Girvan and South Carrick (ward)

Girvan and South Carrick
South Ayrshire
Boundary of Girvan and South Carrick in South Ayrshire from 2017.
Population	10,871 (2021)[1]
Electorate	8,648 (2023)
Major settlements	Girvan
Scottish Parliament constituency	Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Scottish Parliament region	South Scotland
UK Parliament constituency	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
Current ward
Created	2007 (2007)
Number of councillors	3
Councillor	Alec Clark (Independent)
Councillor	Gavin Scott (Conservative)
Councillor	Alan Lamont (Conservative)
Created from	Girvan Ailsa Girvan Glendoune South Carrick

Girvan and South Carrick is one of the eight electoral wards of South 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 10,871 people.

The ward has produced strong results for both the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Conservatives with each party taking one seat at every election except in 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 Girvan and South Carrick was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards.

It contained all of the former Girvan Ailsa and Girvan Glendoune wards as well as the vast majority of the former South Carrick ward. The ward includes the southernmost part of the council area on the Firth of Clyde coast and next to the council's borders with East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. It includes the town of Girvan as well as the uninhabited Ailsa Craig.[2] Following the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2017 Scottish local elections, the ward's northern boundary was amended and an area around Maidens, Turnberry and Kirkoswald was transferred into it from the Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton ward.[3]

Councillors

Election	Councillors
2007		Ian Fitzsimmons (Conservative)		Alec Oattes (SNP)		John McDowall (Labour)
2012		Alec Clark (Independent)
2017	Peter Henderson (SNP)			Ian Fitzsimmons (Conservative)
2022			Gavin Scott (Conservative)
2023				Alan Lamont (Conservative)

Election results

2023 by-election

Girvan and South Carrick (21 September 2023) - 1 seat

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4
	Conservative	Alan Lamont	47.5	1,315	1,323	1,346	1,497
	SNP	Joseph McLaughlin	28.1	778	802	824	947
	Labour	Nicola Saxton	18.0	499	507	551
	Liberal Democrats	Jamie Ross	3.9	108	113
	Alba	Denise Sommerville	2.5	70
Electorate: 8,648   Valid: 2,770   Spoilt: 32   Quota: 1,386   Turnout: 32.4%

Source:[4]

2022 election

Main article: 2022 South Ayrshire Council election

Girvan and South Carrick - 3 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	Independent	Alec Clark (incumbent)	31.4	1,277
	SNP	Peter Henderson (incumbent)	24.8	1,008	1,071
	Conservative	Gavin Scott	14.1	573	600	601	607	684	753	1,371
	Conservative	Linda Kane	13.8	563	591	592	594	620	734
	Labour	Aaron Gilpin	8.8	358	398	410	423	508
	Independent	Todor Joseph Radic	5.6	230	286	296	321
	Alba	Eileen Spence	1.1	47	51	61
Electorate: 8,849   Valid: 4,056   Spoilt: 75   Quota: 1,015   Turnout: 46.7%

Source: [5][6]

2017 election

Main article: 2017 South Ayrshire Council election

Girvan and South Carrick - 3 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6
	Independent	Alec Clark (incumbent)	33.1	1,502
	Conservative	Ian Fitzsimmons	26.7	1,211
	SNP	Peter Henderson	19.3	876	919	921	933	1,012	1,285
	Independent	Karen Clark-McCartney	9.5	429	569	586	636	803
	Labour	Owen Martin	9.4	428	485	497	515
	Independent	Gavin Scott	1.9	85	125	134
Electorate: 8,742   Valid: 4,531   Spoilt: 76   Quota: 1,133   Turnout: 52.3%

Source: [7][8]

2012 election

Main article: 2012 South Ayrshire Council election

Girvan and South Carrick - 3 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3
	Independent	Alec Clark	47.4	1,609
	SNP	Alec Oattes (incumbent)	19.7	670	822	985
	Labour	John McDowall (incumbent)	17.0	579	766	956
	Conservative	Iain Fitzsimmons (incumbent)	15.8	538	741
Electorate: 7,920   Valid: 3,396   Spoilt: 31   Quota: 850   Turnout: 42.9%

Source:[9][10]

2007 election

Main article: 2007 South Ayrshire Council election

Girvan and South Carrick – 3 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4
	Conservative	Iain Fitzsimmons	37.3	1,542
	SNP	Alec Oattes	33.1	1,368
	Labour	John McDowall	17.4	721	832	921	???
	Labour	Calum Little	12.2	504	567	611
Valid: 4,135   Quota: 1,034

Source: [11]

References

1. "Girvan and South Carrick". Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
2. "Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; South Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2006. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
3. "Fifth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; South Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
4. Faulds, Allan. "By-Election Result: Girvan and South Carrick". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
5. "Declaration of Results Report Ward 8 Girvan and South Carrick" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
6. "Candidate Votes Per Stage Report Ward 8 Girvan and South Carrick" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
7. "Declaration of Results Report Ward 8 Girvan and South Carrick" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
8. "Candidate Votes Per Stage Report Ward 8 Girvan and South Carrick" (PDF). South Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
9. Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project - 2012 - South Ayrshire". Retrieved 30 January 2024.
10. "Election 2012 for South Ayrshire Council Ward 8 Girvan and South Carrick". South Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
11. Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project - 2007 - South Ayrshire". Retrieved 15 July 2024.