Shetland Islands Council

Shetland Islands Council

*Comhairle Shealtainn*
Shetland Islands Council ; Comhairle Shealtainn
Full council election every 5 years
	Coat of arms
	Council logo
History
Founded	16 May 1975
Leadership
Convener	Andrea Manson, ; Independent ; since 23 May 2022
Leader	Emma Macdonald, ; Independent ; since 23 May 2022
Chief Executive	Maggie Sandison ; since 28 February 2018
Structure
Seats	23 councillors
	Results of the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections in 2022:
Political groups	Independent (20) Greens (1) SNP (1) Labour (1)
Elections
Voting system	Single transferable vote
Last election	5 May 2022
Next election	6 May 2027
Motto
	Með lögum skal land byggja (Old Norse: "By law shall the land be built up")
Meeting place
	Council Chamber, Lower Hillhead, Lerwick, Shetland, ZE1 0EL
Website
	www.shetland.gov.uk

The Shetland Islands Council (Shetland Insular Scots: Shitlin Islant' Cooncil; Scottish Gaelic: Comhairle Shealtainn) is the local authority for the Shetland Islands, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It was established by in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and was largely unaffected by the Scottish local government changes of 1996.

It provides services in the areas of Environmental Health, Roads, Social Work, Community Development, Organisational Development, Economic Development, Building Standards, Trading Standards, Housing, Waste, Education, Burial Grounds, Port and Harbours and others. The council collects Council Tax. The Fire Service is part of the Highlands and Islands division of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

History

Shetland had been administered by Commissioners of Supply from 1667 and then by Zetland County Council from 1890 to 1975. The county council was abolished in 1975 and replaced by the Shetland Islands Council, which also took over the functions previously exercised by Shetland's lower-tier authorities, being the town council of the burgh of Lerwick and the councils of the area's landward districts.^[3] The new council created in 1975 was an islands council of an area legally called Shetland.^[4]

Further local government reform in 1996 introduced single-tier council areas across all of Scotland. The councils of the three island areas created in 1975, including Shetland, continued to provide the same services after 1996, but their areas were re-designated as council areas. The geographic area's legal name was changed from Shetland to 'Shetland Islands' as part of the 1996 reforms, allowing the council to retain the name 'Shetland Islands Council'.^[5] The council has been a member of the Islands Forum since 2022.

Political control

The first election was held in 1974, with the council initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A majority of the seats on the council have been held by independent councillors since 1975.^[6]

Party in control		Years
	Independent	1975–present

Leadership

In 2011, structural reforms saw the creation of the Political Leader position, with the Convener becoming a civic leadership post.^[7]


No.	Political Leader	Party	Period in office	Election
1	Josie Simpson	Independent	2011 - 2012	2007
2	Gary Robinson	Independent	2012 - 2017	2012
3	Cecil Smith	Independent	2017 - 2018	2017
4	Steven Coutts	Independent	2018–2022	2017
5	Emma Macdonald	Independent	2022–present	2022

Conveners

The conveners have been:^[8]


No.	Convener	Party	Period in office	Election
1	Alexander I. Tulloch	Independent	1974 - 1986	1974 1978 1982
2	Edward Thomason	Shetland Movement	1986 - 1994	1986 1990
3	Lewis Shand Smith	Independent	1994 - 1999	1994
4	Tom Stove	Independent	1999 - 2003	1999
5	Sandy Cluness	Liberal Democrat^[a] Independent	2003 - 2012	2003 2007
6	Malcolm Bell	Independent	2012–2022	2012 2017
7	Andrea Manson	Independent	2022–present	2022

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections later in 2022, the composition of the council was:

Party		Councillors
	Independent	20
	Scottish Green	1
	Labour	1
	SNP	1
Total		23

The next election is due in 2027.^[9]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022, the council has comprised 23 councillors representing 7 wards, with each ward electing two, three or four councillors. Elections are held every five years.^[10]

Premises

Council meetings are held at the Council Chamber on Lower Hillhead in Lerwick. The building was formerly St Ringan's Church and was built in 1886.^[11] After the church closed the building was used as a library for some years, before being converted to become the council chamber in 2022. Council meetings were previously held at Lerwick Town Hall.^[12]

The council's main offices are at 8 North Ness in Lerwick, overlooking the harbour. The building was completed in 2012 to bring together the council's departments in one building.^[13]

Notes

^ Sandy Cluness was first elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor in 2003 but stood as an independent candidate in 2007.

References

^ Davidson, Jenni (28 February 2018). "Maggie Sandison appointed chief executive of Shetland Islands Council". Holyrood. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
^ "Ballotbox Scotland, 2022 Local Elections, Shetland Islands Council 2022".
^ "Quarter-inch Administrative Areas Maps: Scotland Sheet 1, 1969". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
^ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 17 April 2023
^ "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 39, retrieved 17 April 2023
^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
^ "Josie Takes the Helm". Shetland News. 7 March 2011.
^ Stewart, James. "Politics". Shetland History Online.
^ "Shetland Islands". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
^ Scottish Parliament. The Shetland Islands (Electoral Arrangements) Regulations 2021 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Lower Hillhead and Union Street, St Ringan's Church (United Free Church of Scotland), including church hall, boundary walls, and gatepiers (Category B Listed Building) (LB37269)". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
^ Cope, Chris (11 March 2022). "From church to library to council chamber: St Ringan's latest evolution". Shetland News. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
^ "New council headquarters open". Shetland News. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

External links

Shetland Islands Council Website

[a-9] Sandy Cluness was first elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor in 2003 but stood as an independent candidate in 2007.

[1] Davidson, Jenni (28 February 2018). "Maggie Sandison appointed chief executive of Shetland Islands Council". Holyrood. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

[2] "Ballotbox Scotland, 2022 Local Elections, Shetland Islands Council 2022".

[3] "Quarter-inch Administrative Areas Maps: Scotland Sheet 1, 1969". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 8 October 2024.

[1973act-4] "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 17 April 2023

[5] "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 39, retrieved 17 April 2023

[compositions-6] "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2024.

[7] "Josie Takes the Helm". Shetland News. 7 March 2011.

[8] Stewart, James. "Politics". Shetland History Online.

[10] "Shetland Islands". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 9 October 2024.

[11] Scottish Parliament. The Shetland Islands (Electoral Arrangements) Regulations 2021 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.

[12] Historic Environment Scotland. "Lower Hillhead and Union Street, St Ringan's Church (United Free Church of Scotland), including church hall, boundary walls, and gatepiers (Category B Listed Building) (LB37269)". Retrieved 13 July 2023.

[13] Cope, Chris (11 March 2022). "From church to library to council chamber: St Ringan's latest evolution". Shetland News. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

[14] "New council headquarters open". Shetland News. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

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v t e Local government of Scotland
Council areas	Aberdeen City Aberdeenshire Angus Argyll and Bute Clackmannanshire Dumfries and Galloway Dundee City East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire East Lothian East Renfrewshire City of Edinburgh Falkirk Fife Glasgow City Highland Inverclyde Midlothian Moray Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles) North Ayrshire North Lanarkshire Orkney Perth and Kinross Renfrewshire Scottish Borders Shetland South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire Stirling West Dunbartonshire West Lothian
Councils	Aberdeen City Aberdeenshire Angus Argyll and Bute Clackmannanshire Dumfries and Galloway Dundee City East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire East Lothian East Renfrewshire City of Edinburgh Falkirk Fife Glasgow City Highland Inverclyde Midlothian Moray Comhairle nan Eilean Siar North Ayrshire North Lanarkshire Orkney Islands Perth and Kinross Renfrewshire Scottish Borders Shetland Islands South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire Stirling West Dunbartonshire West Lothian
List by area, population, density

v t e Elections and referendums in Shetland
Zetland County Council	1890 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1929 1932 1935 1938 1945 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973
Shetland Islands Council	1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1999 2003 2007 2012 2017 2022
Referendums	1978

v t e Wards of Shetland
2022–present	North Isles Shetland North Shetland West Shetland Central Lerwick North and Bressay Lerwick South Shetland South
2007–2022	North Isles Shetland North Shetland West Shetland Central Shetland South Lerwick North Lerwick South

v t e Local government areas of Scotland, in use 1975 to 1996
Borders	Berwickshire Ettrick and Lauderdale Roxburgh Tweeddale
Central Region	Clackmannan Falkirk Stirling
Dumfries and Galloway	Annandale and Eskdale Nithsdale Stewartry Wigtown
Fife	Dunfermline Kirkcaldy North East Fife
Grampian	Aberdeen Banff and Buchan Gordon Kincardine and Deeside Moray
Highland	Badenoch and Strathspey Caithness Inverness Lochaber Nairn Ross and Cromarty Skye and Lochalsh Sutherland
Lothian	East Lothian Edinburgh Midlothian West Lothian
Strathclyde	Argyll and Bute Bearsden and Milngavie Strathkelvin Clydebank Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Cumnock and Doon Valley Cunninghame Dumbarton East Kilbride Eastwood Glasgow Hamilton Inverclyde Kilmarnock and Loudoun Kyle and Carrick Clydesdale Monklands Motherwell Renfrew
Tayside	Angus Dundee Perth and Kinross
Island areas¹	Orkney Shetland Western Isles
¹ The island areas were unitary authorities, combining the powers of a region and a district.