Council / ‘Not enough done’ to achieve aims of 2020 self-determination motion – councillors critical of SIC’s performance five years on
COUNCILLORS from opposite ends of the political spectrum have criticised the way council leadership is handling the quest for more “political and financial self-determination”.
Back in September 2020, councillors approved by an overwhelming 18-2 majority to explore options for greater powers for the local authority “to make it an equal partner in governance in Scotland”, as then council convener Malcolm Bell put it at the time.
Since then, some would argue, very little tangible has happened.
Yet in a recent response to a request under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, the current council leadership provided a long list of achievements which it says relate to the objectives expressed in the 2020 motion.
The list of practical steps left Muckle Roe resident Roy Mullay, who submitted the FOI, “braaly disappointit”.
He said that, in his view, normal council duties had been “reclassified” under the banner of working towards self-determination.
Mullay, who only corresponds in Shaetlan, added: “I canna tink at da cooncillors at vottit fir dis motion wid be weel plaised an prood tae caa whit da FOI request listit as da ootcome o dir motion.
“I dunna tink yun is whit dey wir intendin at aal whin dey passed it.”
The list provided by the SIC includes:
- Representations to the Scottish Government and local authorities umbrella body CoSLA
- The new blueprint for Scottish local government “which is closely aligned to the spirit of the 2020 motion”
- Making the case for reduced ringfencing of government funding
- Exercising new powers on setting a rate for council tax for second homes
- New powers on decision making on visitor and cruise ship levies
- Making the case against the introduction of a National Care Service
- Lobbying the government on greater flexibility on islands programme funding
- Representations made seeking the introduction of community representation on boards of public bodies delivering lifeline services
- Responses to consultations on community benefit from net zero energy developments and shared ownership· Securing additional funding from the Scottish Government from £97m in 2021/22 to £120m in 2025/26
- Securing fair ferry funding
- The island growth deal
- Regular funding under the Islands Cost Crisis emergency fund, worth around £1 over the last four years
- Fair Isle ferry and terminal replacement programme, supported by UK Government to £26.8m
- Additional funding of £10m for a new inter-island ferry.
In the FOI response the SIC added: “The examples highlighted represent significant additional funding that has been secured for Shetland through meaningful engagement with UK and Scottish government over the past five years.
“In terms of the 2020 motion, this funding has enabled the council to make crucial decisions, at local authority level, on the replacement of key infrastructure and ongoing provision of lifeline services.”
But neither North Isles councillor Duncan Anderson nor Southend member Alex Armitage were convinced by the SIC’s assertions.
Anderson, one of the drivers behind the 2020 motion, said the list provided by the SIC falls “far short of any kind of self-determination as most would envisage it”.
He said: “I would agree that some of the points highlighted were in the spirit of the motion but would also contend that much of it, e.g. fair ferry funding, was simply the council looking after its current functions.
“I am sadly of the opinion that not enough has been done to achieve the aims set out five years ago.
“I accept a share of responsibility for that, however as a backbench councillor with a family and a full-time job, it requires a lot more than just my efforts to move the idea forwards.”
He added: “I remain fully committed to the idea that obtaining meaningful self-governance is vital to safeguard Shetland’s future, as ever though the question remains, how can we get there. There are no easy answers.”
Green councillor Alex Armitage was also critical of the SIC’s achievements so far.
While commending the council’s leadership on securing an extra £10m for a new inter-island ferry, the actions listed above were not “an adequate response to the instruction in the 2020 council motion”, he said.
“Having been an elected councillor since 2022, I do not feel the current council leadership has placed any priority on the issue of exploring more autonomy for Shetland, despite the context arguably getting worse for Shetland,” he said.
“It seems clear that the first logical first step towards a more autonomous Shetland would be for the Shetland Islands Council to use the framework of the 2018 Islands Act to make an “extra powers request” of the Scottish Government.
Referring to a council meeting on Shetland’s energy strategy last month, the Shetland South councillor said it was suggested the SIC should seek to have more power to limit large energy developments.
At that meeting, chief executive Maggie Sandison advised that, given the Scottish Government’s strategy of having more renewable energy developments, it would be unlikely that any request for extra powers to limit such developments would be successful.
“My response to this in the chamber was that it is also the Scottish Government’s stated intention to increase the proportion of renewable energy projects that are community-owned” Armitage said, “and that the SIC could make a good case for being more effective at doing this than the Scottish Government.
“There are a finite number of places in Shetland for wind turbines to be erected, and I believe that any further onshore turbines should be exclusively community owned and that further corporate development of onshore wind in Shetland should be blocked.”
Mullay added: “If da cooncil wis serious aboot kerryin oot da true intent o da motion – as I wid tak it, whit you micht caa ‘constitutional’ maesirs tae increase da pooers da SIC haes ower deceesion-makkin idda isles – I widda tocht at dey widda needit a team o fokk pitten on it whar dat is dir sole job – tae spaek tae Holyrood an Westminster, aks fir whit dey want (even wir Jarl Squads can manige dat!), an see whit response dey git.
“Da cooncil süd ken at dey hae da Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 at dir fingertips tae request mair pooers – why iren dey takkin advantige o him?”
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