South Ayrshire: History
=== Creation ===
The district was created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure of local government across Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Kyle and Carrick was one of nineteen districts created within the region of Strathclyde. The district covered the whole area of seven former districts and parts of another two from the historic county of Ayrshire, which were all abolished at the same time:
Ayr Burgh
Ayr District (except the part within the designated area of Irvine New Town)
Dalmellington District (part, being Coylton and that part of the parish of Ayr within that district - rest of district to Cumnock and Doon Valley)
Girvan Burgh
Girvan District
Maybole Burgh
Maybole District
Prestwick Burgh
Troon Burgh
The district bordered districts of Cunninghame, Kilmarnock & Loudoun and Cumnock and Doon Valley Districts of Strathclyde to its north and east as well as Stewartry and Wigtown Districts in Dumfries & Galloway.
In 1974 Alistair Irving Haughan was appointed Chief Architect of Kyle & Carrick District Council, holding the post until he retired in December 1990. While Haughan was in post the work the Council undertook on the restoration of Tam o' Shanter's bridge, the Brig O' Doon in Alloway won a Stone Federation Award.
The district was abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 which replaced regions and districts with unitary council areas. South Ayrshire council area was formed with identical boundaries to Kyle and Carrick District.
The first election to the district council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council from 1975 was as follows:
The district council's headquarters were in Ayr, where they established offices in Burns House in Burns Statue Square with a satellite office in a two-storey, 19th century villa at 30 Miller Road.
South Ayrshire was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which replaced Scotland's previous local government structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts with unitary council areas providing all local government services. South Ayrshire covered the same area as the abolished Kyle and Carrick district, and also took over the functions of the abolished Strathclyde Regional Council within the area. The area's name references its location within the historic county of Ayrshire, which had been abolished for local government purposes in 1975 when Kyle and Carrick district and Strathclyde region had been created.
In 2021, South Ayrshire submitted a bid for city status as part of the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. The bid was based on the area's rich history and links to royalty, and received backing from organisations and businesses including Ayrshire College and Scottish Enterprise. The bid was ultimately unsuccessful, with eight other settlements across the UK, overseas territories and crown dependencies being awarded city status, including Scottish town Dunfermline. …