Information About Shetland

Map of Shetland

On this page, we've provided some background information about Shetland.  For a much fuller exploration of what it's like to live and work in our islands, please go to www.shetland.org.  If you'd like to sample Shetland on holiday, the place to start is www.visitshetland.com.

Shetland lies in the North Atlantic, around 200 miles from Aberdeen and about the same distance from Norway and the Faroe Islands.  We have more than 100 islands, of which 15 are inhabited.  The land area is 550 square miles, which is about half the size of Lancashire or about the same as Fife.  The coastline extends to just under 1,700 miles and nowhere is more than about 3 miles from the sea.  The total population of Shetland is around 22,000, of whom about 7,500 live in the capital, Lerwick.

The islands' environment is outstanding, with opportunities for a wide range of outdoor pursuits from bird-watching to sea-kayaking.  There is an exceptional cultural heritage, too, reflected in many archaeological sites, in the new Shetland Museum and Archives and in a remarkable musical tradition.  Public services are of a high standard.

Transport Links

Ferries

  • 7 return trips Aberdeen-Shetland per week
  • 4 trips north are via Orkney (Tue, Thur, Sat & Sun).
  • 3 trips south are via Orkney (Mon, Wed & Fri).

Scheduled Flights

  • 3-4 return trips Aberdeen-Shetland daily.
  • 2 return trips Edinburgh-Shetland daily.
  • 2 return trips Glasgow-Shetland daily.
  • (reduced service at weekends)

Further details are available in the Transport section of our website.

The Council

The Council is made up of 22 elected members. In order to manage the multiplicity of services provided by the council, members serve on committees, each of which manages a particular range of services. These committees include Development Committee, Services Committee and Standing Committee. The Council also has a Resources Committee which is responsible for the overall financial policy of the Council. The Committees meet on a 6 weekly cycle, the culmination of which is the meeting of the full Council. This is the supreme decisionmaking body and endorses, or otherwise, the decisions of the individual Committees.

Because of the wide range of functions for which the Council is responsible, it is often referred to as a ‘most purpose’ authority. As such it provides essential services and infrastructure such as roads, ferries, social services, education, environmental services, housing, recreation, etc. It also supports and stimulates the economy through various trusts. The Shetland Islands Council is therefore a major employer in the islands and plays a vital role in the economy.

Further information is available in the Corporate Plan, Shetland in Statistics and on the Council section of our site.

Council Housing for New Employees

If you are taking up employment with the Council and are relocating from the UK mainland, the Council will try to make accommodation available to you.

We have up to 20 properties reserved in areas throughout Shetland for Council staff relocating from the mainland: for example Firth, Ollaberry, Virkie, Vidlin, South Nesting, North Roe, Urafirth, Walls, Yell, Whalsay, Bressay and Voe. These areas can change and are regularly reviewed depending on demand.

The houses are let on a temporary Tenancy Agreement and are available for a period of up to two years from the date of your relocation to assist you while you are finding your own permanent accommodation.

The rent varies depending on the size and category of the property, but for landward properties with both full central heating and doubleglazing the rent in 2005/06 is:

  • One bedroom house £49.85 per week
  • Two bedroom house £61.83 per week
  • Three bedroom house £74.45 per week

The accommodation is carpeted and curtained throughout, and is decorated to a high standard. The rent is set to reflect the additional costs of providing carpets, curtains and decoration. Furniture or white goods are not provided in the accommodation.

Offers of accommodation depend on the availability of suitable properties, and there is no guarantee that an offer of housing will be made prior to the start date of your employment. You may have to find your own accommodation initially.

You should contact the Housing Service on 01595 744360 as soon as possible after being offered your post to discuss the relocation housing options available to you, and to confirm the application process.

In addition to the above, if you are a member of teaching staff, appointed to a post in a designated remote area school, you will be entitled to assistance with housing.

Remote areas are: Fair Isle, Fetlar, Foula, Papa Stour, Skerries, Whalsay, Unst and Yell. Remote area teaching staff properties are allocated in consultation with the Education Service and first preference is given to teaching staff that require the accommodation in order to work at the school. The tenancy offered will be tied to your employment at the school.

See the Housing section of our site for more details on Housing in Shetland.

Housing Market

Lerwick

The most expensive housing in Shetland is not surprisingly that situated in Lerwick and Scalloway where properties tend to range from about £80,000 to £200,000, although there will always be exceptions both above and below these levels.

There are a number of flats in central Lerwick with prices ranging from perhaps £60,000 upwards.

The general rule is that the further from Lerwick the property is situated the cheaper its price.

Rural Areas

Insofar as the country areas are concerned, it is difficult to generalise but undoubtedly many rural properties represent excellent value for money compared with Lerwick. Larger three or four bedroomed detached houses with up to a quarter of an acre of garden will fetch between £65,000 and £90,000 although this depends on the area and there are instances of properties achieving considerably higher prices.

On the other hand smaller bungalow type properties or older former croft houses can be acquired from upwards of £50,000 depending on condition, size and location.

The most expensive country areas remain those closest to Lerwick including Quarff, Tingwall, Whiteness and Weisdale, Voe/Brae and the South Mainland.

In country areas, sites can be obtained fairly readily, but are often not actively marketed. It is very much a question of approaching the land owner and a quarter acre site can usually be obtained for around £10,000 - £15,000. Again prices increase nearer to Lerwick, although in other rural areas prices may be less than this.

Note:
House purchase and sale is conducted through Solicitors, not Estate Agents. Most have property websites:

Education

Education is held in high regard in Shetland and its reputation for high quality provision is known throughout Scotland.

There are thirty three schools in Shetland, two of which are High Schools teaching up to sixth year and seven of which are “through schools” with Nursery, Primary and Secondary departments. The remaining twenty five schools are Primary Schools which vary in size from single teacher to two stream. Preschool education for three and four year olds is now available in all areas of Shetland.

In terms of attainment, in 2004, by the end of S5, 12% of candidates attained five or more passes at SCQF Level 6 (Higher). By the end of S4, 45% of candidates attained five or more passes at SCQF Level 5 (Standard Grade Credit/Intermediate 2).

These results are the tip of the iceberg since a high quality of education begins in Nursery and continues throughout Primary and Secondary departments. This quality is not based merely on academic excellence. We value the individual and seek to provide a broad educational experience; this includes specialist music, art and physical education provision in almost all Primary departments. To support teachers as fully as possible, there is a full team of centrally employed support staff comprising, Quality Improvement Managers, Quality Improvement Officers and Education Support Officers.

A particular strength of the authority is the generous resources allocated to the area of Additional Support Needs.

There is also a wide range of extracurricular activities including links with other countries as far apart as Denmark and Japan.

See the Education section of our site for further details.

Council Committees

A full list of Council Committees can be found on our CoInS system.