# Orkney Islands Council

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.
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 council is also the harbour authority for Orkney and its marine services division manages the operation of the islands' 29 piers and harbours.

## 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.
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'. 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.

## 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.
| Party in control | Party in control | Years |
| | Independent | 1975–present |

### Leadership
#### Political Leaders

| No. | Political Leader | Party | Period in office | Election |
| 1 | James Stockan | Independent | 2017–2024 | 2017 2022 |
| 2 | Heather Woodbridge | Independent | 2024–present | 2024 |
In February 2024, Heather Woodbridge was announced as the new leader for the council. She is the first woman to lead the Orkney Islands Council, and at 29 years old is the youngest local authority leader in Scotland.

#### Conveners

| No. | Convener | Party | Period in office | Election |
| 1 | George Marwick | Independent | 1974–1978 | 1974 |
| 2 | Edwin Eunson | Independent | 1978–1990 | 1978 1982 1986 |
| 3 | Jackie Tait | Independent | 1990–1994 | 1994 |
| 4 | Hugh Halcro-Johnston | Independent | 1994–2003 | 1994 1999 |
| 5 | Stephen Hagan | Independent | 2003–2012 | 2003 2007 |
| 6 | Steven Heddle | Independent | 2012–2017 | 2012 |
| 7 | Harvey Johnston | Independent | 2017–2022 | 2017 |
| 8 | Graham Bevan | Independent | 2022–present | 2022 |

### Composition

Following the 2022 election, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Independent | 19 |
| | Scottish Green | 2 |
| Total | Total | 21 |
The next election is due in 2027.

## Elections

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.

### Wards

* East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray
* Kirkwall East
* Kirkwall West and Orphir
* North Isles
* Stromness and South Isles
* West Mainland

## Premises

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. The Paterson Church, or East Church, was built in 1847 and converted and incorporated into the council offices in the early 2000s.