Central Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Central Ayrshire
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Central Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Interactive map of boundaries from 2005
CentralAyrshireConstituency.svg
Location within Scotland
Subdivisions of Scotland North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire
Electorate 69,413
Major settlements Irvine, Prestwick, Troon
Current constituency
Created 2005
Member of Parliament Alan Gemmell (Labour)
Created from Cunninghame South, Ayr
1950–1983
Created from Ayr Burghs, Bute and Northern Ayrshire, and Kilmarnock
Replaced by Cunninghame South, Cunninghame North and Ayr [1]
Overlaps
Scottish Parliament Ayr,
Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley,
Cunninghame South

Central Ayrshire is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the south-west of Scotland within the North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire council areas. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years using the first-past-the-post system of voting.

Contents

Boundaries

1950–1974: The burghs of Irvine, Kilwinning, Stewarton and Troon, the districts of Irvine and Kilbirnie, the electoral division of Dundonald in the district of Ayr, and the electoral division of Dunlop and Stewarton in the district of Kilmarnock. [2]

1974–1983: The burghs of Irvine, Kilwinning and Troon, the districts of Irvine and Kilbirnie and the electoral division of Dundonald in the district of Ayr. [3]

2005–present: The North Ayrshire wards of Irvine East, Irvine South, Irvine West, Kilwinning, and the South Ayrshire wards of Ayr North, Kyle, Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton, Prestwick, and Troon.

Constituency profile

The constituency covers towns such as Irvine and parts of Kilwinning to the north, as well as the coastal resorts of Troon and Prestwick to the south. The seat also takes in a set of villages in rural South Ayrshire including the former mining communities of Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton alongside the villages of Loans, Dundonald and Symington.

Irvine was designated in the 1970s as a Glasgow overspill new town. In recent local council elections, the SNP have performed strongly in the town of Irvine gaining 3 Councillors to Labours 5 in Irvine and Kilwinning wards.

The coastal towns of Prestwick and Troon join the town as part of the constituency as well as outlying rural areas located south and east of Troon and Prestwick: Prestwick, Troon and their hinterlands have sustained a considerable level of support for Conservative candidates locally and as part of the Ayr constituency in the Scottish Parliament. Heathfield in Ayr North also forms part of the constituency: this area is relatively small but has been more supportive of the SNP in recent council elections.

History

As created in 1950, the constituency merged parts of the Bute and Northern Ayrshire and Kilmarnock constituencies. Following the Representation of the People Act 1948, the Central Ayrshire constituency between 1950 and 1955 consisted of Irvine, Kilwinning, Stewarton, Troon, Kilbirnie and part of the district of Kilmarnock. [4] When abolished in 1983, the constituency was largely replaced by Cunninghame South, with Troon and its surrounding areas forming part of the Ayr constituency.

The constituency was re-established in 2005, centred around the historic burgh of Irvine and stretching north to cover part of Kilwinning and south to cover the coastal resort towns of Prestwick, Troon and their adjacent hinterlands alongside part of Ayr. The constituency covers the 2017 electoral wards of Irvine East, Irvine South, Irvine West and a small section of Kilwinning (between the River Garnock and the B778) from the North Ayrshire Council area and Prestwick, Troon, Kyle and a small section of Ayr North (between Seaforth Road and Lochside Road in Heathfield) from the South Ayrshire Council area. [5] The remainder of the North Ayrshire Council area is represented as part of the North Ayrshire and Arran Parliamentary constituency, with the remainder of South Ayrshire being covered by the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock Parliamentary constituency alongside parts of East Ayrshire.

Election history

The seat has mostly elected Labour Party MPs since the 1950s, with the former MP Brian Donohoe having represented the seat since its creation in 2005, and was MP for the predecessor seat of Cunninghame South since the 1992 general election. He lost his seat at the 2015 general election during an SNP landslide in Scotland, in which the SNP's Philippa Whitford was elected with a majority of 13,589 votes. At the 2017 local election the Conservatives were well ahead in Prestwick and Troon in South Ayrshire, with the SNP finishing first in Irvine in North Ayrshire. Philippa Whitford returned as the Member of Parliament for the Central Ayrshire constituency at the 2017 general election with a significantly reduced majority of 1,267 votes (2.8%) ahead of Conservative challenger Caroline Hollins-Martin. [6] At the 2019 UK election, Philippa Whitford was returned as Member of Parliament for the third time, increasing her majority to 5,304 votes (11.4%).

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [7] Party
1950 Archie Manuel Labour
1955 Douglas Spencer-Nairn Unionist
1959 Archie Manuel Labour
1970 David Lambie
1983 constituency abolished: see Ayr and Cunninghame South
2005 constituency created, see Ayr, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley and Cunninghame South
2005 Brian Donohoe Labour
2015 Philippa Whitford Scottish National Party
2024 Alan Gemmell Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Central Ayrshire [8] [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Alan Gemmell 18,091 43.7 +29.6
SNP Annie McIndoe11,22227.1−19.1
Conservative David Rocks6,14714.8−20.0
Reform UK Kevin Blades3,4208.3New
Scottish Green Tom Kerr1,0392.5New
Liberal Democrats Elaine Ford9832.4−2.5
Socialist Labour Louise McDaid3290.8New
SDP Allan MacMillan1880.5New
Majority6,86916.6N/A
Turnout 41,41959.7−7.0
Registered electors 69,413
Labour gain from SNP Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Central Ayrshire [10] [11] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
SNP Philippa Whitford 21,486 46.2 +9.0
Conservative Derek Stillie 16,18234.8+0.4
Labour Louise McPhater6,58314.1−12.0
Liberal Democrats Emma Farthing2,2834.9+2.6
Majority5,30411.4+8.6
Turnout 46,53466.7+1.4
SNP hold Swing +4.3
General election 2017: Central Ayrshire [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
SNP Philippa Whitford 16,771 37.2 −16.0
Conservative Caroline Hollins-Martin15,50434.4+17.1
Labour Nairn McDonald11,76226.1−0.3
Liberal Democrats Tom Inglis1,0502.3+0.5
Majority1,2672.8−24.0
Turnout 45,08765.3−7.2
SNP hold Swing −16.5
General election 2015: Central Ayrshire [14] [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
SNP Philippa Whitford 26,999 53.2 +34.2
Labour Brian Donohoe 13,41026.4−21.3
Conservative Marc Hope [16] 8,80317.3−3.1
Liberal Democrats Gordon Bain [17] 9171.8−10.1
Scottish Green Veronika Tudhope [18] 6451.3New
Majority13,58926.8N/A
Turnout 50,77472.5+8.3
SNP gain from Labour Swing +27.7
General election 2010: Central Ayrshire [19]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Brian Donohoe 20,950 47.7 +1.3
Conservative Maurice Golden 8,94320.4−1.7
SNP John Mullen8,36419.0+7.4
Liberal Democrats Andrew Chamberlain5,23611.9−4.2
Socialist Labour James McDaid4221.0−0.1
Majority12,00727.3+3.0
Turnout 43,91564.2+1.7
Labour hold Swing +1.5

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Central Ayrshire [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Brian Donohoe 19,905 46.4 −2.8
Conservative Garry Clark9,48222.1−4.1
Liberal Democrats Iain Kennedy6,88116.1+9.7
SNP Jahangir Hanif4,96911.6−3.0
Scottish Socialist Denise Morton8201.9−1.0
Socialist Labour Robert Cochrane4681.1+0.5
UKIP Jim Groves3460.8+0.7
Majority10,42324.3−1.3
Turnout 42,87162.5+1.0
Labour win (new seat)

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Central Ayrshire
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Lambie 27,438 51.1 +6.0
Conservative R. Wilkinson15,73429.3+4.5
SNP Ian Macdonald 5,59610.4−14.1
Liberal I Clarkson4,8969.1+3.5
Majority11,70421.8+1.5
Turnout 53,66479.8+0.5
Labour hold Swing
General election October 1974: Central Ayrshire [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Lambie 21,188 45.1 −3.9
Conservative M. Carse11,63324.8−11.2
SNP L. Anderson11,53324.5+9.5
Liberal J. Watts2,6405.6New
Majority9,55520.3+7.3
Turnout 46,99479.3−2.8
Labour hold Swing
General election February 1974: Central Ayrshire
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Lambie 23,639 49.0 −3.4
Conservative R. Gavin17,36236.0−5.8
SNP L. Anderson7,25515.0+9.9
Majority6,27713.0+2.4
Turnout 48,22682.1+1.5
Labour hold Swing
General election 1970: Central Ayrshire
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Lambie 24,536 52.4 −5.3
Conservative Ian Lang 19,56941.8−0.5
SNP Alasdair MacDonald2,3835.1New
Independent Thomas Menzies3390.7New
Majority4,96710.6−4.8
Turnout 46,82780.6−1.5
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Central Ayrshire
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 24,035 57.7 +1.3
Conservative John Corrie 17,63742.3−1.3
Majority6,39815.4+2.5
Turnout 41,67282.1−2.0
Labour hold Swing
General election 1964: Central Ayrshire
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 23,999 56.44 +4.45
Conservative GR Rickman18,52343.56−4.45
Majority5,47612.88+8.90
Turnout 42,52284.19−2.50
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Central Ayrshire [22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 21,901 51.99 +2.20
Unionist Douglas Spencer-Nairn 20,22548.01−2.20
Majority1,6763.98N/A
Turnout 42,12686.69+3.36
Labour gain from Unionist Swing
General election 1955: Central Ayrshire
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Douglas Spencer-Nairn 19,713 50.21 +2.51
Labour Archibald Manuel 19,54649.79−2.51
Majority1670.42N/A
Turnout 39,25983.33−3.93
Unionist gain from Labour Swing
General election 1951: Central Ayrshire
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 21,003 52.10 +3.14
Unionist William Rankine Milligan 19,31047.90+4.05
Majority1,6934.20−0.91
Turnout 40,31386.26+0.70
Labour hold Swing
General election 1950: Central Ayrshire
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 18,792 48.96 N/A
Unionist William Rankine Milligan16,83043.85N/A
Liberal Charles Jack Coleman2,7607.19N/A
Majority1,9625.11N/A
Turnout 38,38285.56N/A
Labour hold Swing

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayrshire</span> Historic county in Scotland

Ayrshire is a historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety of the historic county as well as the island of Arran, formerly part of the historic county of Buteshire. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire to the north-east, Dumfriesshire to the south-east, and Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire to the south. Like many other counties of Scotland, it currently has no administrative function, instead being sub-divided into the council areas of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. It has a population of approximately 366,800.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Ayrshire</span> Council area of Scotland

North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and south respectively. The local authority is North Ayrshire Council, formed in 1996 with the same boundaries as the district of Cunninghame which existed from 1975 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Ayrshire</span> Council area of Scotland

South Ayrshire is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. South Ayrshire had an estimated population in 2021 of 112,450, making it the 19th–largest subdivision in Scotland by population. With an area of 472 sq mi, South Ayrshire ranks as the 15th largest subdivision in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr</span> Administrative centre and town in Scotland

Ayr is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population of 46,982, Ayr is the 15th largest settlement in Scotland and second largest town in Ayrshire by population. The town is contiguous with the smaller town of Prestwick to the north. Ayr submitted unsuccessful bids for city status in 2000 and 2002, and as part of the wider South Ayrshire area in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cunninghame</span> Area of Scotland, comprising the northern part of Ayrshire

Cunninghame is a former comital district of Scotland and also a district of the Strathclyde Region from 1975 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troon</span> Town and sea port in Scotland

Troon is a town and sea port in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with ferry and freight services, and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O operated a seasonal ferry service to Larne. In May 2006, a ferry service to Campbeltown was added, although this was withdrawn the following year. Since March 2024, Caledonian MacBrayne have operated a ferry service to Brodick on the Isle of Arran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prestwick</span> Town and former royal burgh in Scotland

Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about 30 miles southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about two miles south, and the small village of Monkton to the north. It had a population of 14,901 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle, Ayrshire</span>

Kyle is a former comital district of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. It is supposedly named after Coel Hen, a legendary king of the Britons, who is said to be buried under a mound at Coylton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2005 onwards

Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election from parts of the old Ayr and Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituencies. It has been represented since 2024 by Elaine Stewart of Scottish Labour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Ayrshire and Arran (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2005 onwards

North Ayrshire and Arran is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the south-west of Scotland within the North Ayrshire council area. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years using the first-past-the-post voting system of voting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950–2005

Ayr was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.

South Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1983, when it was abolished. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP), elected by the first past the post voting system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Ayr is a burgh constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering the town of Ayr in the council area of South Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) via the plurality electoral system. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region which elects seven additional members to the Scottish Parliament via a proportional electoral system known as the Additional Members System which allows for greater accuracy in representation for the region as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley is a county constituency of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, covering parts of the council areas of South Ayrshire and East Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality method of election. Also, it is one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983–2005

Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. Half of the constituency was incorporated into the new Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency, with the remainder incorporated into the new Central Ayrshire constituency and the expanded Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

Ayr Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cunninghame South (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Cunninghame South 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.

Doonfoot is a suburb in the south-west of Ayr, South Ayrshire.

North Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1918. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council area of East Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality method of election. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

References

  1. ↑ "'Ayrshire Central', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Representation of the People Act 1948: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1948 c. 65 (sch.1), retrieved 23 July 2023
  3. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1970/1680, retrieved 23 July 2023
  4. ↑ "Information papers". Boundary Commission for Scotland . Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  5. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ Reynolds, Michael (14 June 2017). "Philippa survives shock Tory push". Ayrshire Post . Ayr.
  7. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 3)
  8. ↑ "Central Ayrshire results". BBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "General Election 4 July 2024 Results". South Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Forthcoming Elections". North Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  11. ↑ "Ayrshire Central parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News . Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  14. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. ↑ Howat, Eileen. "UK Parliamentary General Election, 7 May 2015: Central Ayrshire Constituency" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council . Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Marc Hope PPC for Central Ayrshire". South Ayrshire Conservatives. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "List of selected candidates". Liberal Democrats. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "Green Party name Central Ayrshire candidate". Irvine Times. 15 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  20. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack 1977
  22. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack 1963
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