08-05-2025
Fourth Conservative quits South Ayrshire group as council chaos continues
Mary Kilpatrick, who joined the party when she was just 15, said recent events left her with no option but to take a stand.
Crisis-hit South Ayrshire Council is "broken and in need of repair" according to the latest member to quit the Conservatives at County Buildings.
The Ayrshire Post can exclusively reveal that Mary Kilpatrick - a Tory of more than 60 years - has walked away from the party she joined as a teenager.
She becomes the fourth Conservative to ditch the party after the most explosive week in the local authority's history, which has seen the council leader and Provost both quit.
Mrs Kilpatrick, who has served as a councillor for 25 years, said the "humiliation and disgrace" heaped on the council at last week's infamous public meeting had left her with no choice but to stand down.
Her colleague in the Civic office, Provost Iain Campbell, resigned on the spot after one of his Tory colleagues was heard to call someone a "wee c**t" over a live microphone.
That's sparked a constitutional crisis at County Buildings, with depute Provost Kilpatrick left holding the chains until the council reconvenes next Wednesday.
She told the Ayrshire Post she was left with no alternative but to follow her highly respected colleague in making a stand and leave the party she joined as a youngster.
The Ayr East councillor, who will now sit as an independent, said: "I joined the Conservatives just before I turned 16 and have given the party my life. And these last 25 years on the council have been a privilege to serve the public.
"Working with Iain in the Provost's office has been an honour - I do not say it lightly that I think he's the best Provost we've ever had in terms of what he's given to the role and his dedication.
"But what happened last week was a humiliation and a disgrace for this council. It has brought shame on all of us and that is grossly unfair.
"Clearly it has highlighted problems within the Conservative group that need addressing and I just feel I cannot be associated with that any longer, which saddens me greatly given my long association with the party."
Mrs Kilpatrick will chair next Wednesday's meeting at which councillors will look to elect a new-look administration to dig them out of the mire, before she hands over to a new Provost.
But she warned: "The problems we face are all across this council, not just the Conservative group. There are far too many career politicians in this day and age who have lost sight of what we are here to do.
"The council I joined 25 years ago is completely unrecognisable to the one where I serve now. Politics shouldn't matter - what people really care about is their public services.
"I met Mrs Thatcher on more than one occasion down the years and one thing she told me that always stuck with me was that politicians at that level bear the brunt, but it's us councillors who are on the front line dealing with the issues that really matter to people.
"That's how it should be and it saddens me that too many people have lost sight of that. That's why, in my opinion, the council has become broken and in need of repair."
