Ochiltree, Skares, Netherthird and Craigens (ward)

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Ochiltree, Skares, Netherthird and Craigens
East Ayrshire
Electorate2,908 (2003)
Major settlementsCumnock
Ochiltree
Scottish Parliament constituencyCarrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Scottish Parliament regionSouth Scotland
UK Parliament constituencyAyr, Carrick and Cumnock
1999 (1999)–2007 (2007)
Number of councillors1
Replaced byCumnock and New Cumnock
Doon Valley
Created fromDrongan, Ochiltree, Rankinston and Stair
Cumnock South and Old Cumnock
Cumnock West and Auchinleck

Ochiltree, Skares, Netherthird and Craigens was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Created in 1999, the ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

The ward produced strong results for both the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Labour Co-operative who both polled over 40% at every election. The SNP held the seat from 1999 to 2003 and Labour Co-op held the seat from 2003 until 2007.

In 2007, the ward was abolished and replaced by the multi-member Cumnock and New Cumnock ward as council elections moved to a proportional voting system – the single transferable vote – following the implementation of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004.

Boundaries[edit]

The Ochiltree, Skares, Netherthird and Craigens ward was created in 1999 by the Third Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements from the previous Drongan, Ochiltree, Rankinston and Stair, Cumnock South and Old Cumnock and Cumnock West and Auchinleck wards. The ward took in a rural area around the villages of Ochiltree and Skares as well as the southern part of Cumnock including the neighbourhoods of Netherthird and Craigens.[1] In 2007, the ward was abolished as the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 saw proportional representation and new multi-member wards introduced. The majority of the area covered by the Ochiltree, Skares, Netherthird and Craigens ward was placed into the new Cumnock and New Cumnock ward and an area in the south of the ward was placed in the Doon Valley ward.[2]

Councillors[edit]

Election Councillor
1999 J. Faulds
2003 W. Menzies

Election results[edit]

2003 election[edit]

Ochiltree, Skares, Netherthird and Craigens
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op William Menzies 772 49.2 Increase 9.0
SNP Julie Faulds 657 41.8 Decrease 5.8
Conservative Ian Waller 141 9.0 Decrease 3.2
Majority 115 7.3 N/A
Turnout 1,570 54.0 Decrease 8.3
Registered electors 2,908
Labour Co-op gain from SNP Swing Increase 7.4

Source:[3][4]

1999 election[edit]

Ochiltree, Skares, Netherthird and Craigens
Party Candidate Votes %
SNP J. Faulds 791 47.6
Labour D. Sneller 657 40.2
Conservative A. Stitt 203 12.2
Majority 134 7.3
Turnout 1,651 62.3
Registered electors 2,704
SNP win (new seat)

Source:[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Third Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. September 1998. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements; East Ayrshire Council Area" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. May 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (2003). Local Elections Handbook 2003 (PDF). Plymouth: Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre, University of Plymouth. ISBN 0-948858-35-4. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1999). Local Elections Handbook 1999 (PDF). Plymouth: Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre, University of Plymouth. ISBN 0-948858-25-7. Retrieved 10 November 2022.