Ballochmyle (ward)

Ballochmyle is one of the nine electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Created in 2007, the ward elects four councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 13,990 people.

Ballochmyle
East Ayrshire
Outline map
Boundary of Ballochmyle in East Ayrshire from 2007–2017.
Population13,990 (2021)[1]
Electorate11,193 (2022)
Major settlementsAuchinleck
Mauchline
Scottish Parliament constituencyCarrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley
Scottish Parliament regionSouth Scotland
UK Parliament constituencyKilmarnock and Loudon
Current ward
Created2007 (2007)
Number of councillors4
CouncillorClaire Leitch (SNP)
CouncillorLinda Holland (Labour)
CouncillorAlyson Simmons (Conservative)
CouncillorWilliam Lennox (SNP)
Created fromAuchinleck
Catrine, Sorn and Mauchline East
Galston East
Mauchline
Muirkirk, Lugar and Logan

The area was previously a Labour stronghold with the party winning three of the four seats at the first election in 2007. However, the ward has since move towards the Scottish National Party (SNP) with the party holding half the seats since 2012.

Boundaries

The ward was created following the Fourth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2007 Scottish local elections. As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, local elections in Scotland would use the single transferable vote electoral system from 2007 onwards so Ballochmyle was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards. It contained part of the former Galston East, Mauchline, Catrine, Sorn and Mauchline East and Auchinleck wards as well as all of the former Muirkirk, Lugar and Logan ward. Ballochmyle runs across the council area from its border with South Ayrshire to the easternmost part of the council area between its borders with South Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway and takes in the towns of Mauchline, Catrine, Auchinleck, Sorn and Muirkirk.[2] Following the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2017 Scottish local elections, the ward's northwestern boundary was extended north and west to run along the A77.[3]

Councillors
Election Councillors
2007 Jim Roberts
(SNP)		 Neil McGhee
(Labour)		 Eric Jackson
(Labour)		 Jimmy Kelly
(Labour)
2008
by-election		 David Shaw
(Labour)
2012 Stephanie Primrose
(SNP)
2017 Alyson Simmons
(Conservative)		 Claire Leitch
(SNP)
2022 William Lennox
(SNP)		 Linda Holland
(Labour)

Election results

2022 election
Main article: 2022 East Ayrshire Council election
Ballochmyle - 4 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123456
SNP Claire Leitch (incumbent) 28.0 1,301          
Labour Linda Holland 23.4 1,085          
Conservative Alyson Simmons (incumbent) 16.8 779 781 786 912 914 1,112
SNP William Lennox 11.7 542 863 869 981    
Independent David Shaw 10.9 507 522 532      
Labour Stephen McCarron 9.3 432 444 565 691 706  
Electorate: 11,193   Valid: 4,646   Spoilt: 100   Quota: 930   Turnout: 42.4%  

    Source: [4][5]

    2017 election
    Main article: 2017 East Ayrshire Council election
    Ballochmyle - 4 seats
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    1234567
    SNP Claire Leitch 20.7 971            
    Conservative Alyson Simmons 20.1 944            
    Labour Neil McGhee (incumbent) 18.6 873 875 875 880 1,233    
    SNP Jim Roberts (incumbent) 16.8 788 813 813 816 854 895 1,107
    Independent David Shaw (incumbent) 13.2 621 621 622 627 671 734  
    Labour Neil Murray 10.3 483 483 484 485      
    Libertarian Sheraz Shafiq 0.3 15 15 15        
    Electorate: 11,270   Valid: 4,695   Spoilt: 138   Quota: 940   Turnout: 42.9%  

      Source: [6]

      2012 election
      Main article: 2012 East Ayrshire Council election
      Ballochmyle – 4 seats
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      123456
      SNP Jim Roberts (incumbent) 25.4 1,109          
      Labour Neil McGhee (incumbent) 23.3 1,018          
      Labour David Shaw (incumbent) 18.5 810 827 857      
      Labour Neil Murray 11.3 496 510 622 628 704  
      SNP Stephanie Primrose 10.6 462 665 670 671 735 869
      Conservative Nick Martin 8.0 348 352 353 354    
      Electorate: 10,995   Valid: 4,243   Spoilt: 131   Quota: 849   Turnout: 38.6%  

        Source: [7][8]

        2008 by-election
        Ballochmyle by-election (11 December 2008) – 1 seat
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        123
        Labour David Shaw 47.9 1,598 1,617 1,675
        SNP Roseanne Savage 33.8 1,129 1,160 1,261
        Conservative Janette MacAlpine 8.2 273 290 308
        Solidarity Danny Masterton 7.3 243 248  
        Liberal Democrats Ian Fraser 2.8 93    
        Electorate: 11,527   Valid: 3,336   Spoilt: 29   Quota: 1,669   Turnout: 29.2%  

          Source:[9]

          2007 election
          Main article: 2007 East Ayrshire Council election
          Ballochmyle - 4 seats
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          1234567
          Labour Eric Jackson 20.5 1,195            
          SNP Jim Roberts 17.7 1,032 1,033 1,083 1,169      
          Labour Neil McGhee 16.0 931 937 958 990 991 1,026 1,130
          Labour Jimmy Kelly 15.2 883 895 924 976 976 1,044 1,146
          SNP David Shankland 11.4 667 668 682 712 715 805  
          Conservative Nick Martin 9.2 534 535 563 610 610    
          Independent Gordon Ralton 5.8 340 340 379        
          Scottish Green Brian Brodaley 4.2 245 246          
          Electorate: 11,192   Valid: 5,827   Spoilt: 182   Quota: 1,166   Turnout: 52.1%  

            Source:[10]

            References
            1. "Ballochmyle". Scottish Government. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
            2. "Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
            3. "Fifth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
            4. "Declaration of Results Report Ward 7 Ballochmyle" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
            5. "Detailed Results Ward 7 Ballochmyle" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
            6. "Detailed Results Report Ward 7 - Ballochmyle" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
            7. "Declaration of Results Report Ward 7 Ballochmyle" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
            8. "Detailed Results Ward 7 Ballochmyle" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
            9. Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project - Ballochmyle Ward". Retrieved 3 November 2022.
            10. Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project - 2007 - East Ayrshire". Retrieved 3 November 2022.
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