Shetland Islands Council

Shetland Islands Council Comhairle Shealtainn
Full council election every 5 years
Coat of arms
Council logo
Type
Type	Unitary authority
History
Founded	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[1]
Structure
Seats	23 councillors
Results of the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections in 2022:[2]
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 Shetland, Scotland. It was established by the Local Government (Scotland) 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 Convener becoming a civic leadership post.^[3]