2022 East Ayrshire Council election

2022 East Ayrshire Council election result

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	SNP	14	1	1		43.7	37.9	15,767	0.6
	Labour	10	1	0	1	31.2	29.5	12,251	4.3
	Conservative	4	0	2	2	12.5	17.7	7,351	6.5
	Independent	3	1	0	1	9.3	11.4	4,730	3.3
	Rubbish	1	0	0		3.1	1.9	787
	Green	0	0	0		0.0	0.5	228	1.1
	Alba	0	0	0		0.0	0.5	227	New
	Liberal Democrats	0	0	0		0.0	0.4	183	New
	Scottish Libertarian	0	0	0		0.0	0.1	38	0.4
Total		32						41,562

Source: ^[7]

Note: Votes are the sum of first preference votes across all council wards. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 4 May 2017. This is because STV has an element of proportionality which is not present unless multiple seats are being elected. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at the dissolution of Scotland's councils.^[8][9]

Source: ^[7]

Below is a list of seats which elected a different party or parties from 2017 in order to highlight the change in political composition of the council from the previous election. The list does not include defeated incumbents who resigned or defected from their party and subsequently failed re-election while the party held the seat.

Notes

The SNP, the Conservatives, Labour and independent candidate Ellen Freel held the seats they won at the previous election.

Source: ^[10][11]

The SNP and Labour retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Conservatives lost their only seat to the SNP. Independent candidate Ian Grant was elected as a Conservative candidate in 2017 but was later expelled from the party.^[4]

Source: ^[12][13]

The SNP (2), Labour (1) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they had won at the previous election.

Source: ^[14][15]

The SNP (2) and Labour (1) retained the seats they won in the previous election while the Conservatives lost their only seat to independent candidate Graham Boyd.

Source: ^[16][17]

The SNP (2) and Labour (1) retained the seats they won at the previous election

Source: ^[18][19]

The SNP, Labour and the Rubbish Party retained the seats they won at the previous election

Source: ^[20][21]

The SNP (2), Labour (1) and the Conservatives (1) retained the seats they won at the previous election.

Source: ^[22][23]

Labour and the Conservatives retained the seats they won at the previous election while the SNP retained one seat and lost one seat to Labour.

Source: ^[24][25]

Independent candidate Drew Filson, Labour and the SNP held the seats they won at the previous election. Independent candidate John Bell was elected as an SNP candidate in 2017 but he later resigned from the party.^[5]

Source: ^[26][27]

The SNP, who have run East Ayrshire Council since forming an administration as a result of the 2007 election, retained control of the council. It was reported that the party had been worried they would lose control of the council – as was the case in other councils across Scotland where unionist parties had voted together to prevent nationalist leadership – but the Labour and Conservative groups didn't oppose Cllr Douglas Reid's re-election as council leader. Provost Jim Todd and Depute Provost Claire Leitch were reinstated to their roles despite Labour and the Conservatives putting forward candidates for the roles however, the two parties did not support each other. The pair had been voted out in June 2021 when the opposition parties had voted together to have the leadership roles of the council shared more evenly across the council reflecting the fact the SNP administration was a minority administration.^[28][29][30]

Former Conservative group leader Tom Cook stood down at the 2022 election. He was replaced in the role by Annick councillor John McFadzean.^[31]

In October 2024, Provost Todd announced "with regret" that he would stand down as Provost due to "personal circumstances".^[32] He was replaced in the role by Deputy Provost Leitch and, in turn, Cllr John McGhee was elected as Provost Leitch's replacement as Deputy Provost.^[33] It was later revealed that Cllr McGhee had been suspended by Labour in October 2024 after effectively sitting as an independent councillor since the 2022 election. He was still a fully paid member of Labour until his suspension.^[34]

Labour group leader Maureen McKay died in November 2024.^[35] She was replaced in the role by Kilmarnock East and Hurlford councillor Barry Douglas.^[36]

Following their successful campaigns during the 2024 United Kingdom general election, Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse councillor Lillian Jones and Doon Valley councillor Elaine Stewart - who were elected as MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock respectively - announced that they had resigned their council seats in September 2024.^[37] By-elections, held on 14 November 2024, were won by Labour candidates Jim Kyle and Jayne Sangster.^[38]

Source: ^[39][40]

Source: ^[41][42]

Kilmarnock North councillor Maureen McKay died in November 2024.^[35] A by-election, held on 20 February 2025, was won by SNP candidate Caroline Barton. Sandra Kirkwood was listed on the ballot paper as a Reform UK candidate but was withdrawn by the party over comments made on social media.^[43]

Source: ^[44][45]