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Ayr (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Ayr is a constituency
of the Scottish Parliament
(Holyrood
). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)
by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the South of Scotland electoral region
, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation
for the region as a whole.
The other eight constituencies of the South of Scotland region are Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
, Clydesdale
, Cunninghame South
, Dumfries
, East Lothian
, Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
, Roxburgh and Berwickshire
and Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
.
The region covers the Dumfries and Galloway council area
, the Scottish Borders council area
, the South Ayrshire council area
, part of the East Ayrshire council area
, part of the East Lothian council area
, part of the Midlothian council area
, part of the North Ayrshire council area
and part of the South Lanarkshire council area
.
, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency
. In 2005
, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.
The Holyrood constituency covers a northern portion of the South Ayrshire council area
. The rest of the council area is covered by the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
constituency, which also covers a southern portion of the East Ayrshire council area
.
Following their First Periodic review into constituencies to the Scottish Parliament in time for the 2011 elections, the Boundary Commission for Scotland has recommended alterations to the existing Ayr constituency.
The newly shaped Ayr takes in the three Ayr electoral wards of North, East, and West, in addition to covering Troon
and Prestwick
.
The other three electoral wards of South Ayrshire
council area will form part of the redrawn Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....
of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
(Holyrood
Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the South of Scotland electoral region
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....
, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
for the region as a whole.
Electoral region
- See also South of Scotland Scottish Parliament region
The other eight constituencies of the South of Scotland region are Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, Scotland. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Clydesdale
Clydesdale (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Clydesdale is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Cunninghame South
Cunninghame South (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Cunninghame South is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one MSP by the first past the post method of election once every four years. Currently, the constituency comprises of the towns of Irvine, Kilwinning and Stevenston, located within the North Ayrshire council area in...
, Dumfries
Dumfries (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Dumfries was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, East Lothian
East Lothian (Scottish Parliament constituency)
East Lothian is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election....
, Roxburgh and Berwickshire
Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Roxburgh and Berwickshire was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament until 2011. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
and Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
.
The region covers the Dumfries and Galloway council area
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, the Scottish Borders council area
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, the South Ayrshire council area
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
, part of the East Ayrshire council area
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders on to North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway...
, part of the East Lothian council area
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, part of the Midlothian council area
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, part of the North Ayrshire council area
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
and part of the South Lanarkshire council area
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
.
Constituency boundaries and council area
The Ayr constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999Scottish Parliament election, 1999
The Scottish Parliament election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on 6 May 1999 to elect 129 members...
, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency
Ayr (UK Parliament constituency)
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 by the first-past-the-post system of election.- History :...
. In 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.
The Holyrood constituency covers a northern portion of the South Ayrshire council area
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
. The rest of the council area is covered by the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, Scotland. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
constituency, which also covers a southern portion of the East Ayrshire council area
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders on to North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway...
.
Boundary review
See Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions from 2011Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions from 2011
As a result of the first periodical review of Scottish Parliament constituencies, , new constituencies and additional member regions of the Scottish Parliament are to be introduced for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election...
Following their First Periodic review into constituencies to the Scottish Parliament in time for the 2011 elections, the Boundary Commission for Scotland has recommended alterations to the existing Ayr constituency.
The newly shaped Ayr takes in the three Ayr electoral wards of North, East, and West, in addition to covering Troon
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
and Prestwick
Prestwick
Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire on the south-west coast of Scotland, about south-west of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr, the centre of which is about south...
.
The other three electoral wards of South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
council area will form part of the redrawn Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, Scotland. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
Members of the Scottish Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Scottish Parliament election, 1999 The Scottish Parliament election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on 6 May 1999 to elect 129 members... |
Ian Welsh Ian Welsh Ian McWilliam Welsh is a Scottish politician who currently works as Chief Executive of Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland. After a brief career as a professional footballer, he was an English teacher and became a local councillor – serving twice as a council Leader... |
Labour Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland.... |
|
| 2000 by-election Ayr by-election, 2000 The Ayr by-election on March 16, 2000 was the first by-election for the Scottish Parliament that had been established the year previously. It was caused by the resignation of Ian Welsh who had been elected at the Scottish Parliamentary Election, 1999... |
John Scott John Scott (Scottish politician) John Scott is a Scottish farmer and politician, and is a Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament for Ayr.Born in Girvan, he has been MSP for Ayr since winning it in a by-election in 2000. He was returned in the 2003 parliamentary election and again, with an increased majority, in the 2007... |
Conservative | |
| 2003 Scottish Parliament election, 2003 The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive... |
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| 2007 Scottish Parliament election, 2007 The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999... |
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| 2011 Scottish Parliament election, 2011 The 2011 Scottish Parliament general election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the mixed member proportional representation system is used to... |
|||
2011 election
2007 election result
(a)-comparison with Pensioners Party (Scotland)Pensioners Party (Scotland)
The Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party was formed on 3 February 2003, in time to contest that year's elections to the Scottish Parliament. The leading figure in its formation was John Swinburne, previously a director of Motherwell Football Club. He is currently the party's leader...