how we work
We are one of 32 councils in Scotland, serving 22,400 people across 1,468 square km.
The Shetland Islands Council has 22 elected members, serving on 6 three-member wards and 1 four-member ward. Members will serve until 2017.
See how Shetland's 7 wards are divided.
All councillors are independent – none represent a political party.
As well as representing their ward, members serve on the following committees, which meet around every seven weeks at the Lerwick Town Hall:
- Education and Families
- Social Services
- Environment and Transport
- Development
Committee meetings are open to the public unless stated otherwise.
To learn more about our committees and their membership, follow the links below to our committee information system, COINS. This is where we host all committee reports and associated documents. Here you will find documents on Council meetings, such as minutes and agendas, and find out how to contact any member of your local council.
Visit COINS to find out more about our committees and their membership.
Governance and Constitution
We recently modernised our constitutional arrangements. These documents, which provide more detail on the way the Council operates, can be found on our Governance and Constitution page.
Corporate Plan and Single Outcome Agreement
Corporate Planning is the way of formulating, implementing and evaluating the decisions and plans that will enable the Council to achieve its corporate aims and objectives.
On 21st March 2012 the Council agreed to a comprehensive set of service plans. These will be available in a single document soon. In the meantime, each plan can be viewed on our committee information page for the meeting that took place on 21st March 2012.