THE SNP in North Ayrshire have announced half of their candidates for May’s local council elections.

The Cunninghame South branch of the party disclosed their candidates for Stevenston, Kilwinning and the three wards in Irvine with eight out of the 10 candidates seeking election for the first time.

Leading the charge will be current SNP Group Leader on North Ayrshire Council, Marie Burns. She is the only current councillor in the 10 strong group as the SNP look to regain control of the council.

She said: “I’m delighted to announce the 10 candidates who will contest wards in Irvine, Kilwinning and Stevenston.

“Eight of the 10 candidates are standing for election for the first time.

“Our candidates bring a great breadth of work experience and indeed life experience. They include a firefighter, a nurse, a care worker and a former security systems engineer.

“I’m particularly pleased to say that half of our candidates are women.

“It’s really important to me to ensure that the voices of women in North Ayrshire are heard in the council chamber.

“While the previous SNP administration achieved a great deal in four years there still remains a lot to be done in what will be a very challenging time for local government.

“This group of candidates will work hard to convince the voters of Irvine, Kilwinning and Stevenston to put their trust in us and return a new SNP administration in May.”

In the newly formed Stevenston ward, Chris Paton and Davina McTiernan will be battling it out for the three positions available.

Chris works as a historian, writer, and part-time parliamentary researcher for Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson.

Commenting on his selection, Chris said: “Stevenston is an area with a long and proud history as a community, but one with many significant social and economic challenges to be addressed.

“I am looking forward to the campaign. I will fight hard from the Ardeer peninsula to the Hayocks estate for the privilege to serve and represent the community with vigour on North Ayrshire Council.”

Davina, a former Ardrossan Academy pupil, said: “I consider it a great honour to be chosen to fight for the Stevenston ward on behalf of the SNP.

“Having experienced the pain of being dismissed as second rate because of my dyslexia I believe that I am well-placed to speak for a community that is all too often undervalued.

“I believe I can work alongside the people of Stevenston to help them give voice to their needs and wishes and ensure that North Ayrshire Council gives this community the respect it deserves.

“Together we have an opportunity in May to make a difference and I ask the people of Stevenston to return me as one of your SNP representatives on North Ayrshire Council.”

Scott Davidson and Susan Johnson are the candidates for the Kilwinning ward with Robin Sturgeon, father of First Minister Nicola and husband to ex-Provost Joan Sturgeon contesting the new Irvine South Ward along with Christina Larsen.

Scott is a firefighter who lives in Kilwinning, he said: “Kilwinning is a great community in which to live and work.

“I have lived here all of my adult life and raised my family here.

“I will work with individuals and groups to maximise the potential of our town, to keep our streets safe and clean and to improve the lives of Kilwinning residents.”

Susan is a former nurse and is currently the woman’s officer for Cunninghame South SNP.

With particular interest in education and health issues, Susan has welcomed initiatives from the SNP Government and the SNP administration of North Ayrshire Council:

“The Professional Learning Academy is a great innovation in improving the chances of our young people so they can in achieve positive destinations on leaving school.

“And the recently announced additional cash from the Scottish Government for Kilwinning Schools is very welcome.

“The SNP administration kept North Ayrshire ahead of the game in setting up the Health and Social Care Partnership.

“I hope we build on that to deliver the best possible local integrated health and social care services.”

Other Irvine candidates are Hugh Wilson, Maria Limonci and Shaun Macaulay.