Ballochmyle (ward)

Ballochmyle
East Ayrshire
Boundary of Ballochmyle in East Ayrshire from 2007–2017.
Population	13,990 (2021) [1]
Electorate	11,193 (2022)
Major settlements	Auchinleck Mauchline
Scottish Parliament constituency	Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley
Scottish Parliament region	South Scotland
UK Parliament constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudon
Current ward
Created	2007 (2007)
Number of councillors	4
Councillor	Claire Leitch (SNP)
Councillor	Linda Holland (Labour)
Councillor	Alyson Simmons (Conservative)
Councillor	William Lennox (SNP)
Created from	Auchinleck Catrine, Sorn and Mauchline East Galston East Mauchline Muirkirk, Lugar and Logan

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.

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 moved 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

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6
	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

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	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
	Scottish 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

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6
	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

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3
	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

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	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.