Ballochmyle (ward) explained

Ballochmyle
Year:2007
Council:East Ayrshire
Region:Scotland
Map1:Ballochmyle.svg
Map Entity:East Ayrshire
Map Year:2007–2017
Previous:Auchinleck
Catrine, Sorn and Mauchline East
Galston East
Mauchline
Muirkirk, Lugar and Logan
Electorate:11,193 (2022)
Population:13,990 (2021)[1]
Elects Howmany:4
Councillor1:Claire Leitch
Party1:Scottish National Party
Councillor2:Linda Holland
Party2:Scottish Labour Party
Councillor3:Alyson Simmons
Party3:Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Councillor4:William Lennox
Party4:Scottish National Party
Towns:Auchinleck
Mauchline
Scot Parl:Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Scot Parl2:Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley
Scot Region:South Scotland
Westminster:Kilmarnock and Loudon

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

ElectionCouncillors
2007Jim Roberts
(SNP)
Neil McGhee
(Labour)
Eric Jackson
(Labour)
Jimmy Kelly
(Labour)
2008
by-election
David Shaw
(Labour)
2012Stephanie Primrose
(SNP)
2017Alyson Simmons
(Conservative)
Claire Leitch
(SNP)
2022William Lennox
(SNP)
Linda Holland
(Labour)

Election results

2022 election

See main article: 2022 East Ayrshire Council election.

2017 election

See main article: 2017 East Ayrshire Council election.

2012 election

See main article: 2012 East Ayrshire Council election.

2007 election

See main article: 2007 East Ayrshire Council election.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ballochmyle . Scottish Government . 9 March 2023.
  2. Web site: Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area . Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland . May 2006 . 4 November 2022.
  3. Web site: Fifth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area . Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland . May 2016 . 4 November 2022.