Council of the Isles of Scilly

History

Historically, the Isles of Scilly were administered as one of the hundreds of Cornwall, although the Cornwall quarter sessions had limited jurisdiction there. For judicial, shrievalty and lieutenancy purposes, the Local Government Act 1972 provided that the Isles of Scilly are "deemed to form part of the county of Cornwall". The archipelago is part of the Duchy of Cornwall – the duchy owns the freehold of most of the land on the islands and the Duke exercises certain formal rights and privileges across the territory, as he does in Cornwall proper.

The Local Government Act 1888 allowed the Local Government Board to establish in the Isles of Scilly "councils and other local authorities separate from those of the county of Cornwall"... "for the application to the islands of any act touching local government." Accordingly, in 1891, the Council of the Isles of Scilly was formed as a sui generis local government authority, outside the administrative county of Cornwall. Cornwall County Council provided some services to the Isles, for which the Council of the Isles of Scilly made financial contributions. The Isles of Scilly Order 1930 granted the council the "powers, duties and liabilities" of a county council. Section 265 of the Local Government Act 1972 allowed for the continued existence of the council.

This unusual status also means that much administrative law (for example relating to the functions of local authorities, the health service and other public bodies) that applies in the rest of England applies in modified form in the islands.

The Isles of Scilly do not form part of the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall; the Council of the Isles of Scilly is therefore administratively separate from Cornwall Council. However, for the purposes of lieutenancy the islands are classed as part of the ceremonial county of Cornwall. With a total population of just over 2,000, the council represents fewer inhabitants than many English parish councils, and is by far the smallest English unitary council.

The council has been a member of the Islands Forum since 2022.

Governance

The council is responsible for all local government functions on the islands. It also performs the administrative functions of the AONB Partnership and the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.

Some aspects of local government are shared with Cornwall, including health, and the Council of the Isles of Scilly together with Cornwall Council form a local enterprise partnership. In July 2015 a devolution deal was announced by the government under which Cornwall Council and the Council of the Isles of Scilly are to create a plan to bring health and social care services together under local control. The Local Enterprise Partnership is also to be bolstered.

, 130 people are employed full-time by the council to provide local services (including water supply and air traffic control). These numbers are significant, in that almost ten per cent of the adult population of the islands is directly linked to the council, as an employee or a councillor.

Political control

The main national political parties do not routinely field candidates for elections to the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Since the 2009 elections, all but two of the candidates have been independents. Two Green Party candidates stood in 2013, but neither was elected. The elected council has therefore entirely comprised independent councillors since at least 2009.

Leadership

Political leadership is provided by the chairman of the council, unlike in other English local authorities where the chairman is now a largely ceremonial role. The chairmen since the formation of the council in 1891 have been:

Premises

The council has its offices at the Isles of Scilly Town Hall on The Parade in Hugh Town on St Mary's, the largest island. The town hall was built in 1887–1889. Council meetings are held a short distance away at the council chamber, which is the Old Wesleyan Chapel on Garrison Lane, which was built in 1828.

Elections

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The council consists of 16 elected councillors: 12 of these are returned by the ward of St Mary's, and one from each of four "off-island" wards (St Martin's, St Agnes, Bryher, and Tresco). The number of councillors elected in each ward was reduced by one for the 2017 local elections; there had previously been 21 councillors, with the same ward boundaries.

Whilst each of the inhabited isles is formally a civil parish, none of them possess a council or meeting in their own right.

References

1. "Council minutes, 8 May 2018".
2. (12 October 2023). "Russell Ashman appointed Chief Executive from 12 January 2024".
3. [[Local Government Act 1972]] (1972 c.70) section 216(2)
4. "Around the Duchy – Isles of Scilly". Duchy of Cornwall.
5. (1891). "Annual Report of the Local Government Board".
6. "Local Government Board's Provisional Order Confirmation (No. 6) Act 1889".
7. "Isles of Scilly Order 1930". The National Archives.
8. "Isles of Scilly Cornwall through time". visionofbritain.org.uk.
9. "Isles of Scilly RD Cornwall through time". visionofbritain.org.uk.
10. Examples include the [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/ukpga_20030043_en_15#pt6-l1g198 Health and Social Care Act 2003, section 198] and the [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/ukpga_19950025_en_14#pt5-pb13-l1g114 Environment Act 1995, section 117].
11. "Welcome to the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)". Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
12. "Welcome to the Isles of Scilly Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority". Isles of Scilly IFCA.
13. (2015-07-16). "Cornwall devolution: First county with new powers". [[BBC News Online]].
14. Leijser, Theo (2015) ''Scilly Now & Then'' no. 77 p. 35
15. "Council of the Isles of Scilly Corporate Assessment December 2002". [[Audit Commission (United Kingdom).
16. "Local Election Results: Isles of Scilly".
17. "Lead member role profiles".
18. "Chairmen of Council".
19. "Council minutes, 23 June 2009".
20. "Council minutes, 23 Sep 2010".
21. (5 April 2013). "Isles of Scilly council chairman Mike Hicks' funeral held". BBC News.
22. "Council minutes, 21 May 2013".
23. "Council minutes, 25 May 2017".
24. (3 September 2017). "The Isles of Scilly are sinking and in 'managed retreat' with Hugh Town likely to go first". Cornwall Live.
25. "Council minutes, 8 May 2018".
26. {{NHLE
27. {{NHLE
28. "Council Chamber, Old Wesleyan Chapel".
29. "Final recommendations on the new electoral arrangements for the Council of the Isles of Scilly".