 | 'In North Ayrshire, the SNP gained the Kilbirnie & Beith ward with a 15 % swing from Labour in a by-election with the election of Anthea Dickson as the new councillor. The SNP vote rose from 23 % in May 2007 to 49 %, while Labour fell back to 34 %.' Robbie Dinwoodie, Chief Scottish Political Correspondent in the Herald, 13 th November 2008. |  |
A by-election was held in the Kilbirnie & Beith ward of North Ayrshire Council on the 11 th December 2008 following the death of Scottish National Party Cllr Craig Taylor on the 14 th October 2008.
Kilbirnie & Beith is in the North Ayrshire & Arran Westminster parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Katy Clark MP) and in the Cunninghame North Scottish parliamentary seat (held by the Scottish National Party's Kenneth Gibson MSP). In May 2007, three Cllrs were elected: Cllr Craig Taylor (SNP), Cllr John Bell (Labour), and Cllr Jean Highgate (Indepedent).
Scottish National Party hold.
 |
 |
 |
| Cllr Anthea Dickson Scottish National Party Newly elected Cllr |
Cllr John Bell Labour |
Cllr Jean Highgate Independent |
| Seats | Candidates | Counts | Electorate | Valid votes | % poll | Quota | Rejected votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 3 | 11,232 | 2,786 | 24.98 % | 1,394 | 20 |
| Candidate | Logo | Party | 1 st Pref | Share | Quota | Count | Status | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthea Dickson |  |
Scottish National Party | 1,363 | 48.92 % | 0.98 | 3 | Made Quota | 1 |
| Gordon McKay |  |
Labour | 939 | 33.70 % | 0.67 | 3 | Eliminated | |
| Ted Nevill |  |
Conservative & Unionist | 322 | 11.56 % | 0.23 | 3 | Eliminated | |
| Lewis Hutton |  |
Liberal Democrat | 94 | 3.37 % | 0.07 | 3 | Eliminated | |
| James McDaid |  |
Socialist Labour Party | 68 | 2.44 % | 0.05 | 2 | Eliminated |
| Adjustments | Exclusion of McDaid | Exclusion of Hutton | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 |
| Anthea Dickson | |
Scottish National Party | 1,363 | + 17 1,380 |
+ 35 1,415 Elected |
| Gordon McKay | |
Labour | 939 | + 17 956 |
+ 16 972 Not elected |
| Ted Nevill | |
Conservative & Unionist | 322 | + 2 324 |
+ 18 342 |
| Lewis Hutton | |
Liberal Democrat | 94 | + 10 104 |
- 104 0 Eliminated |
| James McDaid | |
Socialist Labour Party | 68 | - 68 0 Eliminated |
|
| Non-transferable votes | 0 | + 22 22 |
+ 35 57 |
||
| Seats | Candidates | Counts | Electorate | Valid votes | % poll | Quota | Rejected votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 9 | 9 | 5,675 | 52.51 % | 1,419 | 132 |
| Candidate | Logo | Party | 1 st Pref | Share | Quota | Count | Status | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Taylor | |
Scottish National Party | 1,329 | 23.42 % | 0.94 | 5 | Made Quota | 1 |
| John Bell | |
Labour | 1,313 | 23.14 % | 0.92 | 7 | Made Quota | 2 |
| Jean Highgate |  |
Independent | 947 | 16.69 % | 0.67 | 9 | Made Quota | 3 |
| Donald L. Reid | |
Labour | 849 | 14.96 % | 0.60 | 9 | Eliminated | |
| John Smith | |
Conservative & Unionist | 678 | 9.90 % | 0.48 | 7 | Eliminated | |
| John Johnstone | |
Independent | 265 | 4.67 % | 0.19 | 5 | Eliminated | |
| Jenny Hutton | |
Liberal Democrat | 188 | 3.31 % | 0.13 | 4 | Eliminated | |
| William Fyfe | |
Independent | 116 | 2.04 % | 0.08 | 3 | Eliminated | |
| Iain Walker | |
Independent | 106 | 1.87 % | 0.07 | 2 | Eliminated |
| Adjustments | Exclusion of Walker | Exclusion of Fyfe | Exclusion of Hutton | Exclusion of Johnstone | Surplus of Taylor | Exclusion of Smith | Surplus of Bell | Exclusion of Reid | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 | Count 6 | Count 7 | Count 8 | Count 9 |
| Craig Taylor | |
Scottish National Party | 1,329 | + 20 1,349 |
+ 17 1,366 |
+ 31 1,397 |
+ 53 1,450 Elected |
- 31 1,419 |
|||
| John Bell | |
Labour | 1,313 | + 11 1,324 |
+ 13 1,337 |
+ 36 1,373 |
+ 9 1,382 |
+ 4.77 1,386.77 |
+ 80.34 1,1467.11 Elected |
- 48.11 1,419 |
|
| Jean Highgate | |
Independent | 947 | + 11 958 |
+ 35 993 |
+ 31 1,024 |
+ 127 1,151 |
+ 6.75 1,157.75 |
+ 213.88 1,371.63 |
+ 3.37 1,375.00 |
1,810.10 Elected |
| Douglas L. Reid | |
Labour | 849 | + 5 854 |
+ 2 856 |
+ 22 878 |
+ 52 930 |
+ 3.23 933.23 |
+ 53.32 986.55 |
+ 32.49 1,019.04 |
- 1,019.04 0 Eliminated |
| John Smith | |
Conservative & Unionist | 562 | + 7 569 |
+ 1 570 |
+ 25 595 |
+ 12 607 |
+ 3.12 610.12 |
- 610.12 0 Eliminated |
||
| John Johnstone | |
Independent | 265 | + 16 281 |
+ 15 296 |
+ 13 309 |
- 309 0 Eliminated |
||||
| Jenny Hutton | |
Liberal Democrat | 188 | + 3 191 |
+ 6 197 |
- 197 0 Eliminated |
|||||
| William Fyfe | |
Independent | 116 | + 7 123 |
- 123 0 Eliminated |
||||||
| Iain Walker | |
Independent | 106 | - 106 0 Eliminated |
|||||||
| Non-transferable votes | 0 | + 26 26 |
+ 34 60 |
+ 39 99 |
+ 56 155 |
+ 13.13 168.13 |
+ 262.58 430.72 |
+ 12.25 442.97 |
+ 583.94 1,026.90 |
||
Cllr Craig Taylor died suddenly of a massive heart attack. He was 58 years old, married to Alison and had three sons.
He was born in Longbar, in the ward he was to represent, and studied Accountancy and Law at Reid Kerr College and Glasgow Caledonian University.
Craig worked at Glengarnock Steelworks for eight years before becoming a Company Secretary and was employed by HM Customs and Excise.
He lived in Beith for six years and Kilbirnie for the last 24, where he was Clerk to the Session at Kilbirnie Auld Kirk and served on the board of Radio City for the last seven years. An SNP stalwart, nine of Craig's family are in the local branch, including his elderly mother Mary.
Craig was elected in May 2007 - Kilbirnie and Beith - our first councillor in the Garnock Valley since the 70s, and was proud to diligently represent the SNP and the communities into which he was born on North Ayrshire Council. He was SNP Spokesperson on Police and Fire Services.
Kenneth Gibson MSP said: "Craig worked tirelessly for the people in his ward and for the SNP. Our hearts go out to Alison and the boys."
It is with deep sadness that North Ayrshire Council has learned of the sudden death on Tuesday 14th October of Councillor Craig Taylor. In May 2007 Cllr Taylor was elected as a Member for Ward 7 - Kilbirnie & Beith. His untimely death at his home in Kilbirnie at the age of 58 is understood to have been the result of a massive heart attack.
Cllr Taylor lived all his life within Ward 7 - at Longbar, Beith and latterly Kilbirnie. He was a committed and active church member and, when required, would as a Church of Scotland Reader, stand in for the Minister at Kilbirnie's Auld Kirk in the Garden City. He was also very much involved with the Church Youth Group..
Craig worked with HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenues & Customs) as a Compliance Officer and was based in Glasgow..
Cllr David O'Neill, Leader of North Ayrshire Council said -.
'Craig's time as a Councillor has been cut tragically short. However, in his time as a Councillor I found him to be a committed, courteous and thoroughly decent man. He will be sadly missed by the community which he served.'.
Cllr Alan Hill, Leader of the SNP group at North Ayrshire Council said -.
'I was stunned to learn of Craig's death. He was far too young to have been taken away from his family and friends. Craig's sense of humour kept us going through many a meeting. His dedication was always to his family, his community and his faith. Craig was someone quite rare in politics - a real gentleman. I will miss him.'.
The thoughts of everyone at North Ayrshire Council are with Craig's wife Alison, their sons William, Robert and James, his mother and his two sisters.
North Ayrshire Council
Ward 7 - Kilbirnie and Beith By Election
Notice of Poll
Election of Councillor
1. Polling will take place between the hours of 7am and 10pm on Thursday 11 December 2008 for the election of 1 councillor for the electoral Ward 7 - Kilbirnie and Beith, there remaining more validly nominated candidates than the number of councillors to be elected.
2. The name, description (if any) and address of each candidate remaining validly nominated is as follows:-
| Electoral Ward | No. of Councillors to be elected | Candidate’s Surname | Other Names In Full | Description (if any) | Address |
| 7 - Kilbirnie and Beith | 1 | Dickson | Anthea | Scottish National Party (SNP) | 59 Knoxville Road, Kilbirnie |
 | | Hutton | Lewis | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Sedona, Auchengree Road, Glengarnock |
| | McDaid | James | Socialist Labour Party | 41 Craufurd Avenue, West Kilbride |
| | McKay | Gordon | Scottish Labour Party Candidate | 11 Castle Grove, Kilbirnie |
| | Nevill | Ted | Scottish Conservative and Unionist | 10 Reform Street, Beith |
The Scottish National Party retained Kilbirnie and Beith Ward, North Ayrshire, in a By Election caused by the death of Councillor Craig Taylor.
The By Election took place yesterday 11th December and the count, which was on a proportional representational basis, was held today. Anthea Dickson is the new Member for Ward 7.
The votes were -
Anthea Dickson, Scottish National Party received 1415 votes.
Gordon McKay, Scottish Labour Party received 972 votes.
Ted Nevill, Scottish Conservative & Unionist received 342 votes.
James McDaid, Socialist Labour Party and Lewis Hutton, Scottish Liberal Democrats were excluded after the first and second stages respectively.
The result was announced after stage three of the count.
Electorate: 11, 232
Percentage poll 24.98%
Overall votes 2,806
Invalid ballot papers 20
Valid votes 2,786
ENDS
December 2008
Issued by: Alec Wattie, Communications Officer
Tel: 01294 324157
Email: awattie@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
The SNP has enjoyed a massive 15% swing to the party from Labour in the Kilbirnie & Beith by-election in North Ayrshire - a seat which hosts the main office of the local Labour MP and two Labour clubs - with the election of Anthea Dickson as the new SNP councillor for the seat.
The SNP vote rose from 23% in May 2007 to 49% today whilst Labour fell back to 34%. Last year, even as the SNP won Cunninghame North by 48 votes, it was a massive 831 votes (14.68%) behind Labour in Kilbirnie and Beith, Labour's strongest area in the constituency.
Commenting on the victory local SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson, who represents the Cunningham North constituency, said:
"This is an outstanding result for the SNP in what was seen as one of Labour's strongholds and will be a devastating defeat to Labour in North Ayrshire.
"With Downing Street's downturn starting to bite voters are having serious doubts about Labour's claims to represent ordinary people and trust the SNP as the best party to see them through these times.
"Anthea Dickson will make an excellent councillor for Kilbirnie & Beith and her well-deserved victory reflects on how the SNP is addressing the issues that matter to people locally.
"More importantly this is a great tribute to the late Cllr Craig Taylor whose untimely death led to this by-election. As sole SNP councillor for the multi-member ward of Kilbirnie & Beith his hard work has left a strong legacy for the SNP."
Commenting on her victory Cllr Anthea Dickson said;
"It is an honour to have been elected to represent Kilbirnie & Beith in North Ayrshire Council.
"I look forward to working with my SNP colleagues on the council, in Parliament and in the SNP Government to put forward a positive vision for North Ayrshire and to fight for the interests of Kilbirnie & Beith.
"The unexpected and sad death of respected SNP Councillor Craig Taylor was a loss to Kilbirnie and Beith because he had contributed so much to the community over many years.
"Labour fought a very negative canpaign which rebounded in spectacular fashion.
"I will work hard to ensure Craig's legacy continues to show that it is the SNP which represents the best interests of ordinary people."
ENDS
Notes
The results of the first preference votes were:
Party: Votes - % (% Change)
SNP: 1,363 - 48.92% (+25.97%)
Labour: 939 - 33.70% (-3.63%)
Tory: 322 - 11.56% (-0.15%)
LibDem: 94 - 3.37% (0.13%)
SLP: 68 - 2.44% (N/A)
Cllr Anthea Dickson was elected at the third stage of counting.
SNP: 1415 - 51.90%
Labour: 972 - 35.60%
Tory: 342 - 12.50%
In East Ayrshire, Labour's David Shaw, a former Conservative who bcame wealthy in the dairly business aid "I will fight hard for local people because I know residents want someone to stand up for fairness and for local services.
In North Ayrshire, however, the SNP gained the Kilbirnie & Beith ward with a 15 % swing from Labour in a by-election with the election of Anthea Dickson as the new councillor.
The SNP vote rose from 23 % in May 2007 to 49 %, while Labour fell back to 34 %. SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson, who represents the Cunninghame North constituency said: "This is an outstanding result for the SNP in what was seen as one of Labour's strongholds and will be a devastating defeat to Labour in North Ayrshire."
A headline on the Politics page read "Labour gains in Glasgow and Ayrshire" (The Herald, December 13). There were two by-elections in Ayrshire last Thursday but neither of them was a Labour gain. Although Labour retained the Ballochmyle seat in East Ayrshire, the result, not quoted in the article, showed a swing of 4% from Labour to the SNP compared with 2007. As reported in the article, the SNP gained the Kilbirnie & Beith seat in North Ayrshire from Labour with a 15% swing compared with 2007. Neither of these two can be classed as a Labour gain in Ayrshire.
Colin Pennycook, Glasgow.
We wuz robbed. That's how I felt after reading your coverage of the by-election results (December 13) and the defection of Colin Deans, an SNP councillor, to the Labour Party in Glasgow.
The Labour victory in East Ayrshire was accompanied by a 4.21% swing to the SNP and in the other by-election (Kilbirnie & Beith) there was an SNP victory in what had been a North Ayrshire Labour stronghold with a swing of 15% to the SNP.
Councillor Deans defected to Labour because of personal clashes with SNP councillors.
Stewart Hendry, West Kilbride.
SCOTTISH National Party member Anthea Dickson is the new councillor for the Kilbirnie and Beith ward after being elected on Thursday.
Mrs Dickson won the by-election with 1,415 votes compared to closest contender Labour candidate Gordon McKay's 972 votes.
Speaking after the results councillor Dickson said: "I would like to thank all the officers from the police for coming out today and of course to all my campaigners and everyone in the party who has helped me over the past months."
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