Shetland Islands Council


The Shetland Islands Council is the local authority for Shetland, Scotland. It was established by the Local Government Act 1973 and is the successor to the former Lerwick Town Council and Zetland County Council. This council was established in 1975 and was largely unaffected by the Scottish local government changes of the mid-1990s.
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 is allowed to collect Council Tax. The Fire Service is part of the Highlands and Islands division of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
In 2011, structural reforms saw the creation of the Political Leader position, with the Convenor becoming a civic leadership post.

Political composition

PartyCouncillors
Independent21
Scottish National Party1

In the 2017 election, one SNP councillor was elected unopposed in the Shetland South ward, with Independents elected to the remaining seats.

Political leaders