Central Ayrshire stretches across parts of North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire on the Firth of Clyde. It includes Irvine, Prestwick and Troon, together with neighbouring communities and inland areas between the coast and the Ayrshire countryside. The constituency has a strong coastal character, with sandy shoreline, estuary and harbour landscapes around its main towns, while settlement becomes more dispersed farther inland. Irvine is the largest centre in the northern part, and Prestwick and Troon form distinct towns farther south. Open farmland separates some communities, but much of the population lives along the settled coastal corridor. The seat therefore combines several sizeable towns rather than being dominated by one single centre.
Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.
People and place
A population and household snapshot for Central Ayrshire, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.
Estimated population89,578
EstimateMid-2022 estimate
Region / nationScotland
Age profile
0 to 1718.1% · 16,206 people
18 to 246.3% · 5,613 people
25 to 3410.4% · 9,339 people
35 to 4917.1% · 15,358 people
50 to 6423.1% · 20,660 people
65 and over25.0% · 22,402 people
Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗
Home ownership and renting
Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.
41,117 householdsCensus 2022
Home owners66.6% · 27,379 households
Private renters10.0% · 4,097 households
Social renters22.0% · 9,048 households
Other tenure1.4% · 593 households
“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.
Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗
Household composition
A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.
41,117 householdsCensus 2022
One-person households36.3% · 14,909 households
Families with dependent children23.4% · 9,631 households
Other single-family households38.7% · 15,912 households
Other household types1.6% · 665 households
Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗
Disability and day-to-day activities
The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
87,670 people in the source baseCensus 2022Source comparison: Scotland
Day-to-day activities limited a lot12.8% · 11,250 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little13.9% · 12,178 people
Non-disabled73.3% · 64,242 people
Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.
Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗
Petitions
Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.
Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.
Open petitionCloses 12 December 2026
Hold a referendum on abolishing the Scottish Parliament & Government
Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗
Funding and local projects
National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.
The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.
Grants recorded45
Total awarded£1,160,069
Most recent awards
National Lottery grantAwarded 21 May 2026
Tidelines Book Festival
North Ayrshire Book Festival
£9,805
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
This group will use funding to support the continued delivery of their weekend-long book festival in North Ayrshire.
National Lottery grantAwarded 21 May 2026
Minibus for respite service
Hansel Foundation
£2,123
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
This funding will provide a new minibus for the organisation's South Ayrshire-based respite and short breaks service for adults with additional support needs and learning disabilities.
National Lottery grantAwarded 20 May 2026
Heroes
ROCK 'N' ROLE MODELS Ltd
£16,720
Creative Scotland · Arts
About this award
Heroes is a project designed for young people by Rock 'n' Role Models in Sorn, Mauchline & Catrine, aged 8-18 years, to make their own music. Across 2 weeks, 2 cohorts of 12 young people (24 in total) will work with a creative team including a Lead Artist and 2 Assistant Tutors to write, record and share their own original music. Sessions use accessible, confidence‑building creative approaches across voice, instruments and digital tools to develop skills, agency and artistic identity. It will include outdoor creative challenges and nature‑based sound exploration to deepen connection to place and spark bold, imaginative thinking. In communities where high‑quality arts opportunities are limited, Heroes offers an informal, fun, supportive environment that builds confidence, creative collaboration and community pride. By amplifying young voices, we will build and nurture creative leadership, demonstrating what's possible when young people are given the space, skills, support and belief to make creative work that is genuinely their own.
National Lottery grantAwarded 20 May 2026
Castlepark Community Builder
Castlepark & Eglinton Community Association
£59,670
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
This group will use the funding to continue employment of a Community Builder to support community activity in and around their community centre hub. The project will support physical and mental wellbeing and improve connections within Irvine particularly for those most in need.
National Lottery grantAwarded 29 April 2026
Tarbolton Gala 2026
Tarbolton Community Development Trust
£6,000
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
This one-month grant will fund a one-day community Gala Day celebration.
40 more awards are available.
Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗
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