Council

PROVOST'S OFFICE AND THE EAST AYRSHIRE COAT OF ARMS

East Ayrshire Council was formed in April 1995. The council consists of the former Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Cumnock and Doon Valley District Councils, and that part of Strathclyde Regional Council which related to the area.

East Ayrshire Council has its own Coat of Arms, and this is reproduced on the chains that the Provost and Depute Provost wear. The various elements of the Coat of Arms, and what they represent, are explained below.

The shield is divided into three main sections. The top section contains a black diamond, which represents coal. This was a major industry at one time. The fir tree represents forestry.  Both of these elements came from the Cumnock and Doon Valley Coat of Arms. The engineering cog represents industry, heavy engineering having been a particular feature of the Kilmarnock area.

The middle section, which has been taken from the Boyds of Kilmarnock Coat of Arms, is bordered at the top and the bottom with blue wavy lines that signify East Ayrshire's two river valleys - the Irvine Valley and the Doon Valley. The final section of the shield, at the bottom, is from the Campbells of Loudoun Coat of Arms. Both of these family arms date back many centuries.

The supporters are the red squirrel, from the original Kilmarnock Coat of Arms, and a lion rampant from the Cumnock Coat of Arms. The lion is painted in two colours in keeping with the original colouring. The coronet at the top is of a design given to all the Landward Councils of Scotland. The Arms are completed by the Council's motto - "Forward Together".