Would you like to help shape the delivery of Council services as a Member of the Council of the Isles of Scilly? If you would like to represent the views of your community and make decisions for the benefit of the islands, why not put yourself forward to become a Councillor?
The next local election on 1 May 2025 will determine who represents the community for the next four years. There is no expectation of prior knowledge for candidates who wish to stand to become a Councillor. If you are elected, you will be supported at all times and receive training to help you be effective in your role.
There are 16 seats on the Council: 12 for St Mary’s, 1 for Bryher, 1 for Tresco, 1 for St Martin’s and 1 for St Agnes.
All Councillors are entitled to claim a basic allowance – which will be £7,831 for 2025-26. Other allowances are attached to specific roles within the Council.
The Council of the Isles of Scilly is unique. In spite of our village-sized population, we have powers and responsibilities normally associated with large county or metropolitan local authorities. Amongst these are:
- Planning
- Housing
- Children’s Services
- Adult Services
- Benefits and Taxation
- Waste Management
- Highways
- Regulatory Services
- Emergency Planning and Business Continuity
- Economic Development
- Health and wellbeing
Unusually for a local authority, we also run an airport, a residential care home and a Fire and Rescue Service with stations on all of the inhabited islands.
Members of the Council of the Isles of Scilly make decisions about a wide range of services and projects which affect the community across all of the islands. Councillors also have influence beyond Scilly, when working with partner organisations in the region and nationally.
If you would like to contribute to your community in this way, please don’t hesitate to stand as a candidate.
How to stand as a candidate
The Notice of Election will be published on Tuesday 25 March 2025.
Nomination packs, including a briefing document, will be made available at the same time – online and for collection from the Old Wesleyan Chapel.
The deadline for delivering nomination papers is 4pm on Wednesday 2 April 2025. This is a statutory deadline and cannot be extended for any reason.
The Elections Officer offers one-to-one support to all prospective candidates throughout the electoral process.
Further information
If you have any questions, either about the elections process or about being a Councillor in general, please contact the Elections Officer at elections@scilly.gov.uk or on 01720 424545.
More information about how the Council operates may be found at the following link: https://scilly.gov.uk/council/elections/become-councillor
The Electoral Commission’s guidance for candidates at local government elections may be found at the following link: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-lo...
General information from the Local Government Association on the role of a Councillor may be found at the following link: https://www.local.gov.uk/be-councillor