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	Richard Grieveson
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 People and Culture	Amanda Lowe
Head Economic Growth Development	David McDowall
Head of Housing and 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	Cllr Douglas Reid
Health and Social Care	Cllr Claire Maitland
Human Resources, Equalities and Inclusion	Cllr Neal Ingram
Housing, Transport and Communities	Cllr Jim McMahon
Education, Children and Young People	Cllr Elaine Cowan
Resources and Economy	Cllr Iain Linton
Planning, Property and Environment	Cllr Graham Barton
Localities and Community Wealth Building	Cllr Drew Filson

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