Central Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

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.

Central Ayrshire
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of Central Ayrshire in Scotland for the 2005 general election
Subdivisions of ScotlandNorth Ayrshire, South Ayrshire
Major settlementsIrvine, Prestwick, Troon
Current constituency
Created2005
Member of ParliamentPhilippa Whitford (SNP)
Created fromCunninghame South, Ayr
1950–1983
Replaced byCunninghame South, Cunninghame North and Ayr[1]
Created fromAyr Burghs, Bute and Northern Ayrshire, and Kilmarnock
Overlaps
Scottish ParliamentAyr,
Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley,
Cunninghame South

Boundaries

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 1950-55 consisted of Irvine, Kilwinning, Stewarton, Troon, Kilbirnie and part of the district of Kilmarnock.[2] 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.[3] 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.

Constituency profile

Constituency

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. 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 and has elected Labour councillors locally.

UK Parliament elections

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 UK general election the Conservatives were well ahead in Prestwick and Troon in South Ayrshire, with the SNP finishing first in Irvine in North Ayrshire, allowing for Philippa Whitford to return as the Member of Parliament for the Central Ayrshire constituency with a significantly reduced majority of 1,267 votes (2.8%) ahead of Conservative challenger Caroline Hollins-Martin.[4] 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%).

Scottish Parliament elections

The constituency overlaps the Scottish Parliamentary constituencies of Ayr, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley and Cunninghame South. The Ayr constituency has been represented by Conservative MSP John Scott since a by-election in 2000, marginally ahead of the SNP in second place. Cunninghame South is currently represented by SNP MSP Ruth Maguire, who sustained a significant majority of 22.1% of the vote at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election ahead of Labour's Joe Cullinane in second place.

Council elections

At the most recent local council election in 2017 the composition of Councillors elected in the equivalent area of the Central Ayrshire constituency was as follows:

Conservative Labour Scottish National Party
8 7 6

The total number of votes cast by political party in the equivalent area of Central Ayrshire at the local election was as follows:

  • Scottish Conservatives - 11,657 (38.3%)
  • Scottish National Party - 10,391 (34.2%)
  • Scottish Labour - 7,151 (23.5%)
  • Independents - 679 (2.2%)
  • Scottish Greens - 536 (1.8%)
  • Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - 42 (0.1%)

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[5] 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

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: Central Ayrshire[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Philippa Whitford 21,486 46.2 +9.0
Conservative Derek Stillie 16,182 34.8 +0.4
Labour Louise McPhater 6,583 14.1 -12.0
Liberal Democrats Emma Farthing 2,283 4.9 +2.6
Majority 5,304 11.4 +8.6
Turnout 46,534 66.7 +1.4
SNP hold Swing +4.3
General election 2017: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Philippa Whitford 16,771 37.2 −16.0
Conservative Caroline Hollins-Martin 15,504 34.4 +17.1
Labour Nairn McDonald 11,762 26.1 −0.3
Liberal Democrats Tom Inglis 1,050 2.3 +0.5
Majority 1,267 2.8 −24.0
Turnout 45,087 65.3 −7.2
SNP hold Swing −16.5
General election 2015: Central Ayrshire[8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Philippa Whitford 26,999 53.2 +34.2
Labour Brian Donohoe 13,410 26.4 −21.3
Conservative Marc Hope[10] 8,803 17.3 −3.1
Liberal Democrats Gordon Bain[11] 917 1.8 −10.1
Scottish Green Veronika Tudhope[12] 645 1.3 New
Majority 13,589 26.8 N/A
Turnout 50,774 72.5 +8.3
SNP gain from Labour Swing +27.7
General election 2010: Central Ayrshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian Donohoe 20,950 47.7 +1.3
Conservative Maurice Golden 8,943 20.4 −1.7
SNP John Mullen 8,364 19.0 +7.4
Liberal Democrats Andrew Chamberlain 5,236 11.9 −4.2
Socialist Labour James McDaid 422 1.0 −0.1
Majority 12,007 27.3 +3.0
Turnout 43,915 64.2 +1.7
Labour hold Swing +1.5

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: Central Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian Donohoe 19,905 46.4 −2.8
Conservative Garry Clark 9,482 22.1 −4.1
Liberal Democrats Iain Kennedy 6,881 16.1 +9.7
SNP Jahangir Hanif 4,969 11.6 −3.0
Scottish Socialist Denise Morton 820 1.9 −1.0
Socialist Labour Robert Cochrane 468 1.1 +0.5
UKIP Jim Groves 346 0.8 +0.7
Majority 10,423 24.3
Turnout 42,871 62.5 +1.0
Labour win (new seat)

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1979: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Lambie 27,438 51.1 +6.0
Conservative R. Wilkinson 15,734 29.3 +4.5
SNP Ian Macdonald 5,596 10.4 -14.1
Liberal I Clarkson 4,896 9.1 +3.5
Majority 11,704 21.8 +1.5
Turnout 53,664 79.8 +0.5
Labour hold Swing
General election October 1974: Central Ayrshire [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Lambie 21,188 45.1 −3.9
Conservative M. Carse 11,633 24.8 −11.2
SNP L. Anderson 11,533 24.5 +9.5
Liberal J. Watts 2,640 5.6 New
Majority 9,555 20.3 +7.3
Turnout 46,994 79.3 -2.8
Labour hold Swing
General election February 1974: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Lambie 23,639 49.0 −3.4
Conservative R. Gavin 17,362 36.0 −5.8
SNP L. Anderson 7,255 15.0 +9.2
Majority 6,277 13.0 +2.4
Turnout 48,226 82.1 +1.5
Labour hold Swing
General election 1970: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Lambie 24,536 52.4 −5.3
Conservative Ian Lang 19,569 41.8 −0.5
SNP Alasdair MacDonald 2,383 5.1 New
Independent Thomas Menzies 339 0.7 New
Majority 4,967 10.6 -4.8
Turnout 46,827 80.6 -1.5
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1966: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 24,035 57.7 +1.3
Conservative John Corrie 17,637 42.3 -1.3
Majority 6,398 15.4 +2.5
Turnout 41,672 82.1 -2.0
Labour hold Swing
General election 1964: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 23,999 56.44 +4.45
Conservative GR Rickman 18,523 43.56 -4.45
Majority 5,476 12.88 +8.90
Turnout 42,522 84.19 -2.50
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1959: Central Ayrshire[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 21,901 51.99 +2.20
Unionist Douglas Spencer-Nairn 20,225 48.01 -2.20
Majority 1,676 3.98 N/A
Turnout 42,126 86.69 +3.36
Labour gain from Unionist Swing
General election 1955: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Douglas Spencer-Nairn 19,713 50.21 +2.51
Labour Archibald Manuel 19,546 49.79 -2.51
Majority 167 0.43 N/A
Turnout 39,259 83.33 -3.93
Unionist gain from Labour Swing
General election 1951: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 21,003 52.10 +3.14
Unionist William Rankine Milligan 19,310 47.90 +4.05
Majority 1,693 4.20 -0.91
Turnout 40,313 86.26 +0.70
Labour hold Swing
General election 1950: Central Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Archibald Manuel 18,792 48.96 N/A
Unionist William Rankine Milligan 16,830 43.85 N/A
Liberal Charles Jack Coleman 2,760 7.19 N/A
Majority 1,962 5.11 N/A
Turnout 38,382 85.56 N/A
Labour hold Swing

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. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-15. Retrieved 2011-02-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Reynolds, Michael (14 June 2017). "Philippa survives shock Tory push". Ayrshire Post. Ayr.
  5. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 3)
  6. "Forthcoming Elections". North Ayrshire Council. North Ayrshire Council. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  7. "Ayrshire Central parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  8. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  9. http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/documents/central%20ayrshire%20results.pdf
  10. "Marc Hope PPC for Central Ayrshire". South Ayrshire Conservatives. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015.
  11. "List of selected candidates". Liberal Democrats. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  12. "Green Party name Central Ayrshire candidate". Irvine Times.
  13. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  14. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. Whitaker's Almanack 1977
  16. Whitaker's Almanack 1963
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