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.[2] The council collects Council Tax.
The council is also the harbour authority for Orkney and its marine services division manages the operation of the islands' 29 piers and harbours.[3]
History
Orkney had been administered by Commissioners of Supply from 1667 and then by Orkney County Council from 1890 to 1975. The county council was abolished in 1975 and replaced by the Orkney Islands Council, which also took over the functions previously exercised by Orkney's lower-tier authorities, being the town councils of the two burghs of Kirkwall and Stromness, and the councils of the area's landward districts. The new council created in 1975 was an islands council of an area legally called Orkney.[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 Orkney, 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 Orkney to 'Orkney Islands' as part of the 1996 reforms, allowing the council to retain the name 'Orkney Islands Council'.[5] The council has been a member of the Islands Forum since 2022.
In 2023 the council saw a motion to review Orkney's relationship to the United Kingdom, with council leader James Stockan claiming Orkney does not get fair funding and sought to emulate the relationship the Channel Islands have with the government. Some of the other alternatives proposed included emulating the Faroe Islands' autonomy, becoming an overseas territory like the Falklands, or seeing the territory returned to Norway.[6]
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.[7]
The council appoints a convener, who chairs full council meetings and acts as the civic figurehead. In 2017 the council introduced the additional role of leader of the council to act as the council's political leader.[8][9] The leaders since 2017 have been:
On her appointment in February 2024, Heather Woodbridge was the youngest local authority leader in Scotland, being 29 years old.[13]
The first convener of Orkney Islands Council, George Marwick, had been the last vice-convener of the old Orkney County Council.[14] The conveners since Orkney Islands Council formally came into being in 1975 have been:
Since the last boundary changes in 2022, the council has comprised 21 councillors representing 6 wards, with each ward electing three or four councillors. Elections are held every five years.[31]
The council is based at the Council Offices on School Place in Kirkwall. The building comprises the former Kirkwall Grammar School and the neighbouring former Paterson Church, with modern extensions linking the older buildings. The former Grammar School was built c.1890 and converted to become the council's offices in 1978.[32][33] The Paterson Church, or East Church, was built in 1847 and converted and incorporated into the council offices in the early 2000s.[34]
↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Orkney Islands" in search box to see specific results.)
1 2 Hewison, Bill (20 May 1975). "Reaping oil harvest - to benefit community". Press and Journal. Aberdeen. p.8. Retrieved 30 August 2025. The convener of the new Orkney Islands Council, Mr George Marwick, who was vice-convener on the old council...
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
