South Ayrshire Council

South Ayrshire Sooth Ayrshire Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Deas
Coat of arms Logo
Coordinates: 55°17′N 4°42′W / 55.283°N 4.700°W / 55.283; -4.700Coordinates: 55°17′N 4°42′W / 55.283°N 4.700°W / 55.283; -4.700
Admin HQ	Ayr
Government
• Body	South Ayrshire Council
• Control	SNP + Lab + Ind (council NOC)
• MPs	Vacant (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) Vacant (Central Ayrshire)
• MSPs	John Scott (Conservative – Ayr) Jeane Freeman (SNP – Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley)
Area
• Total	471 sq mi (1,221 km2)
Area rank	Ranked 15th
Population (mid-2015 est.)
• Total	112,400
• Rank	Ranked 19th
• Density	240/sq mi (91/km2)
ONS code	S12000028
ISO 3166 code	GB-SAY
Website	http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/

South Ayrshire
Leadership
Leader of the Council	Douglas Campbell, SNP Since 4 May 2017
Provost	Helen Moonie, Labour Since 3 May 2012
Structure
Seats	28 councillors
Conservatives	12 / 28
SNP	9 / 28
Labour	5 / 28
Independents	2 / 28
Elections
Voting system	Single transferable vote
Last election	4 May 2017
Meeting place
County buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr
Website
south-ayrshire.gov.uk

South Ayrshire (Scots: Sooth Ayrshire; Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Deas, pronounced [ʃirˠəxk iɲiˈɾʲaːɾʲ ə tʲes̪]) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. Prior to the 2017 Scottish local election, South Ayrshire Council was a Conservative controlled council. On 11 May 2017, despite the Conservatives gaining two seats, the Scottish National Party and Scottish Labour Party, with the backing of two independents, announced that they had taken control of the council.

The administrative boundaries were formed in 1996 as a direct successor to the Kyle and Carrick district council area, with the district of Dalmellington - located along the south-east of Kyle and Carrick - being transferred over to the newly formed East Ayrshire Council area. South Ayrshire also forms part of the east coast of the Firth of Clyde.

Prior to 2017, the Conservative Party led a minority administration in South Ayrshire, with Bill McIntosh as Leader of the Council and Labour's Helen Moonie as Provost, working within a partnership agreement with the Labour Party, supported by both Independents. Following the election, Labour and the Scottish National Party announced an agreement to control the council, again supported by both independents, despite the fact that the Conservatives emerged as the largest party on the council with an increased majority, with the SNP's Douglas Campbell serving as Leader of the Council and Labour's Helen Moonie returning as Provost.