South Ayrshire Council

South Ayrshire Council Comhairle Shiorrachd Àir a Deas
Coat of arms
Council logo
Leadership
Provost	Iain Campbell, Conservative since 19 May 2022
Leader	Martin Dowey, Conservative since 19 May 2022
Chief Executive	Mike Newall since November 2023[1]
Structure
Seats	28 councillors
Political groups	Administration (11)   Conservative (11) Other parties (17)   SNP (6)   Labour (5)   Independents (5)   Alba (1)
Elections
Voting system	Single transferable vote
Last election	6 May 2022
Next election	6 May 2027
Meeting place
County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr, KA7 1DR
Website
www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk

South Ayrshire Council (Scottish Gaelic: Comhairle Shiorrachd Àir a Deas) is the political body covering South Ayrshire created in 1995, comprising eight wards, each with three of four directly elected councillors by the single transferable vote system, which creates a form of proportional representation.

The council has been under no overall control since 2003, in which time various coalitions and minority administrations have operated. Since the last election in 2022, the council has been led by a Conservative minority administration which took office with support from two independent councillors and abstentions from Labour.^[2] The next election is due in 2027.

The council's civic head takes the title of provost. This is a largely ceremonial role, chairing council meetings and acting as the area's first citizen. Although an elected councillor, the provost is expected to be politically impartial.^[3] Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council.