# Cunninghame South (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Cunninghame South (Gaelic: Coineagan a Deas) is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council area of North Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election, and is one of ten constituencies in the West Scotland electoral region. The regions elects seven additional members, in addition to the ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
The seat has been held by Ruth Maguire of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

## Electoral region

The other nine constituencies of the West Scotland region are: Clydebank and Milngavie, Cunninghame North, Dumbarton, Eastwood, Greenock and Inverclyde, Paisley, Renfrewshire North and West, Renfrewshire South and Strathkelvin and Bearsden.
The region covers part of the Argyll and Bute council area, the East Dunbartonshire council area, the East Renfrewshire council area, the Inverclyde council area, North Ayrshire council area, the Renfrewshire council area and the West Dunbartonshire council area.

## Constituency boundaries and council area

The constituency is one of two in North Ayrshire, with the rest of the council area being covered by the Cunninghame North constituency.
Cunninghame South was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, using the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005 Scottish constituencies for Westminster (House of Commons) were mostly replaced with new constituencies, causing Westminster and Holyrood constituency to no longer correspond.
Following their First Periodic review into constituencies to the Scottish Parliament in time for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the Boundary Commission for Scotland altered the boundaries of the constituency. The electoral wards used in the current creation of Cunninghame South are:
* In full:
** Irvine West
** Irvine East
** Kilwinning
** Irvine South
* In part: (shared with Cunninghame North)
** Stevenston
** Saltcoats

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

The Cunninghame South constituency occupies the southern portion of the North Ayrshire Council area, covering the towns of Kilwinning, Stevenston and Irvine.

### Voting patterns

The area has traditionally been represented by the Labour Party, with Labour continuously representing the Central Ayrshire and Cunninghame South constituencies at the British Parliament from 1959 until 2015 - when the constituency of Central Ayrshire was won by the Scottish National Party on a 27.7% swing from Labour to SNP. In the Scottish Parliament Cunninghame South was represented by the Labour Party from the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 until 2011, when the seat was gained by the SNP on a 9.9% swing.

## Member of the Scottish Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1999 | Irene Oldfather | Labour |
| 2011 | Margaret Burgess | SNP |
| 2016 | Ruth Maguire | SNP |

## Election results
### 2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Cunninghame South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Ruth Maguire | 15,208 | 50.5 | 1.7 | 13,895 | 46.0 | 3.8 |
| | Labour | Louise McPhater | 7,256 | 24.1 | 6.0 | 6,352 | 21.0 | 3.4 |
| | Conservative | David Rocks | 6,621 | 22.0 | 6.7 | 6,620 | 21.9 | 6.0 |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 1,244 | 4.1 | 0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tom Armstrong | 715 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 579 | 1.9 | 0.3 |
| | Alba | Alba | Alba | Alba | Alba | 417 | 1.4 | New |
| | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | 367 | 1.2 | New |
| | Independent | Maurice Campbell | 318 | 1.1 | New | 69 | 0.2 | New |
| | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | 160 | 0.5 | New |
| | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | 150 | 0.5 | New |
| | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | 98 | 0.3 | New |
| | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | 60 | 0.2 | New |
| | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | 53 | 0.2 | New |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 50 | 0.2 | 2.2 |
| | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | 46 | 0.2 | New |
| | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | 38 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| | Independent | James Morrison | James Morrison | James Morrison | James Morrison | 13 | 0.0 | New |
| | Renew | Renew | Renew | Renew | Renew | 11 | 0.0 | New |
| | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | 6 | 0.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,952 | 26.4 | 4.3 | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 30,118 | | | 30,228 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 96 | | | 54 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,214 | 58.0 | 6.6 | 30,282 | 58.2 | 6.7 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | Swing | | | | |

### 2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Cunninghame South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Region | Region | Region |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Ruth Maguire | 13,416 | 52.2 | 2.4 | 12,858 | 49.8 | 0.3 |
| | Labour | Joe Cullinane | 7,723 | 30.1 | 9.1 | 6,308 | 24.4 | 11.0 |
| | Conservative | Billy McClure | 3,940 | 15.3 | 6.8 | 4,105 | 15.9 | 8.0 |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 855 | 3.3 | 1.4 |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 628 | 2.4 | 1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruby Kirkwood | 616 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 417 | 1.6 | 0.1 |
| | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | 254 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | 177 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | 168 | 0.7 | New |
| | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | 30 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,693 | 22.1 | 11.5 | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 25,695 | | | 25,800 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 103 | | | 39 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,798 | 51.4 | 7.9 | 25,839 | 51.5 | 8.0 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | Swing | | | | |
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Cunninghame South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Region | Region | Region |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Margaret Burgess | 10,993 | 49.8 | N/A | 10,763 | 49.5 | N/A |
| | Labour | Irene Oldfather | 8,645 | 39.2 | N/A | 7,197 | 33.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Alistair Haw | 1,871 | 8.5 | N/A | 1,755 | 7.9 | N/A |
| | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | 453 | 2.0 | N/A |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 424 | 1.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruby Kirkwood | 547 | 2.5 | N/A | 374 | 1.7 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 257 | 1.2 | N/A |
| | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | 238 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | 173 | 0.8 | N/A |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 161 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | 115 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Ban Bankers Bonuses | Ban Bankers Bonuses | Ban Bankers Bonuses | Ban Bankers Bonuses | Ban Bankers Bonuses | 85 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Pirate | Pirate | Pirate | Pirate | Pirate | 62 | 0.3 | N/A |
| | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | 34 | 0.2 | N/A |
| | Independent | Richard Vassie | Richard Vassie | Richard Vassie | Richard Vassie | 17 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,384 | 10.6 | N/A | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 22,056 | | | 22,108 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 80 | | | 67 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,926 | 43.5 | N/A | 50,926 | 43.5 | 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 1 2 Incumbent member for this constituency |||||||||

### 2000s

2007 Scottish Parliament election: Cunninghame South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Irene Oldfather | 10,270 | 43.8 | −5.2 |
| | SNP | Duncan Ross | 8,102 | 34.6 | +12.2 |
| | Conservative | Pat McPhee | 3,073 | 13.1 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Iain Dale | 1,977 | 8.4 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,168 | 9.2 | −17.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,422 | 46.9 | +1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
2003 Scottish Parliament election: Cunninghame South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Irene Oldfather | 11,165 | 49.0 | −3.8 |
| | SNP | Mike Russell | 5,089 | 22.4 | −7.3 |
| | Scottish Socialist | Rosemary Byrne | 2,677 | 11.8 | New |
| | Conservative | Andrew Brocklehurst | 2,336 | 10.3 | −1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Iain Dale | 1,505 | 6.6 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,076 | 26.6 | +3.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,772 | 45.7 | −10.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### 1990s

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Cunninghame South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Irene Oldfather | 14,936 | 52.8 | N/A |
| | SNP | Mike Russell | 8,395 | 29.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Murray Tosh | 3,229 | 11.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stuart Ritchie | 1,717 | 6.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,541 | 23.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,277 | 56.1 | 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. 187. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
* ↑ "Scottish Parliamentary Elections - Cunninghame South - West Scotland Region" (pdf). North Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
* ↑ "Scottish Parliamentary Election - Cunninghame South" (pdf). North Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
* ↑ "Scottish Parliamentary Election - Cunninghame South/West Scotland Region". North Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
* ↑ "2016 Scottish Parliamentary Elections Results". North Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
* ↑ "Declaration of regional result Cunninghame South constituency" (PDF). North Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
* ↑ "2011 Scottish Parliamentary Elections Results". North Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 8 June 2021.