About The Council
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire is a diverse area covering 490 square miles with a population of 122,440 spread over both urban and rural communities. Kilmarnock is the largest town, with a population of around 44,000. The rest of the population live in smaller communities, ranging from less than a hundred people in some villages and rural areas to around 9,000 in Cumnock, the second largest town. Situated in south west Scotland, East Ayrshire has a varied natural environment, a rich and diverse cultural heritage, a proud industrial history and a range of leisure activities, recreation and hospitality, which attract residents and visitors alike.
Our vision
“East Ayrshire is a place with strong, safe and vibrant communities where everyone has a good quality of life and access to opportunities, choices and high quality services which are sustainable, accessible and meet people's needs.”
Our priorities
Our communities sit at the very heart of everything we do and they have helped us shape our priorities for the next three years (2021-24):
- Ayrshire Growth Deal and community wealth building
- Care for East Ayrshire
- Children and young people
- Inclusive economic growth
- Community wellbeing
- Sustainability and the environment
- Renewal and transformation
- Poverty and equality
- COVID-19 pandemic recovery
Who’s who in East Ayrshire Council
Chief Officers
|
Chief Executive |
Eddie Fraser |
|
Depute Chief Executive |
Katie Kelly |
|
Director of East Ayrshire Council Health and Social Care Partnership |
Craig McArthur |
|
Head of Finance and ICT |
Joe McLachlan |
|
Head of Education |
Linda McAulay-Griffiths |
|
Head of Human Resources |
Amanda Lowe |
|
Head of Planning and Economic Development |
David McDowall |
|
Head of Housing & Communities |
Blair Millar |
East Ayrshire has nine multi-member wards, five wards with four members and four wards with three members, giving a total of 32 councillors.
Elected Members
|
Leader of the Council |
Cllr Douglas Reid |
|
Depute Leader of the Council |
Cllr Jim McMahon |
|
Provost |
Cllr Jim Todd |
|
Depute Provost |
Cllr Claire Leitch |
Portfolio Responsibilities
|
Strategic Planning, Covid Recovery, Community Wealth Building and Regeneration |
Cllr Douglas Reid |
|
Community Safety, Roads and Transportation & Community Cohesion |
Cllr Neal Ingram |
|
Housing, Welfare and Poverty, Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Addiction & Recovery |
Cllr Jim McMahon |
|
Lifelong Learning, Education and Skills and Culture |
Cllr Elaine Cowan |
|
Planning, Human Resources & Property |
Cllr Claire Maitland |
|
Finance and Digital |
Cllr Iain Linton |
|
Children and Young People, Net Zero, Environment, Climate Change, Equalities and Inclusion |
Cllr Graham Barton |
For information about Council meetings and how the Council works, including decisions, elections, wards and the East Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership, please visit About the Council page on our website
Any journalist wishing to contact an elected member should contact the Communications Team in the first instance. Please email: Communications.PR@east-ayrshire.gov.uk