Ayr CON Hold

Scottish Parliament election

constituency

	Ayr	CON Hold

	CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	%	+/-%
	John Scott	CON	12865	40.7	+2.7
	Rita Miller	LAB	10975	34.7	-3.3
	James Dornan	SNP	4334	13.7	-5.7
	Stuart Ritchie	LD	1769	5.6	+1.2
	James Stewart	SSP	1648	5.2	+5.2
		MAJORITY	1890	6.0
		TURNOUT	31591	56.9

ELECTORATE	55523

Top-up region: South of Scotland

DESCRIPTION: Ayr

Ayr is a popular resort on Scotland's west coast, and tourists have been attracted as much by its connections with Robert Burns as by its sandy beaches and golf courses. The south end of the town holds the more plush residential areas, whilst the north boasts more of the town's industry and council estates. Just north of Ayr is the more industrial town of Prestwick, famous for its international airport. Some agriculture takes place in the west, but tourism, engineering and fishing are major industries in the seat as a whole.

The Tories held it at Westminster from 1950 to 1997, when Labour’s Sandra Osborne took it for Labour. The 1999 Labour won the Holyrood seat with Ian Welsh defeating Conservative Phil Gallie, who had been the MP for five years from 1992 and became an MSP via the regional list. Mr Welsh stood down as an MSP citing family reasons, sparking a by-election Labour lost to Conservative John Scott.

PREVIOUS RESULTS

	1999 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTION		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	14263	38
	CON	14238	38
	SNP	7291	19.5
	LD	1662	4.4

	2001 GENERAL ELECTION		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	16801	43.6
	CON	14256	37
	SNP	4621	12
	LD	2089	5.4
	SSP	692	1.8
	UKIP	101	0.3

* Ayr was won by Labour in the 1999 Scottish Parliament elections. Since then it was taken by the Conservatives in a by-election. For the purpose of comparing the make-up of the Parliament between 1999 and 2003 it is being counted here as a Labour seat.