# 1977 Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council election

Elections to Cumnock and Doon Valley 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 10 wards created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each ward elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting.
Despite losing two seats, Labour maintained control of the district council, winning six of the 10 seats. The 1977 local elections were the first test for the nationalist Scottish Labour Party (SLP) which had been formed as a breakaway from Labour by South Ayrshire MP Jim Sillars alongside John Robertson and Alex Neil. The SLP achieved its best results in Cumnock and Doon Valley by winning two seats from Labour and taking more than 25% of the popular vote but the party ultimately fared poorly across the country. The Conservatives remained on one seat after losing their seat in Mauchline and gaining Catrine and Sorn. This was the last time the Conservatives would win a seat in the area until the 2017 local elections, 40 years later. The remaining seat was won by an independent candidate.

## Results

1977 Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council election result :
| Party | Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| | Labour | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 60.0 | 40.1 | 4,613 | 4.6 |
| | SLP | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 20.0 | 24.7 | 2,845 | New |
| | Conservative | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 10.0 | 8.3 | 954 | 12.4 |
| | Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10.0 | 6.4 | 732 | New |
| | SNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.00 | 17.3 | 1,984 | New |
| | Independent Labour | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 3.2 | 373 | 40.6 |
| Total | Total | 10 | | | | | | 11,501 | |
Source:

## Ward results
### Cumnock Burgh

Cumnock Burgh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | J. King | 912 | 40.3 |
| | SLP | W. Dick | 843 | 37.3 |
| | SNP | J. McHardy | 506 | 22.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 69 | 3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,261 | 48.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,695 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Source:

### Lugar, Logan and Muirkirk

Lugar, Logan and Muirkirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | M. Lochhead | 948 | 66.7 |
| | SNP | I. Cole | 473 | 33.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 475 | 33.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,421 | 42.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,389 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Source:

### Old Cumnock Parish

Old Cumnock Parish :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | SLP | W. Pender | 543 | 51.8 |
| | Labour | J. Smith | 506 | 48.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,049 | 44.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,399 | |
| | SLP gain from Labour | SLP gain from Labour | SLP gain from Labour | SLP gain from Labour |
Source:

### Auchinleck

Auchinleck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | J. Allan | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,495 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Source:

### Catrine and Sorn

Catrine and Sorn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | J. McInnes | 496 | 36.9 |
| | Independent Labour | H. Nisbet | 373 | 27.8 |
| | Labour | G. Smith | 334 | 24.9 |
| | SLP | E. Standring | 140 | 10.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 123 | 9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,343 | 58.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,305 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour |
Source:

### New Cumnock

New Cumnock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | J. Paterson | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,970 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
Source:

### Dalmellington

Dalmellington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | A. Johnstone | 682 | 40.9 |
| | SLP | J. Stewart | 585 | 35.1 |
| | Labour | P. Conway | 350 | 21.0 |
| | Independent | R. Hill | 50 | 3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 97 | 5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,667 | 50.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,309 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour |
Source:

### Patna and Dalrymple

Patna and Dalrymple :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | SLP | T. Hainey | 734 | 39.4 |
| | Labour | M. Rooney | 636 | 34.1 |
| | SNP | G. Guthrie | 495 | 26.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 98 | 5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,865 | 59.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,178 | |
| | SLP gain from Labour | SLP gain from Labour | SLP gain from Labour | SLP gain from Labour |
Source:

### Drongan, Ochiltree, Rankinston and Stair

Drongan, Ochiltree, Rankinston and Stair :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | J. Hodge | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,797 | |
| | Labour gain from Independent Labour | Labour gain from Independent Labour | Labour gain from Independent Labour | Labour gain from Independent Labour |
Source:

### Mauchline

Mauchline :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | D. Shankland | 927 | 48.9 | 0.9 |
| | SNP | J. Strawthorn | 510 | 26.9 | New |
| | Conservative | J. Downes | 458 | 24.2 | 27.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 417 | 22.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,895 | 61.9 | 12.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,063 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 14.3 | |
Source: