North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire Sìorrachd Inbhir Àir a Tuath
Location
Geography
Area	Ranked 17th
- Total	885 km2 (342 sq mi)
Admin HQ	Irvine
ISO 3166-2	GB-NAY
ONS code	00QY
Demographics
Population	Ranked 15th
- Total (2005)	135,200
- Density	153 / km²
Politics
North Ayrshire Council http://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/
Control	Labour (minority control)
MPs	Katy Clark Brian Donohoe
MSPs	Irene Oldfather Kenneth Gibson

North Ayrshire
Members	30 councillors
Labour	12 / 30
SNP	8 / 30
Conservatives	3 / 30
Lib Dems	2 / 30
Independents	5 / 30
Elections
Voting system	Single transferable vote
Last election	3 May 2007
Website
north-ayrshire.gov.uk

North Ayrshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Tuath, pronounced [ʃirˠəxk iɲiˈɾʲaːɾʲ ə t̪ʰuə]) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South respectively.

The area was created in 1996 as a successor to the district of Cunninghame which covered exactly the same boundaries. The council headquarters are located in Irvine, which is the largest town. The area also contains the towns of Ardrossan, Beith, Dalry, Kilbirnie, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Skelmorlie, Stevenston, West Kilbride, as well as the Isle of Arran and the Cumbrae Isles.

Towns in the north (Largs, Fairlie, West Kilbride) are affluent commuter towns, while Ardrossan, Saltcoats, Stevenston and Kilwinning in the south, are rather more industrial and beset with high unemployment. The inland Garnock Valley towns (Dalry, Beith and Kilbirnie) were once a centre of steel and textile production, however this has long since gone. Tourism is the main industry on Arran and Cumbrae, however the number of holiday homes on the latter has begun to squeeze locals out of the housing market. Regeneration is currently taking place at Ardrossan Harbour and Irvine town centre, and there has been a rapid increase in the building of new housing in recent years.

The Labour Party has formed a minority administration in the local council since 2007. In the Westminster parliament, the area forms a parliamentary constituency and is represented by Katy Clark MP of the Labour Party, and with a majority of over 9,000, it is regarded a Labour safe seat. In the Scottish Parliament, the constituency is divided into Cunnninghame North and Cunninghame South, both represented by Nationalist MSPs.

Education

Secondary Schools In North Ayrshire

• Ardrossan Academy, Ardrossan
• St Andrew's Academy, Saltcoats (merged to form St Matthew's Academy)
• Kilwinning Academy, Kilwinning
• St Michaels Academy, Kilwinning (merged to form St Matthew's Academy)
• Greenwood Academy, Irvine
• Irvine Royal Academy, Irvine
• Auchenharvie Academy, Stevenston
• Largs Academy, Largs
• St Matthew's Academy, Saltcoats
• Garnock Academy
• Arran High School, Lamlash

Places of interest

• Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park
• Eglinton Country Park, Irvine
• Eglinton Tournament Bridge

Towns and villages

The main administration centre and largest settlement in North Ayrshire is Irvine, a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of 39,527.

Other major population centres include Largs, and the Three Towns - Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston.

On the Isle of Arran, the largest town is Lamlash and there are numerous smaller villages. On Great Cumbrae, the main town is Millport.

External links

• North Ayrshire at the Open Directory Project

Coordinates: 55°40′N 4°47′W / 55.667°N 4.783°W / 55.667; -4.783