Kilmarnock North (ward)

Kilmarnock North is one of the nine electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Created in 2007, the ward elects three councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 12,243 people.

Kilmarnock North
East Ayrshire
Outline map
Boundary of Kilmarnock North in East Ayrshire from 2007–2017.
Population12,243 (2021)[1]
Electorate9,748 (2022)
Major settlementsKilmarnock (part of)
Scottish Parliament constituencyKilmarnock and Irvine Valley
Scottish Parliament regionSouth Scotland
UK Parliament constituencyKilmarnock and Loudon
Current ward
Created2007 (2007)
Number of councillors3
CouncillorElaine Cowan (SNP)
CouncillorDavid William Richardson (SNP)
CouncillorMaureen McKay (Labour)
Created fromAltonhill, Hillhead and Longpark
Kilmaurs and Stewarton South
North Kilmarnock, Fenwick and Waterside
North New Farm Loch and Dean
Onthank

The area is a Scottish National Party (SNP) stronghold with the party holding two of the three seats at all but one election since the ward's creation.

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 Kilmarnock North was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards. It contained all of the former Onthank ward as well as parts of the former Kilmaurs and Stewarton South, North Kilmarnock, Fenwick and Waterside, Altonhill, Hillhead and Longpark and North New Farm Loch and Dean wards. Initially, Kilmarnock North included the northernmost part of Kilmarnock including the neighbourhoods of Onthank, Altonhill, Hillhead, Longpark and Southcraigs as well as Dean Castle Country Park.[2] Following the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2017 Scottish local elections, the ward's eastern boundary was moved west to run along the B7038 instead of the Kilmarnock Water and Craufurdland Water. As a result, Dean Castle Country Park is now contained within the Kilmarnock East and Hurlford ward.[3]

Councillors
Election Councillors
2007 Willie Coffey
(SNP)		 Helen Coffey
(SNP)		 Maureen McKay
(Labour)
2012 Andrew Hershaw
(SNP)
2014
by-election		 Elaine Cowan
(SNP)
2017 Ian Grant
(Conservative)
2022 Elaine Cowan
(SNP)		 David William Richardson
(SNP)

Election results

2022 election
Main article: 2022 East Ayrshire Council election
Kilmarnock North - 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123456
SNP Elaine Cowan 38.2 1,483          
Labour Maureen McKay (incumbent) 27.9 1,084          
Conservative Allan MacDonald 13.8 536 542 566 574 713  
SNP David William Richardson 9.4 364 788 804 855 939 1,035
Independent Ian Grant (incumbent) 8.1 316 343 366 397    
Alba Wendy MacDonald 2.6 99 113 119      
Electorate: 9,748   Valid: 3,882   Spoilt: 53   Quota: 971   Turnout: 40.4%  

    Source: [4][5]

    2017 election
    Main article: 2017 East Ayrshire Council election
    Kilmarnock North - 3 members
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    12345
    SNP Helen Coffey (incumbent) 36.9 1,381        
    Conservative Ian Grant 26.0 971        
    Labour Maureen McKay (incumbent) 23.1 865 885 900 924 1,300
    SNP Elaine Cowan (incumbent) 12.9 481 884 886 893  
    Libertarian Lisa Murray 1.1 41 44 47    
    Electorate: 9,109   Valid: 3,739   Spoilt: 40   Quota: 935   Turnout: 41.5%  

      Source: [6]

      2014 by-election
      Kilmarnock North by-election (27 March 2014) – 1 seat
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      1234
      SNP Elaine Cowan 44.2 1,334 1,358 1,473 2,042
      Labour Scott Thomson 37.4 1,130 1,147 1,320  
      Conservative Ian Grant 16.3 493 501    
      Scottish Green Robin Tatler 2.0 61      
      Electorate: 9,657   Valid: 3,018   Spoilt: 19   Quota: 1,510   Turnout: 35.6%  

        Source: [7]

        2012 election
        Main article: 2012 East Ayrshire Council election
        Kilmarnock North – 3 members
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        123
        SNP Helen Coffey (incumbent) 44.7 1,475    
        Labour Maureen McKay (incumbent) 35.7 1,176    
        Conservative Ian Grant 11.6 383 417 476
        SNP Andrew Hershaw[note 1] 8.0 263 817 921
        Electorate: 9,324   Valid: 3,297   Spoilt: 40   Quota: 825   Turnout: 35.4%  

          Source: [9][10]

          2007 election
          Main article: 2007 East Ayrshire Council election
          Kilmarnock North - 3 members
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          12
          SNP Willie Coffey 34.5 1,552  
          Labour Maureen McKay 26.7 1,202  
          SNP Helen Coffey 21.2 952 1,317
          Conservative James Adams 15.8 709 720
          Scottish Socialist Colin Rutherford 1.9 85 89
          Electorate: 8,617   Valid: 4,500   Spoilt: 88   Quota: 1,126   Turnout: 52.2%  

            Source:[11]

            Notes
            1. Kilmarnock North councillor Andrew Hershaw died on 31 December 2013.[8] A by-election was held on 27 March 2014.

            References
            1. "Kilmarnock North". 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 2 November 2022.
            3. "Fifth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
            4. "Declaration of Results Report Ward 2 Kilmarnock North" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
            5. "Detailed Results Ward 2 Kilmarnock North" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
            6. "Detailed Results Report Ward 2 - Kilmarnock North" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
            7. "Detailed Results Report Ward 2 - Kilmarnock North" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
            8. Andrew Hershaw – The Herald|HighBeam Research
            9. "Declaration of Results Report Ward 2 Kilmarnock North" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
            10. "Detailed Results Ward 2 Kilmarnock North" (PDF). East Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
            11. Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project - 2007 - East Ayrshire". Retrieved 3 November 2022.
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