We’re pleased to announce that the Council of the Isles of Scilly Customer Services Charter which was approved at the meeting of Full Council on 3 October 2024 is now being implemented across the authority.
This document underlines our commitment to providing excellent customer service and marks the fulfilment of the following objectives in the Council of the Isles of Scilly’s Corporate Plan 2022-2026:
- Make it simple for our customers to find out who to contact and when they are available
- Ensure that our workforce is able to provide face-to-face or over-the-phone customer service where appropriate
Council departments and contact details
We’ve also produced an online Service Information Pack which details each customer facing department’s function, where it is based, how it can be contacted and when staff are available.
Paper copies of this Service Information Pack can be picked up from the Customer Hubs, or you can download and print it from the Council website.
Our website
All of our contact and service information can be found on our website at scilly.gov.uk
The ‘Latest news’ section on the left-hand side of the homepage is where you can find all of our news items. For older news items, please select ‘news archive’ at the bottom of the list.
You can search news items and service information by scrolling to the bottom of the homepage and typing your search terms into the box at the bottom left-hand side of the page. You can also sort and filter the results to help you find what you need.
In line with our Corporate Plan objective to “make the Council’s website easier for everyone to use and enable customers to book and pay for services online,” a new website is currently in development. However, if you have any trouble finding the content you are looking for in the meantime, please contact our Customer Services team.
Council committee papers and Councillor information on our website
Our Council committee pages operate on a separate section of the website and can be found under the ‘Council and Democracy’ tab at the top of the page. Committee papers cannot be found by searching in the way described above.
You can find committee papers by selecting ‘Councillors and Committees’ in the menu on the left-hand side of the page, followed by ‘Committees,’ then scrolling to the relevant committee title. By selecting the committee title, you can then browse meeting details and agenda packs.
You can search the documents in this area of the website by selecting ‘Councillors and Committees’ as above and then ‘Search documents.’ Information about your Councillors can also be found by selecting ‘Your Councillors’ under the same menu.
Council meeting recordings on YouTube
You can subscribe to the Council’s YouTube channel to access live streams and video recordings of our formal meetings. The link to the papers for each meeting can be found in the meeting description.
Email subscription list
We offer a Council email subscription service via Mailchimp for those who wish to receive our news items via email. Anyone who wishes to sign up can do so by clicking on the link in the box below:
Sign up to the Council of the Isles of Scilly news item subscription list |
You can unsubscribe from this service at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails you receive.
Social media pages
The Council’s main Facebook page is our Council of the Isles of Scilly page. Follow this page to be alerted to the publication of Council news items, view content we share from government and partner organisations, or to be reminded or updated about upcoming Council events.
Some of our services also have Facebook accounts which you can follow for service-specific updates. The accounts we post to regularly are:
Active Scilly
Learn Scilly
Children’s Services, Council of the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly Fire and Rescue Service
St Mary’s Library
The Council cannot be contacted via Facebook Messenger. Please also bear in mind that we cannot always respond to comments made on social media posts. If you have a comment or question which requires a response from the Council, please contact the relevant service directly, or get in touch with our customer services team by emailing enquiries@scilly.gov.uk or calling 0300 1234 105.
Council notices
All Council notices are displayed at St Mary’s Library in a dedicated spot in the window to the left of the front door. Planning applications, jobs and information regarding Council meetings and Council elections are all displayed here.
Customer Hubs
The Council has two customer hubs which are located at St Mary’s Library and the Carn Gwaval Wellbeing Centre. These locations are staffed during the hours set out in the table below:
| Day of the week |
Carn Gwaval opening hours |
St Mary's Library opening hours |
| Monday | 9am to 5pm | 9am to 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am to 5pm | 9am to 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am to 5pm | 9am to 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am to 5pm | 9am to 5pm |
| Friday | 9am to 5pm | 9am to 4.30pm |
| Saturday | CLOSED | 9.30am to 12.30pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED | CLOSED |
During these times customers can talk to a member of the Customer Services team, who will be able to answer basic queries on a range of Council services. If your query cannot be answered there and then, staff will be able to pass your query on to the relevant team and give you an idea of how and when you will receive a reply.
Both Customer Hubs also offer the following services:
- You can drop off post for a Council department or staff member
- You can pay all Council bills by cash, cheque or debit/credit card
- You can make a booking for the waste site or arrange electrical collections
- You can apply for a Bus Pass and Blue Badge
- You can request a printed copy of council documents and forms
- You can find out how to contact Council departments
- You can order seagull proof sacks
- You can report issues such as potholes or streetlights not working
- You can leave feedback via our feedback boxes
The Customer Services team can also be contacted by phone on 0300 1234 105, Option 7 or by emailing enquiries@scilly.gov.uk
Council Buildings
There have been many changes to Council buildings and their use over the last few years and below you will find clarification on each of our buildings, their purpose and what departments are based there.
The Carn Gwaval Wellbeing Centre
Open to the public between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Services delivered in this building include:
- Customer Hub
- Active Scilly
- The gym
- The sports hall
- Learn Scilly
- Children's and Family Services
St Mary’s Library
Open to the public between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Thursday; 9am to 4.30pm on Fridays; and from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturdays.
Services delivered in this building include:
- Customer Hub
- Library service
- Various community events and activities
The Wesleyan Chapel
This building does not have a supervised reception and is therefore only open to members of the public who are attending a meeting or event, or who have a pre-arranged meeting with a member of staff. If you do not have the contact details of the department you would like to contact, please call 0300 1234 105, Option 7 or email enquiries@scilly.gov.uk
The following departments are based at the Old Wesleyan Chapel:
- Elections
- Licensing
The Council Chamber is also located in the Wesleyan Chapel.
The Porthmellon Enterprise Centre (PEC)
This building is not open to the public, but face-to-face appointments can be made with staff by prior arrangement. If you do not have the contact details of the department you would like to contact, please call 0300 1234 105, Option 7 or email enquiries@scilly.gov.uk
The following departments are based at the PEC:
- Planning
- Procurement
- Environment Services
- Regulatory services
- Housing
- Adult Social Care
- Isles of Scilly Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA)
The Register Office
This building is open to the public between 12pm and 1.30pm on Tuesdays, and between 10.30am and 12pm on Thursdays.
You can call 01720 424501 or email registration@scilly.gov.uk outside of these hours to arrange an appointment for registrations.
The Porthmellon Waste and Recycling Centre
This site is open to the public by appointment only during the following hours:
For the delivery of household waste
- Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1pm and 4.30pm
For the delivery of commercial waste
- Mondays and Wednesdays between 1pm and 4.30pm
- Fridays between 1pm and 3.30pm