 2017, the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Labour won the joint-most seats, with 11 each. The SNP's number had reduced by one, while Labour maintained their number of councillors. The Conservatives gained six seats to record their best result in a North Ayrshire election with seven, while the number of independents fell from six to four.
2017 North Ayrshire Council election result :
| Party | Seats | Vote share |
| SNP | 11 | 35.2% |
| Labour | 11 | 26.1% |
| Conservatives | 7 | 23.5% |
| Independent | 4 | 13.0% |
Source:

### Electoral system

Local elections in Scotland use the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system – a form of proportional representation – in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. The 2022 election was the first to use the nine wards created under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, with 33 councillors being elected. Each ward – except Arran, which returned one member – elected either three, four or five members.

### Composition

Since the previous election, several changes in the composition of the council occurred. Most were changes to the political affiliation of councillors, including Labour councillor Jimmy Miller who resigned to become an independent and SNP councillor Ellen McMaster who first joined Alba before becoming an independent. One by-election was held after SNP councillor Joy Brahim resigned due to ill health and resulted in a gain for the Conservatives.
Composition of North Ayrshire Council :
| Party | 2017 result | Dissolution |
| SNP | 11 | 9 |
| Labour | 11 | 10 |
| Conservative | 7 | 8 |
| Independents | 4 | 6 |

### Retiring councillors

Retiring councillors :
| Ward | Party | Retiring councillor |
| Irvine West | Labour | Ian Clarkson |
| Irvine East | Labour | John Easdale |
| Irvine South | Conservative | Margaret George |
| North Coast and Cumbraes | Labour | Alex Gallagher |
Source:

### Boundary changes

Following the implementation of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, a review of the boundaries was undertaken in North Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute, Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and the Western Isles. The act allowed for single- or two-member wards to be created to allow for better representation of island communities. The review coincided with the introduction of the Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020 which allowed for the creation of five-member wards. As a result, the number of wards in North Ayrshire was reduced from 10 to nine but the number of councillors will remain at 33. No changes were proposed in Kilwinning or the three Irvine wards. The former Ardrossan and Arran ward was split into two wards – a single-member ward for the island of Arran and a three-member ward for Ardrossan. A single ward for Saltcoats and Stevenson was reintroduced after it was split into two separate wards prior to the 2017 election however the area will be represented by five members rather than four as was the case between 2007 and 2017. The former Dalry and West Kilbride, Kilbirnie and Beith, and North Coast and Cumbraes wards were reorganised from two three- and one four-member wards into two five-member wards: North Coast and Garnock Valley.

### Candidates

The total number of candidates increased from 70 in 2017 to 74. As was the case five years previous, the SNP fielded the highest number of candidates at 17 across the nine wards – two less than in 2017. Both Labour and the Conservatives also fielded at least one candidate in every ward but the 14 candidates fielded by Labour was three less than in 2017 whereas the 11 candidates named by the Conservatives was an increase of one. The Greens again contested three wards while the Liberal Democrats contested an election in North Ayrshire for the first time in a decade after they named six candidates. The number of independent candidates fell from 15 in 2017 to 12. Socialist Labour named two candidates, an increase of one, while the Scottish Socialist Party and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) again named one candidate. For the first time, the Scottish Family Party (three candidates), the Independence for Scotland Party (ISP) (two candidates), the Alba Party and the Freedom Alliance (both one candidate) fielded candidates in a North Ayrshire election. Neither the UK Independence Party (UKIP) nor the British Unionist Party (BUP), who had both contested the 2017 election, fielded any candidates.

## Results

2022 North Ayrshire Council election result :
| Party | Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| | SNP | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 36.3 | 36.2 | 17,052 | 1.1 |
| | Conservative | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 30.3 | 21.7 | 10,200 | 1.8 |
| | Labour | 9 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 27.2 | 25.4 | 11,947 | 0.7 |
| | Independent | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6.0 | 11.6 | 5,473 | 1.4 |
| | Scottish Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 1.7 | 804 | 0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 1.4 | 671 | New |
| | Socialist Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.5 | 268 | 0.4 |
| | Scottish Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.4 | 192 | New |
| | ISP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.3 | 183 | New |
| | Alba | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.2 | 100 | New |
| | Scottish Socialist | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.0 | 46 | 0.3 |
| | TUSC | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.0 | 40 | 0.1 |
| | Freedom Alliance | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.0 | 27 | New |
| Total | Total | 33 | | | | | | 47,003 | |
Source:
Note: Votes are the sum of first preference votes across all council wards. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 4 May 2017. This is because STV has an element of proportionality which is not present unless multiple seats are being elected. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at the dissolution of Scotland's councils.

### Ward summary

Results of the 2022 North Ayrshire Council election by ward :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | SNP | SNP | Lab | Lab | Con | Con | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| North Coast | 31.0 | 2 | 10.1 | 0 | 30.1 | 2 | 28.8 | 1 | 5 |
| Garnock Valley | 31.3 | 2 | 14.1 | 1 | 24.8 | 1 | 29.8 | 1 | 5 |
| Ardrossan | 41.2 | 1 | 27.0 | 1 | 20.0 | 1 | 11.8 | 0 | 3 |
| Arran | 25.7 | 0 | 10.0 | 0 | 32.4 | 1 | 31.9 | 0 | 1 |
| Saltcoats and Stevenson | 39.6 | 2 | 40.2 | 2 | 11.4 | 1 | 8.8 | 0 | 5 |
| Kilwinning | 34.9 | 1 | 46.0 | 2 | 15.6 | 1 | 3.4 | 0 | 4 |
| Irvine West | 40.7 | 2 | 29.8 | 1 | 20.0 | 1 | 9.6 | 0 | 4 |
| Irvine East | 44.5 | 1 | 27.2 | 1 | 19.8 | 1 | 8.4 | 0 | 3 |
| Irvine South | 44.6 | 1 | 32.4 | 1 | 19.4 | 1 | 3.6 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 36.3 | 12 | 25.4 | 9 | 21.7 | 10 | 16.6 | 2 | 33 |
Source:

### Seats changing hands

Below is a list of seats which elected a different party or parties from 2017 in order to highlight the change in political composition of the council from the previous election. The list does not include defeated incumbents who resigned or defected from their party and subsequently failed re-election while the party held the seat. Due to boundary changes, some wards may differ between the 2017 and 2022 elections.
Seats changing hands :
| 2017 | 2017 | 2017 | 2017 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Seat | Party | Party | Member | Seat | Party | Party | Member |
| Dalry and West Kilbride | | Independent | Robert Barr | Garnock Valley | | Conservative | Ronnie Stalker |
| North Coast and Cumbraes | | Labour | Alex Gallagher | North Coast | | SNP | Eleanor Collier |
| New ward | New ward | New ward | New ward | Arran | | Conservative | Timothy Billings |
| Stevenston | | Labour | Jimmy Miller | Saltcoats and Stevenston | | Conservative | Cameron Inglis |
| Saltcoats | | Independent | Ronnie McNicol | Saltcoats and Stevenston | | Conservative | Cameron Inglis |
| Irvine West | | Labour | Ian Clarkson | Irvine West | | SNP | Chloe Robertson |

#### Notes

* ^ Note 1: The Dalry and West Kilbride, Kilbirnie and Beith and North Coast and Cumbraes wards used in the 2017 election were replaced by the new Garnock Valley and North Coast wards.
* ^ Note 2: In 2017, Jimmy Miller was elected as a Labour candidate but later resigned from the party.
* ^ Note 3: The total number of councillors representing Saltcoats and Stevenston was reduced from six to five following the boundary changes.

## Ward results

At the previous election, the North Coast and Garnock Valley wards were previously represented by three wards: Dalry and West Kilbride, Kilbirnie and Beith and North Coast and Cumbraes. The three wards elected 10 councillors in total, including three SNP, three independents, two Labour and two Conservatives. The newly created wards elected four SNP, three Conservatives, two independents and one Labour, resulting in a gain for the SNP and the Conservatives and a loss each for Labour and independent candidate Robert Barr.

### North Coast

North Coast - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| | SNP | Eleanor Collier | 17.5 | 1,724 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Ian Murdoch | 17.4 | 1,718 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Todd Ferguson | 16.5 | 1,633 | 1,633 | 1,641 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Tom Marshall | 13.5 | 1,331 | 1,331 | 1,341 | 1,341 | 1,346 | 1,349 | 1,352 | 1,379 | 1,412 | 1,439 | 1,442 | 1,677 |
| | SNP | Alan Hill | 13.4 | 1,325 | 1,393 | 1,405 | 1,405 | 1,420 | 1,461 | 1,474 | 1,485 | 1,545 | 1,756 | | |
| | Labour | Valerie Reid | 10.1 | 995 | 996 | 1,004 | 1,004 | 1,010 | 1,014 | 1,066 | 1,128 | 1,175 | 1,298 | 1,325 | |
| | Scottish Green | David John Nairn | 3.9 | 392 | 397 | 404 | 404 | 417 | 427 | 440 | 478 | 527 | | | |
| | Independent | Wendy Low-Thomson | 2.3 | 234 | 234 | 249 | 249 | 267 | 291 | 299 | 326 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret McLellan | 2.0 | 203 | 203 | 206 | 206 | 208 | 210 | 219 | | | | | |
| | Socialist Labour | James McDaid | 1.1 | 118 | 118 | 119 | 119 | 120 | 125 | | | | | | |
| | Alba | Jane Fraser | 1.0 | 100 | 101 | 101 | 101 | 105 | | | | | | | |
| | ISP | Nick Hobson | 0.7 | 72 | 72 | 74 | 74 | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 18,557 Valid: 9,845 Spoilt: 160 Quota: 1,641 Turnout: 53.9% ||||||||||||||||
Source:

### Garnock Valley

Garnock Valley - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| | Independent | Donald L. Reid | 22.8 | 1,613 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Ronnie Stalker | 20.1 | 1,420 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Anthea Dickson | 19.3 | 1,362 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Margaret Johnson | 11.9 | 844 | 923 | 935 | 1,098 | 1,100 | 1,103 | 1,108 | 1,128 | 1,141 | 1,141 | 1,279 |
| | Labour | John Bell | 11.4 | 806 | 892 | 910 | 919 | 923 | 924 | 937 | 1,095 | 1,181 | | |
| | Independent | Robert Barr | 5.5 | 388 | 464 | 539 | 542 | 550 | 568 | 583 | 597 | 700 | 701 | |
| | Conservative | Ted Nevill | 4.6 | 327 | 374 | 456 | 457 | 460 | 463 | 472 | 480 | | | |
| | Labour | James Robson | 2.6 | 190 | 219 | 225 | 226 | 226 | 228 | 235 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Catherine Williamson | 0.7 | 55 | 63 | 66 | 67 | 70 | 72 | | | | | |
| | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Carol Ann Dobson | 0.3 | 27 | 31 | 32 | 34 | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | John Willis | 0.1 | 12 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 38 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 16,364 Valid: 7,044 Spoilt: 167 Quota: 1,175 Turnout: 44.1% |||||||||||||||
Source:

### Ardrossan

At the previous election, Ardrossan was included in a ward representing Ardrossan and Arran which returned one SNP, one Labour and one Conservative councillor. The new ward returned the same political mix despite the boundary changes.
Ardrossan - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Tony Gurney | 30.9 | 1,107 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Amanda Kerr | 27.0 | 966 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Stewart Ferguson | 19.9 | 714 | 717 | 729 | 739 | 751 | 858 | 1,013 |
| | SNP | Jim McHarg | 10.2 | 366 | 549 | 558 | 565 | 574 | 674 | |
| | Independent | John Hunter | 9.3 | 333 | 345 | 359 | 366 | 390 | | |
| | Scottish Family | Matthew Lynch | 1.3 | 47 | 47 | 51 | | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen McQuistin | 1.2 | 44 | 45 | 56 | 62 | | | |
| Electorate: 8,512 Valid: 3,577 Spoilt: 70 Quota: 895 Turnout: 42.8% |||||||||||
Source:

### Arran

At the previous election, Arran was included in a ward representing Ardrossan and Arran. The newly re-established Arran ward resulted in a Conservative win.
Arran - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Conservative | Timothy Billings | 32.4 | 788 | 820 | 872 | 891 | 1,038 | 1,335 |
| | SNP | Steve Garraway | 25.7 | 625 | 662 | 689 | 825 | 951 | |
| | Independent | Tom Young | 12.5 | 305 | 375 | 436 | 519 | | |
| | Labour | Aaran McDonald | 9.9 | 243 | 260 | | | | |
| | Scottish Green | Ronna Park | 9.9 | 241 | 272 | 321 | | | |
| | Independent | Ellen McMaster | 9.4 | 229 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 4,072 Valid: 2,431 Spoilt: 23 Quota: 1,216 Turnout: 60.3% ||||||||||
Source:

### Saltcoats and Stevenston

At the previous election, Saltcoats and Stevenston was represented by two separate wards, one for Saltcoats and one for Stevenston. In total, they elected six councillors including three Labour, two SNP and an independent. The newly re-established ward which had been used between 2007 and 2017 elected two SNP, two Labour and one Conservative councillor resulting in a Conservative gain and a loss for Labour and independent candidate Ronnie McNicol. Independent candidate Jimmy Miller was elected as a Labour candidate in 2017 but later resigned from the party.
Saltcoats and Stevenston - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | SNP | Jean McClung | 29.3 | 1,908 | | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Jim Montgomerie | 28.0 | 1,822 | | | | | | | |
| | Labour | John Sweeney | 12.2 | 796 | 811 | 1,350 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Cameron Inglis | 11.4 | 742 | 745 | 772 | 776 | 814 | 828 | 857 | 1,103 |
| | SNP | Davina McTeirnan | 10.2 | 666 | 1,402 | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Ronnie McNicol | 5.6 | 366 | 394 | 448 | 486 | 527 | 605 | 702 | |
| | ISP | David Higgins | 1.7 | 111 | 120 | 127 | 206 | 219 | 235 | | |
| | Independent | Jimmy Miller | 1.4 | 95 | 97 | 119 | 140 | 182 | | | |
| Electorate: 16,951 Valid: 6,506 Spoilt: 202 Quota: 1,085 Turnout: 39.6% ||||||||||||
Source:

### Kilwinning

Labour (2), the SNP (1) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they won at the previous election.
Kilwinning - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Labour | Joe Cullinane (incumbent) | 30.8 | 1,714 | | | | | |
| | SNP | Scott Davidson (incumbent) | 22.0 | 1,225 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | John Glover (incumbent) | 15.6 | 867 | 904 | 936 | 937 | 1,029 | 1,295 |
| | Labour | Donald Reid (incumbent) | 15.1 | 842 | 1,297 | | | | |
| | SNP | Sheila Gibson | 12.8 | 714 | 750 | 780 | 886 | 944 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruby Kirkwood | 3.4 | 191 | 226 | 276 | 278 | | |
| Electorate: 13,553 Valid: 5,553 Spoilt: 171 Quota: 1,111 Turnout: 42.2% ||||||||||
Source:

### Irvine West

The SNP retained the seat they had won at the previous election and gained one from Labour, while the Conservatives retained their only seat and Labour retained one of their two seats.
Irvine West - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| | SNP | Shaun MacAulay (incumbent) | 27.3 | 1,274 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Scott Gallacher (incumbent) | 19.9 | 932 | 934 | | | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Louise McPhater (incumbent) | 15.6 | 729 | 738 | 738 | 746 | 748 | 757 | 792 | 814 | 816 | 1,472 |
| | Labour | Sylvia Mallinson | 14.1 | 660 | 674 | 674 | 676 | 678 | 697 | 758 | 788 | 790 | |
| | SNP | Chloe Robertson | 13.3 | 623 | 894 | 894 | 905 | 906 | 909 | 922 | 948 | | |
| | Socialist Labour | Bobby Cochrane | 3.2 | 150 | 155 | 155 | 168 | 172 | 181 | | | | |
| | Independent | Kevin T. Blades | 2.8 | 133 | 136 | 136 | 139 | 165 | 184 | 212 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lewis Dominic Hutton | 1.5 | 72 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 81 | | | | | |
| | Independent | Tristan Lindsay | 1.0 | 47 | 49 | 49 | 53 | | | | | | |
| | Scottish Socialist | Colin Turbett | 0.9 | 46 | 47 | 47 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 12,090 Valid: 4,666 Spoilt: 142 Quota: 934 Turnout: 39.8% ||||||||||||||
Source:

### Irvine East

The SNP, Labour and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Irvine East - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Marie Burns (incumbent) | 36.5 | 1,470 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Nairn McDonald | 27.2 | 1,096 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Angela Stephen (incumbent) | 19.7 | 795 | 797 | 818 | 839 | 885 | 913 | 1,097 |
| | SNP | Susan Johnson | 8.0 | 323 | 696 | 706 | 718 | 730 | 874 | |
| | Scottish Green | Ross Colins | 4.2 | 171 | 219 | 227 | 239 | 278 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barry Keith Jackson | 2.6 | 106 | 111 | 130 | 139 | | | |
| | Scottish Family | Karin Craig | 1.5 | 64 | 70 | 76 | | | | |
| Electorate: 10,204 Valid: 4,025 Spoilt: 87 Quota: 1,007 Turnout: 40.3% |||||||||||
Source:

### Irvine South

The SNP, Labour and the Conservatives retained the seats they had won at the previous election.
Irvine South - 3 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Christina Larsen (incumbent) | 25.9 | 871 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Robert Foster (incumbent) | 22.6 | 761 | 761 | 765 | 783 | 1,048 | | |
| | Conservative | Matthew McLean | 19.3 | 651 | 651 | 656 | 681 | 711 | 759 | 889 |
| | SNP | Joseph Hopkins | 18.6 | 625 | 652 | 660 | 669 | 691 | 728 | |
| | Labour | David O'Neill | 9.7 | 327 | 327 | 336 | 355 | | | |
| | Scottish Family | Robert John Craig | 2.4 | 81 | 81 | 87 | | | | |
| | TUSC | Ian Kerr | 1.1 | 40 | 40 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 8,997 Valid: 3,356 Spoilt: 96 Quota: 840 Turnout: 38.4% |||||||||||
Source:

## Aftermath

The SNP recorded one of their best results in North Ayrshire, and group leader Cllr Marie Burns said after the election that she was "so pleased and so grateful to the people of North Ayrshire for putting their trust in us". Despite losing support and placing third in the popular vote, the Conservatives recorded their best-ever result in a North Ayrshire election by becoming the second-largest party on the council. Conservative group leader Cllr Tom Marshall said the result was "a great achievement" as the party bucked the national trend which saw the Conservatives lose seats. In contrast, Labour recorded their worst election performance in North Ayrshire as they slipped to third with nine seats. Outgoing council leader and Labour group leader Cllr Joe Cullinane said that he did not believe the result was a "reflection of the campaign we ran nor the work we did in administration" and that he was "really gutted".
After winning the largest number of seats, the SNP formed a minority administration to take control of the council for the first time since 2016. Cllr Marie Burns was elected council leader and Cllr Shaun MacAuley was elected as depute leader. Cllr Anthea Dickson was elected as Provost and Labour councillor John Sweeney was elected as Depute Provost.
In February 2024, Cllr Marshall was cleared off any wrongdoing by the Standards Commission for Scotland following a visit he had made to the site of a planning application in Irvine while he was chair of the council's planning committee. Later in the year, he stood down as leader of the Conservative group at the group's AGM and was replaced by his deputy, Cllr Cameron Inglis. Cllr Matthew McLean was installed as deputy leader at the meeting which took place in June 2024.
Cllr McLean and his Conservative colleague Cllr Stewart Ferguson defected from the party to join Reform UK in November 2024 - a move which was called "disappointing" by Cllr Inglis, Conservative group leader. Cllr McLean was later replaced as Conservative deputy leader in January 2025 by Cllr Scott Gallacher.

### Kilwinning by-election

In February 2024, Conservative Kilwinning councillor John Glover died following a period of ill health which had prevented him from attending meetings for nine months. A by-election was held on 9 May 2024 and was won by Labour's Mary Hume.
Kilwinning by-election (9 May 2024) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 |
| | Labour | Mary Hume | 53.8 | 2,171 |
| | SNP | Sheila Gibson | 22.7 | 916 |
| | Conservative | Chris Lawler | 15.3 | 619 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruby Kirkwood | 3.8 | 154 |
| | Scottish Family | Ian Gibson | 3.3 | 136 |
| Electorate: 13,392 Valid: 3,996 Spoilt: 42 Quota: 1,999 Turnout: 30.2% |||||
Source:

### Arran by-election

In June 2024, Arran councillor Timothy Billings announced his intention to step down as a councillor after moving back to England before formally stepping down in August 2024. The SNP did not contest the by-election after their intended candidate withdrew for personal reasons at short notice. The by-election was held on 12 September 2024 and was won by Labour candidate Charles Currie.
Arran by-election (12 September 2024) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Labour | Charles Currie | 45.4 | 748 | 751 | 754 | 778 | 910 |
| | Independent | James Andrew McMaster | 24.4 | 402 | 405 | 416 | 442 | 543 |
| | Scottish Green | Neil Alexander Wilkonson | 20.6 | 340 | 342 | 343 | 354 | |
| | Conservative | Mackenzie Smith | 5.5 | 90 | 92 | 112 | | |
| | Reform UK | Carole Thomson | 3.3 | 55 | 55 | | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Matt Taylor | 0.7 | 12 | | | | |
| Electorate: 4,034 Valid: 1,647 Spoilt: 21 Quota: 824 Turnout: 41.3% |||||||||
Source: