The annual meeting of Council took place on 21 May 2026 and saw new appointments across committees and roles within the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Cllr Robert Francis stepped down as Chairman of Council after 8 years in the role. Cllr Joel Williams, who previously occupied the role of Vice Chairman of Council, was elected as Chairman. Cllr Dan Marcus was elected to the role of Vice Chairman.
A full list of the appointments made during the meeting can be viewed below. You can watch a recording of the meeting on our YouTube channel and the minutes of the meeting will be available on our formal meetings webpages in due course. You can view a complete list of current Councillors and their contact details on the committee pages of our website.
In his final statement as Chairman, Cllr Robert Francis thanked his fellow Councillors for their support over 8 years, and for the work both they and Council staff have undertaken for the community during this period. He expressed the difficulty of stepping down from the role of Chairman after so long and explained that he had continued in the role for longer than intended in the hope of delivering more for the electorate.
He attributed his recent decision to step down as Chairman to the realisation that in the face of limited resource and mounting regulation, some improvements may take so long to deliver that the need to vacate the role for someone new to this challenge had become apparent. He cited the recent settlement from government, transport issues and ever-changing roles at government level as the main frustrations during his Chairmanship and committed to keep trying to address these matters for our community, and for future generations, by remaining as an active Councillor. He concluded by wishing the new Chairman well.
Upon his appointment as Chairman of Council, Cllr Joel Williams thanked Cllr Francis, on behalf of the whole Council, for his commitment, efforts and sacrifice. He noted that as one of the longest serving Chairmen in the Council’s history, Cllr Francis had overseen the Coronavirus pandemic, the Council’s fight for fairer funding, and had more recently tried to resolve a number of transport issues for the community.
Newly appointed Vice Chairman of Council, Cllr Dan Marcus thanked his fellow members for their support and promised to do his best in his new role.
Appointments made at Full Council on 21 May 2026
INTERNAL APPOINTMENTS
LICENSING COMMITTEE
All members except the Chairman of Council
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Councillor Dan Marcus
Councillor Stuart Nixon
Councillor Tim Dean
Councillor Frances Grottick
Councillor Steve Sims
Councillor Geoff White
Councillor Harry Legg
Councillor Avril Mumford
SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
Councillor Dan Marcus
Councillor Stuart Nixon
Councillor Tim Dean
Councillor Lynn Blackwell
Councillor Steve Sims
Councillor Geoff White
Councillor Frances Grottick
Councillor Avril Mumford
INSHORE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITY
Councillor Andrew Guy
Councillor Harry Legg
Councillor Robert Francis
ISLES OF SCILLY HEALTH AND WELLBEING BOARD
As set in their terms of reference:
Vice Chairman of Council
Lead Member for Children
Lead Member for Adults (to be Chairman for 2026/27)
CORNWALL AND ISLES OF SCILLY ECONOMIC PROSPERITY BOARD
Councillor John Peacock
Councillor Robert Francis
CLIMATE EMERGENCY WORKING GROUP
Councillor John Peacock
Councillor Avril Mumford
Councillor Geoff White
Councillor Harry Legg
Councillor Lynn Blackwell
COMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP
Chairman of Council
Councillor Stuart Nixon
Councillor Geoff White
Councillor John Peacock
Councillor Lynn Blackwell
Councillor Dan Marcus
Councillor Avril Mumford
Councillor Frances Grottick
Councillor Tim Dean
Councillor Steve Sims
Councillor Harry Legg
LEAD MEMBER FOR CHILDREN
Councillor Joel Williams
LEAD MEMBER FOR ADULTS
Councillor Avril Mumford
LEAD MEMBER FOR PLANNING & REGULATORY SERVICES
Councillor Lynn Blackwell
LEAD MEMBER FOR ECONOMY, TOURISM & TRANSPORT
Councillor Robert Francis
LEAD MEMBER FOR FINANCE, GOVERNANCE, RISK, PERFORMANCE & CORPORATE SERVICES
Councillor Stuart Nixon
LEAD MEMBER FOR ENVIRONMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES & CLIMATE CHANGE
Councillor John Peacock
LEAD MEMBER FOR HOUSING & CORPORATE ESTATE
Councillor Tim Dean
LOCAL PLAN STEERING GROUP
Lead Member for Planning and Regulatory Services
Lead Member for Housing and Corporate Estate
Lead Member for Environment, Environmental Services and Climate Change
Lead Member for Economy, Tourism and Transport
Plus each of the off-island Councillors
CAPITAL AND PROPERTIES BOARD
Chairman of Council
Lead Member for Housing and Corporate Estate
Lead Member for Planning and Regulatory Services
Lead Member for Finance, Governance, Risk and Performance
CORPORATE PARENTING BOARD
Councillor Joel Williams
Councillor Lynn Blackwell
Councillor Geoff White
CLIMATE ADAPTATION OVERSIGHT GROUP
Councillor Steve Sims
Councillor Robert Dorrien-Smith
Councillor Geoff White
Councillor Alex Sandford
Councillor John Peacock
Councillor Lynn Blackwell
Councillor Harry Legg
MEMBER RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLAINTS WITHIN THE COMPLAINTS HANDLING CODE
Lead Member for Housing and Corporate Estate
COMMITTEE IN COMMON BETWEEN THE CORNWALL HEALTH & WELLBEING BOARD AND THE CORNWALL AND ISLES OF SCILLY INTEGRATED CARE PARTNERSHIP
Chairman of Isles of Scilly Health and Wellbeing Board
EXTERNAL APPOINTMENTS
ISLES OF SCILLY NATIONAL LANDSCAPES PARTNERSHIP
Councillor John Peacock
Councillor Harry Legg
CORNWALL AND ISLES OF SCILLY LOCAL NATURE PARTNERSHIP
Councillor John Peacock
SOUTH WEST REGIONAL FLOOD AND COASTLINE COMMITTEE
Councillor John Peacock
DEVON AND CORNWALL POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER PANEL
Councillor Euan Rodger
MEDICAL TRAVEL TRANSPORT GROUP
Councillor Robert Francis
CORNWALL PARTNERSHIP NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
Councillor John Peacock
CORNWALL AND ISLES OF SCILLY ECONOMIC FORUM
Councillor Robert Francis
Councillor John Peacock
SAFER SCILLY
Set in the terms of reference:
Chairman of Licensing
Police and Crime Panel Appointee
Safer Scilly Manager
Heads of Service Children and Adult Services
Senior Officer Environmental Health
Housing and Tenancy Liaison Officer
Head of Environment
Strategic Director for People and Communities
CORNWALL AND ISLES OF SCILLY WORKFORCE AND SKILLS BOARD
Councillor Dan Marcus
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY BOARD ADVISORY PANEL
Councillor Avril Mumford
CULTURAL CENTRE AND MUSEUM PROJECT BOARD
Councillor Tim Dean
Councillor Steve Sims
Councillor Lynn Blackwell
ISLANDS FUTURES BOARD
Chairman of Council
Vice-Chairman of Council
Lead Member for Economy, Tourism and Transport
Chief Executive
CORNWALL AND ISLES OF SCILLY LEADERSHIP BOARD
Chairman of Council
Vice-Chairman of Council (named deputy)
ISLES OF SCILLY HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE INTEGRATION PROGRAMME BOARD
Set in the terms of reference: Chief Executive of the Isles of Scilly is listed as a ‘board participant.’
ISLES OF SCILLY TRANSPORT BOARD
Chief Executive
Chairman of Council
Lead Member for Economy, Tourism and Transport