A 12-week public consultation regarding possible changes to North Ayrshire Council wards is underway.

The Local Government Boundary Commission is seeking views from residents as it develops it final recommendations for the Scottish Government.

The proposals would see the overall number of councillors remain at 33, with the total wards cut from 10 to nine.

The plans include making Arran a one-member ward in itself to reflect its island status, in line with the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, which means Ardrossan would then become a single ward.

The Commission is considering three five-member wards covering Garnock Valley, North Coast and Three Towns.

Under the current proposals, no changes would be made to the existing Irvine and Kilwinning boundaries.

Ronnie Hinds, chair of the Commission, said: “We welcome the flexibility offered by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 and the Scottish Electoral (Reform) Act 2020 to have wards of between one and five members as opposed to the existing three and for member wards.

“It is important that electoral arrangements for Scottish councils are effective and that our proposals provide for electoral fairness while taking account for local ties and special geographical considerations as far as possible.”

The plans were part of a two and a half month-long consultation between the Commission and North Ayrshire Council.

North Ayrshire Council chief executive Craig Hatton said: “Local democracy is absolutely essential to all of us and we were pleased to have worked so closely with the Local Government Boundary Commission to reach these proposals.

“We now look forward to getting feedback from residents across North Ayrshire and would urge people to take part in the consultation.”

The consultation closes on January 26, 2021 and the survey is available at https://consult.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk/reviews/north_ayrshire_council_public_consultation/.