2022 Shetland Islands Council election

Elections to Shetland Islands Council took place on 5 May 2022 on the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. As with other Scottish council elections, it was held using single transferable vote – a form of proportional representation – in which multiple candidates are elected in each ward and voters rank candidates in order of preference.
The elections were the first held since the passage of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 which allowed wards in Scottish councils containing islands to be reduced to single- and dual-member wards. As a result, the Shetland West ward was reduced from three members to two.
As with previous elections in the area, independent councillors retained a large majority of the seats on the council and retained control of the administration. For the first time, the Greens won a seat on the council and [Scottish Scottish Labour Party|Labour Party|Labour] won their first seat on the council since 1994.

Background

Previous election

At the previous election in 2017, independent councillors retained control of the council after taking all but one seat. The Scottish National Party took the other seat and, in the process, won their first-ever representation on the council.
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Electoral system

Local elections in Scotland use the single transferable vote electoral system – a form of proportional representation – in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. The 2022 election was the first to use the seven wards created under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, with 23 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either two, three or four members.

Composition

There were no changes to the political composition of the council following the election in 2017. Two by-elections were held and independents won both.

Retiring councillors

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Boundary changes

Following the implementation of the Islands Act 2018, a review of the boundaries was undertaken in North Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute, Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and the Western Isles. The act allowed for single- or two-member wards to be created to allow for better representation of island communities. As a result, the seven existing wards were retained with realigned boundaries but the number of councillors was increased from 22 to 23. Lerwick North was renamed Lerwick North and Bressay but was otherwise unchanged, as were North Isles and Shetland North. The boundaries were adjusted in the remaining wards which resulted in Shetland Central and Shetland South being increased from three- to four-member wards and Shetland West being reduced to a dual-member ward.
Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart opposed the proposals for the Shetland West ward over concerns that two councillors would not sufficiently represent their constituents on the council.

Candidates

The total number of candidates increased from 33 in 2017 to 36. The number of independent candidates outstripped any individual party but fell by one from the previous election. The Greens contested an election in Shetland for the first time and named more candidates than any other party at three. The SNP stood two candidates – an increase of one from 2017 – while Labour named one candidate, contesting their first election in Shetland since 1994. Sovereignty also named one candidate foe the election.

Uncontested Seats

After nominations closed on 30 March 2022, two wards – North Isles and Shetland North – did not receive enough candidates to trigger an election. Both are three-member wards and only five candidates stood in total. As a result, all five candidates were automatically elected without a poll being conducted and a by-election was scheduled to fill the vacant North Isles seat. The lack of interest in standing for election was called a "threat to local democracy" by the Greens. Across Scotland, 18 councillors were automatically elected because the number of candidates was not enough to trigger an election. During the 2017 local elections in Scotland, just three council wards were uncontested but votes were held in every ward in both 2007 and 2012 – the first elections to use multi-member wards and the single transferable vote. Public disinterest in standing for election to local councils has been linked to the "ridiculous" size of some local authorities and the low pay councillors receive for their work.

Campaign

During the election campaign, candidates gave particular focus to the cost of living, housing and the proposed construction of fixed-link tunnels. A survey conducted by The Shetland Times prior to the election found highest support for the issues of fuel poverty, fixed links and digital connectivity as priorities for the new council.

Results

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Votes are the sum of first preference votes across all council wards. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 4 May 2017. This is because STV has an element of proportionality which is not present unless multiple seats are being elected. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at the dissolution of Scotland's councils.
Following boundary changes, the total number of seats was increased from 22 to 23.

Ward summary

Seats changing hands

Below is a list of seats which elected a different party or parties from 2017 in order to highlight the change in political composition of the council from the previous election. The list does not include defeated incumbents who resigned or defected from their party and subsequently failed re-election while the party held the seat.

Ward results

North Isles

Independent councillor Ryan Thomson retained the seat he had won at the previous election while independent candidate Duncan Anderson gained a seat. Incumbent councillors Alec Priest and Duncan Simpson did not stand for re-election and one seat was left vacant.

Shetland North

Independent councillors Emma MacDonald and Andrea Manson retained the seat he had won at the previous election while Labour gained a seat from former independent councillor Alastair Cooper who did not stand for re-election.

Shetland West

Following boundary changes, Shetland West was reduced from a three-member ward to a two-member ward. Independent candidates Liz Boxwell and John Leask gained seats from former independent councillors Steven Coutts and Theo Smith while incumbent independent councillor Catherine Hughson chose not to defend her seat but stood in Shetland Central instead.

Shetland Central

Following boundary changes, Shetland Central was increased from a three-member ward to a four-member ward. Independent candidates Davie Sandison and Ian Scott held the seats they had won at the previous election while independent candidates Moraig Lyall and Catherine Hughson gained a seat. Cllr Lyall was elected at a by-election in 2019 after former independent councillor Mark Burgess had stood down from his role. In 2017, Cllr Hughson was elected in Shetland West.

Lerwick North and Bressay

Independent councillor Stephen Leask retained the seat he won at the previous election while independent candidates Gary Robinson and Arwed Wenger gained seats from former independent councillors Malcolm Bell - who did not stand for re-election - and John Fraser - who chose not to defend his seat but stood in Lerwick South instead.

Lerwick South

Independent councillor Cecil Smith retained the seat he won at the previous election while independent candidates Dennis Leask, John Fraser and Neil Pearson gained seats from former independent councillors Amanda Hawick, Beatrice Wishart - who stood down in 2019 after she was elected as MSP for Shetland - and Peter Campbell - who chose not to defend his seat but stood in Lerwick South instead. Former independent councillor Stephen Flaws, who was elected following a by-election in 2019, did not stand for re-election.

Shetland South

Following boundary changes, Shetland South was increased from a three-member ward to a four-member ward. The SNP and independent councillor Allison Duncan retained the seats they had won at the previous election while the Greens and independent candidate Bryan Peterson gained seats. Former independent councillor George Smith did not stand for re-election.

Aftermath

Former council convener Malcolm Bell, who had held the role for the previous decade, had stood down prior to the election. Cllr Andrea Manson was elected to replace him by a single vote at the new council's first meeting on 23 May 2022. Former leader of the council Steven Coutts also stood down at the election and Cllr Emma MacDonald - who was previously depute leader of the council - was elected to replace him. Cllr Manson and Cllr MacDonald were the first women to hold the role of convener and leader respectively. Cllr MacDonald said she was "really excited" about taking on the role and added that being the council's first female leader "shows that this is a role that anybody can do, man or woman". Cllr Bryan Peterson was elected as depute convener and former council leader Gary Robinson was elected as depute leader.

North Isles by-election

A by-election was called shortly after the election in the North Isles ward due to the lack of nominations received at the full election of the council. The by-election was held on 4 August 2022. Two of the candidates, Stewart Douglas and Marie Williamson, had stood unsuccessfully in other wards during the full election. The by-election was won by independent candidate Robert Thomson.

Shetland West by-election

John Leask, councillor for Shetland West, stood down from the council in August 2022. A by-election, held on 17 November 2022, was won by independent candidate Mark Robinson.

Shetland North by-election

In October 2024, Shetland North councillor Tom Morton announced that he would stand down as a councillor as he was "unable to commit the necessary time and energy due to other professional and personal commitments". Cllr Morton remained a councillor until 31 October 2024 and a by-election was held on 23 January 2025, which was won by Andrew Hall.