Shetland Islands Council
The Shetland Islands Council is the local governmental authority for Shetland. The council deal with such issues as roads, health, education, council tax, and culture.
Due to the oil boom in Shetland in the latter part of the 20th century, the council was one of the richest in Britain, if measured on a by-person basis.
The most recent election of it's councillors was in 2007 and the next election is scheduled for May 2012.
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History
The Shetland Islands Council was officially formed on the 1st May 1975, combining the roles of the Zetland County Council and Lerwick Town Council, both of which stopped business in August following a local government reorganisation.
The Council
Shetland Islands Councillors are elected every 4 or 5 years and meet in the Lerwick Town Hall. The current Chief Executive is Alistair Buchan, who begun the role on August 9th, 2010.
Currently, there are 22 councillors.
Current Councillors
| Councillor | Area Represented | Party | Councillor Since | Elected Until | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angus, Leslie | Lerwick South | None | May 1999 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Baisley, Laura | North Isles | None | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Budge, James | Shetland South | None | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Cluness, Alexander J. | Lerwick North | None | May 1999 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Cooper, Alastair | Shetland North | Independent | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Doull, Adam T | Shetland North | None | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Duncan, Allison | Shetland South | Independent | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Fullerton, Betty | Shetland Central | None | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Grains, Florence B | Shetland West | None | May 1986 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Hawkins, Iris Jean | Shetland Central | Independent | May 1994 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Henderson, Robert | North Isles | None | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Henry, James H | Lerwick South | None | May 2003 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Hughson, Andrew J | Shetland Central | Independent | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Manson, William H† | Shetland North | Independent | June 1991 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Miller, Caroline H. J. | Lerwick North | None | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Nickerson, Richard C | Shetland South | Independent | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Robertson, Frank A | Shetland West | None | May 1999 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Robinson, Gary | Shetland West | Independent | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Simpson, Joseph Gilbert | North Isles | Independent | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Smith, Cecil | Lerwick South | Independent | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Wills, Jonathan W G* | Lerwick South | Independent | February 2008 | 03/05/2012 | |
| Wishart, Allan | Lerwick North | Independent | May 2007 | 03/05/2012 |
†Elected by by-election following the death of James M Manson.
*Elected by by-election following the death of Cecil Eunson.
Voting System
Shetland's Local Government are elected through a Single Transferable Vote system. This is a preferential voting system which is designed to minimize wasted votes, providing proportional representation.