Council of the Isles of Scilly
| Council of the Isles of Scilly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 21 |
Political groups |
Independent (18) Vacant (3) |
| Elections | |
| Multiple non transferable vote | |
Last election | 2 May 2013 |
| Meeting place | |
| Town Hall, Hugh Town | |
| Website | |
| scilly.gov.uk | |
The Council of the Isles of Scilly is a sui generis unitary authority covering the Isles of Scilly off the west coast of Cornwall. It is currently made up of 21 seats, with all councillors being Independents as of 2 May 2013.[1]
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 purposes, shrievalty purposes, and lieutenancy purposes, the Isles of Scilly are "deemed to form part of the county of Cornwall".[2] The archipelago is part of the Duchy of Cornwall[3] – 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 1890 the Isles of Scilly Rural District Council (the RDC) was formed as a sui generis unitary authority, outside the administrative county of Cornwall. Cornwall County Council provided some services to the Isles, for which the RDC made financial contributions. The Isles of Scilly Order 1930[4] 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 RDC, but renamed as the Council of the Isles of Scilly.[5][6]
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.[7]
The Council of the Isles of Scilly is a separate authority to the Cornwall Council unitary authority, and as such the islands are not part of the administrative county of Cornwall. However the islands are still considered to be 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. As of 2015, 130 people are employed full-time by the Council[8] 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.[9]
The Council consists of 21 elected councillors — 13 of which are returned by the ward of St Mary's, and 2 from each of four "off-island" wards (St Martin's, St Agnes, Bryher, and Tresco). The latest elections took place on 2 May 2013; all twenty elected were independents (one seat remained vacant).[10] The number of councillors elected by each ward is currently (as of 2016) being reviewed by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.[11]
The Council is headquartered at Town Hall, by The Parade park in Hugh Town, and also performs the administrative functions of the AONB Partnership[12] and the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.[13]
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.[14]
Elections
See also: Council of the Isles of Scilly elections
Elections to the council were last held in May 2013, which featured candidates from the Green Party for the first time. Independent candidates nevertheless won every seat, with uncontested elections in Bryher, St Agnes, and Tresco.
| Isles of Scilly Council election, 2013 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | ||
| Independent | 20 | 0 | 1 |  1 |
95.2 | 92.5 | 6,844 |  815 | ||
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |
0 | 7.5 | 557 | 557 | ||
| Vacant | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
4.8 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
2016 EU Referendum
On Thursday 23 June 2016 the Isles of Scilly voted in only the third major UK-wide referendum on the issue of the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union in the 2016 EU Referendum under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015. Normally in general elections the islands form part of the St Ives constituency however in a UK-wide referendum the Isles form their own voting area. With around 1,800 eligible voters the islands were the smallest of the 382 voting areas in the United Kingdom with voters casting their ballots from five polling stations.
The referendum saw the islands voting to "Remain" by over 56% of the electorate and went against the views of the St Ives MP Derek Thomas who had campaigned for a "Leave" vote. Also for the first time in a UK-wide referendum the islands went against the majority view of the United Kingdom which as a whole voted for "Leaving the European Union" by 52% to 48%. The greater support for Remain could be explained by the fact that the Isles themselves have received millions of pounds of EU funding (for example for the airport and other infrastructure projects) during the period the UK has been a member of the EU, with further funding presumed.
The result was declared at the Town Hall on St Mary's early on Friday 24 June 2016 by the "Counting Officer" (CO) Richard Burraston.
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Remain | 803 | 56.39 |
| Leave | 621 | 43.61 |
| Valid votes | 1,424 | 100.0 |
| Invalid or blank votes | 0 | 00.0 |
| Total votes | 1,424 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters and turnout | 1,799 | 79.16 |
References
- ↑ "Election 2013: Isles of Scilly in for fascinating poll – BBC News". BBC Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ↑ Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c.70) section 216(2)
- ↑ "Around the Duchy – Isles of Scilly". Duchy of Cornwall. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ↑ "Isles of Scilly Order 1930" (PDF). The National Archives.
- ↑ "Isles of Scilly Cornwall through time". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2007.
- ↑ "Isles of Scilly RD Cornwall through time". visionofbritain.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 May 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2007.
- ↑ Examples include the Health and Social Care Act 2003, section 198 and the Environment Act 1995, section 117.
- ↑ Leijser, Theo (2015) Scilly Now & Then no. 77 p. 35
- ↑ "Council of the Isles of Scilly Corporate Assessment December 2002" (PDF). Audit Commission. Retrieved 21 January 2007.
- ↑ Council of the Isles of Scilly Elections
- ↑ "Isles of Scilly". The Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ↑ "Welcome to the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)". Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ "Welcome to the Isles of Scilly Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority". Isles of Scilly IFCA.
- ↑ "Cornwall devolution: First county with new powers". BBC News Online. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
