Shetland Islands Council | |
---|---|
Full council election every 5 years | |
History | |
Founded | 16 May 1975 |
Leadership | |
Maggie Sandison since 28 February 2018 [1] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 23 councillors |
Political groups | Independent (20) |
Elections | |
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 |
The Shetland Islands Council is the local authority for the Shetland Islands, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It was established 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.
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.
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 |
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 | |
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 |
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]
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]
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]
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
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Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for Glasgow City council area, Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Glasgow was formerly governed by a corporation, also known as the town council, from the granting of its first burgh charter in the 1170s until 1975. From 1975 until 1996 the city was governed by City of Glasgow District Council, a lower-tier authority within the Strathclyde region.
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Local government in Scotland comprises thirty-two local authorities, commonly referred to as councils. Each council provides public services, including education, social care, waste management, libraries and planning. Councils receive the majority of their funding from the Scottish Government, but operate independently and are accountable to their local electorates. Councils raise additional income via the Council Tax, a locally variable domestic property tax, and Business rates, a non-domestic property tax.
Lerwick is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. It is the northernmost major settlement within the United Kingdom.
Grampian was one of nine local government regions of Scotland. It was created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and took its name from the Grampian Mountains. The regional council was based in Aberdeen.
Strathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The Strathclyde region had 19 districts. The region was named after the early medieval Kingdom of Strathclyde centred on Govan, but covered a broader geographic area than its namesake.
The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994.
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Perth and Kinross Council is the local authority for Perth and Kinross, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council has been under no overall control since 1999. It is based in Perth.
Renfrewshire Council is the local authority for Renfrewshire, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It consists of 43 councillors who elect from among their number a provost to serve as the council's convener and ceremonial head and a leader of the council who is typically the head of the largest political group. The council is based at Renfrewshire House in Paisley.
The Orkney Islands Council, is the local authority for the Orkney Islands, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It was established in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and was largely unaffected by the Scottish local government changes of 1996.
The Highland Council is the local authority for Highland, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council is based at the Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.
Lerwick Town Hall is a municipal building located on Hillhead in Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland. It is used as an events venue and registrar's office. The building, which was also the meeting place of Shetland Islands Council until 2022, is a Category A listed building.
Shetland Library is the public library service of Shetland, with its main branch based in Lerwick. Membership is open to both residents of and visitors to the islands. The library has a range of digital, online and physical material and collections that support the literary traditions of the Northern Isles.
County Buildings is a municipal structure in King Erik Street, Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a judicial complex, is a Category B listed building.
Elections to Shetland Islands Council took place on 5 May 2022 on the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. As with other Scottish council elections, it was held using single transferable vote (STV) – a form of proportional representation – in which multiple candidates are elected in each ward and voters rank candidates in order of preference.
Elections to the Zetland County Council were held on 8 May 1973 as part of Scottish local elections. This was the last election for the County Council before its incorporation along with the Lerwick Town Council into the Shetland Islands Council in 1975. Elections were held in every part of Shetland except Lerwick to elect 24 landward members to the County Council, who would be joined by six nominated members from the Lerwick Town Council.