Council of the Isles of Scilly

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".^[3] The archipelago is part of the Duchy of Cornwall^[4] – 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.^[5][6] 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.^[7] Section 265 of the Local Government Act 1972 allowed for the continued existence of the council.^[8][9]

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.^[10]

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.

The council is responsible for all local government functions on the islands. It also performs the administrative functions of the AONB Partnership^[11] and the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.^[12]

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.^[13]

As of 2015^[update], 130 people are employed full-time by the council^[14] 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.^[15]

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.^[26] 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.^[27][28]

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.^[29]

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