Irvine West is one of the nine wards used to elect members of the North Ayrshire Council. Created in 1980, Irvine West was originally a single-member first-past-the-post ward before it was expanded in 2007 to become a multi-member ward which elects four councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 14,972 people.

Irvine West
North Ayrshire
Outline map
Boundary of Irvine West in North Ayrshire from 2017–2022.
Population14,972 (2021)[1]
Electorate12,090 (2022)
Major settlementsIrvine (part of)
Scottish Parliament constituencyCunninghame South
Scottish Parliament regionWest Scotland
UK Parliament constituencyCentral Ayrshire
Current ward
Created1980 (1980)
Number of councillors1 (1980–2007)
4 (2007–present)
CouncillorShaun MacAulay (SNP)
CouncillorScott Gallacher (Conservative)
CouncillorChloe Robertson (SNP)
CouncillorLouise McPhater (Labour)

Boundaries

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Irvine West was created by the Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1979 as one of the 30 wards of Cunninghame District Council. The original boundaries took in the western part of Irvine on the Firth of Clyde coast up to the River Garnock and included the abandoned Snodgrass Village and Bogside Racecourse.[2] There were minor changes to the boundaries following the Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1994 which saw the ward's southern boundary extended south to the council's border with Kyle and Carrick District Council to include the Dundonald Links golf course.[3] After the implementation of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, the boundaries proposed by the second review became the Formation Electoral Arrangements for the newly created North Ayrshire Council – a unitary authority for the area previously under Cunninghame District Council. Further minor alterations saw the ward's northeastern boundary moved east following the Third Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1998 to run along Kilwinning Road.[4]

As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, council elections would be run under the single transferable vote and new multi-member wards would be introduced. As a result, Irvine West was combined with other wards covering Irvine. The former Irvine North, Irvine Townhead and Irvine Vineburgh and Woodlands South were completely subsumed and a small area from both of the former Irvine Landward and Woodlands North and Girdle Toll wards were added. The new boundaries would cover everything west of the A78 plus the south-eastern industrial area around Drybridge and Shewalton.[5] The Fifth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements saw the ward's area reduced as a new Irvine South ward was created. As a result, territory west of the River Irvine including the abandoned Bogside Racecourse, the Fullarton area of Irvine, and everything south of the A71 was transferred to Irvine South. Despite the changes, which saw the ward's area halved, Irvine West retained four councillors.[6] The ward's boundaries were unchanged following the 2019 Reviews of Electoral Arrangements.[7][8]

Councillors

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Election Councillors
2007 Matt Brown
(SNP)
Ian Clarkson
(Labour)
David O'Neill
(Labour)
Pat McPhee
(Conservative)
2012 Ruth Maguire
(SNP)
2016
by-election
Louise McPhater
(Labour)
2017 Shaun MacAulay
(SNP)
Scott Gallacher
(Conservative)
2022 Chloe Robertson
(SNP)

Election results

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2022 election

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Irvine West - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SNP Shaun MacAulay (incumbent) 27.3 1,274                  
Conservative Scott Gallacher (incumbent) 19.9 932 934                
Labour Louise McPhater (incumbent) 15.6 729 738 738 746 748 757 792 814 816 1,472
Labour Sylvia Mallinson 14.1 660 674 674 676 678 697 758 788 790  
SNP Chloe Robertson 13.3 623 894 894 905 906 909 922 948    
Socialist Labour Bobby Cochrane 3.2 150 155 155 168 172 181        
Independent Kevin T. Blades 2.8 133 136 136 139 165 184 212      
Liberal Democrats Lewis Dominic Hutton 1.5 72 75 75 76 81          
Independent Tristan Lindsay 1.0 47 49 49 53            
Scottish Socialist Colin Turbett 0.9 46 47 47              
Electorate: 12,090   Valid: 4,666   Spoilt: 142   Quota: 934   Turnout: 39.8%  

Source: [9][10]

2017 election

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Irvine West - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Labour Ian Clarkson (incumbent) 27.7 1,249            
Conservative Scott Gallacher 22.7 1,025            
SNP Shaun MacAulay 20.3 914            
SNP Maria Limonci 15.7 707 722 725 736 769 790  
Labour Louise McPhater (incumbent) 9.7 438 669 706 707 738 804 1,062
Scottish Green Andrew Craig 2.1 96 106 117 117      
Socialist Labour Bobby Cochrane 1.7 76 113 120 121 139    
Electorate: 11,984   Valid: 4,505   Spoilt: 121   Quota: 902   Turnout: 38.6%  

Source: [11][12]

2016 by-election

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Irvine West by-election (11 August 2016) - 1 Seat
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
SNP Robin Sturgeon 37.5 1,164 1,168 1,207 1,226 1,277  
Labour Louise McPhater 33.1 1,029 1,046 1,060 1,118 1,301 1,697
Conservative Angela Stephen 20.6 639 650 655 658    
Socialist Labour Bobby Cochrane 4.2 131 133 146      
Scottish Green Josh McCormick 3.0 94 100        
Liberal Democrats Nick Smith 1.5 48          
Electorate: 14,849   Valid: 3,105   Spoilt: 46   Quota: 1,553   Turnout: 20.9%  

Source: [13]

2012 election

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Irvine West - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
SNP Matthew Brown (incumbent) 31.6 1,624                
Labour Ian Clarkson (incumbent) 26.8 1,374                
Labour David O'Neill (incumbent) 13.5 691 720 950 958 995 1,039      
Conservative Pat McPhee (incumbent) 12.0 614 634 652 653 657 682 683 773  
SNP Ruth Maguire[note 1] 5.2 265 695 704 713 730 769 770 840 945
Liberal Democrats Gordon Bain 4.8 246 272 283 289 300 330 331    
Independent Derek Owen 3.6 187 197 202 216 231        
Socialist Labour Bobby Cochrane 1.6 81 92 112 123          
TUSC Ian Kerr 1.0 51 61 65            
Electorate: 14,793   Valid: 5,133   Spoilt: 157   Quota: 1,027   Turnout: 34.7%  

Source: [15]

2007 election

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Irvine West - 4 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SNP Matt Brown 31.6 2,247            
Labour Ian Clarkson 24.0 1,710            
Conservative Pat McPhee 11.2 799 875 883 888 1,059 1,159 1,225
Labour David O'Neill 10.9 776 829 881 899 979 1,077 1,726
Solidarity Jim Byrne 7.3 517 695 708 738 830    
Labour John McKay 7.1 508 573 711 748 844 999  
Liberal Democrats Iain Rubie Dale 6.4 453 613 633 655      
Socialist Labour Bobby Cochrane 1.5 103 141 152        
Electorate: 14,993   Valid: 7,113   Spoilt: 156   Quota: 1,423   Turnout: 48.5%  

Source: [16]

Notes

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  1. ^ Irvine West SNP councillor Ruth Maguire was elected as a MSP for Cunninghame South at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. She resigned her council seat on 25 May 2016 and a by-election was held on 11 August 2016 which was won by Labour's Louise McPhater.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Irvine West". Scottish Government. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Second Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Third Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; North Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. September 1998. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; North Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2006. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Fifth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; North Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Review of Electoral Arrangements; North Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. June 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  8. ^ Andy Hamilton (5 March 2022). "North Ayrshire: Changes on the way as voters get set to go to polls". Irvine Times. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Irvine West". North Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Candidate Votes Per Stage Report Irvine West". North Ayrshire Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Declaration of Results Report Irvine West" (PDF). North Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Candidate Votes Per Stage Report Irvine West" (PDF). North Ayrshire Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Election Results Ward 1 Irvine West" (PDF). North Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  14. ^ Ruth Maguire resigns as North Ayrshire councillor to focus on MSP role - triggering by-election for Irvine West seat, Irvine Times, 26 May 2016
  15. ^ "Declaration of Results Ward 01 - Irvine West" (PDF). North Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Local Government Elections 2007: Declaration of result North Ayrshire Council: Irvine West Electoral Ward" (PDF). North Ayrshire Council. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2024.