Shetland Islands Council Map
View the Shetland Islands council boundary. Explore local wards, election results and party seats. Buy digital map files for £15 including VAT, or order a print.
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May 2026 council boundary. Map © Mapbox and OpenStreetMap. Boundary data © ONS and Ordnance Survey.
Residents, mid-2025
22,710Wards
7Seats in 2026
23Latest result year
2022Party seats: 2026 snapshot
Download seat history (CSV)See seat breakdown. A majority of this seat total needs 12 seats. This annual archive is not a live record of party membership or the council administration.
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Other | 21 |
| Green | 1 |
| SNP | 1 |
| Reported total | 23 |
“Other” can include several parties, independents and vacancies. It is not a single voting group. Source: Open Council Data.
Seat history: 1974–2026
These are annual snapshots. A change between years can reflect elections, by-elections, party changes or boundary changes. Older records follow council names and are not a constant-boundary series. The pre-2016 source combines Green and other smaller parties under “Other” and national parties under “Nationalist parties”.
| Year | Total | Party seats |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 | Green 1 · SNP 1 · Other 21 |
| 2025 | 23 | SNP 1 · Other 22 |
| 2015 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2014 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2013 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2012 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2011 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2010 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2009 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2008 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2007 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 2006 | 22 | Liberal Democrats 5 · Other 17 |
| 2005 | 22 | Liberal Democrats 5 · Other 17 |
| 2004 | 22 | Liberal Democrats 5 · Other 17 |
| 2003 | 22 | Liberal Democrats 5 · Other 17 |
| 2002 | 24 | Liberal Democrats 8 · Other 16 |
| 2001 | 24 | Liberal Democrats 8 · Other 16 |
| 2000 | 24 | Liberal Democrats 8 · Other 16 |
| 1999 | 24 | Liberal Democrats 8 · Other 16 |
| 1998 | 25 | Other 25 |
| 1997 | 25 | Other 25 |
| 1996 | 25 | Other 25 |
| 1995 | 25 | Other 25 |
| 1994 | 25 | Other 25 |
| 1993 | 23 | Other 23 |
| 1992 | 23 | Other 23 |
| 1991 | 23 | Other 23 |
| 1990 | 23 | Other 23 |
| 1989 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1988 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1987 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1986 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1985 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1984 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1983 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1982 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1981 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1980 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1979 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1978 | 24 | Other 24 |
| 1977 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 1976 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 1975 | 22 | Other 22 |
| 1974 | 22 | Other 22 |
Shetland Islands Council and Local Areas
Scottish council in Scotland. Official council code: S12000027. Open a ward to see its map and recorded election results.
Councils in Scotland · Boundary data (GeoJSON)
Browse all 7 mapped areas
- Lerwick North and BressayS13002777 · Ward
- Lerwick SouthS13003153 · Ward
- North IslesS13002772 · Ward
- Shetland CentralS13003154 · Ward
- Shetland NorthS13002773 · Ward
- Shetland SouthS13003155 · Ward
- Shetland WestS13003156 · Ward
Recorded election results
Download all recorded results (CSV)7 recorded areas in 2022. These figures describe the contests held in that year. They do not describe every seat on the council. Historical areas can differ from the current map.
Seats won in the recorded contests
- 19 Independent
- 1 Scottish Labour Party
- 1 Scottish Green Party
- 1 Scottish National Party
Declared winners in this source only. This is not a council-wide vote share or a current seat total.
The supplied 2026 candidate download does not include votes or winners. The 2026 seat archive above is a different dataset. Download the separate 2026 candidate lists (CSV).
Ward 1 -North Isles2 declared winners
Electorate: 0. Ballot papers: 0. Source and method.
STV election. Votes below are first preferences. Later transfers determine who is elected.
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan ANDERSON | Independent | 0 | Elected |
| Ryan THOMSON | Independent | 0 | Elected |
In a multi-member contest a voter can cast more than one candidate vote. Do not use the sum of candidate votes as turnout. A blank vote figure can indicate an uncontested election or missing source data.
Ward 2- Shetland North3 declared winners
Electorate: 0. Ballot papers: 0. Source and method.
STV election. Votes below are first preferences. Later transfers determine who is elected.
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea MANSON | Independent | 0 | Elected |
| Emma Louise MACDONALD | Independent | 0 | Elected |
| Tom MORTON | Scottish Labour Party | 0 | Elected |
In a multi-member contest a voter can cast more than one candidate vote. Do not use the sum of candidate votes as turnout. A blank vote figure can indicate an uncontested election or missing source data.
Ward 3 - Shetland West2 declared winners · 56.5% turnout
Electorate: 1,364. Ballot papers: 771. Source and method.
STV election. Votes below are first preferences. Later transfers determine who is elected.
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liz BOXWELL | Independent | 298 | Elected |
| John Robert LEASK | Independent | 135 | Elected |
| Mark ROBINSON | Independent | 128 | Not elected |
| Debra NICOLSON | Scottish Green Party | 69 | Not elected |
| Zara PENNINGTON | Scottish National Party | 59 | Not elected |
| Andrew HOLT | Independent | 43 | Not elected |
| Ian TINKLER | Independent | 21 | Not elected |
| Peter James FRASER | Independent | 5 | Not elected |
In a multi-member contest a voter can cast more than one candidate vote. Do not use the sum of candidate votes as turnout. A blank vote figure can indicate an uncontested election or missing source data.
Ward 4 - Shetland Central4 declared winners · 44.9% turnout
Electorate: 3,168. Ballot papers: 1,422. Source and method.
STV election. Votes below are first preferences. Later transfers determine who is elected.
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moraig LYALL | Independent | 414 | Elected |
| Davie SANDISON | Independent | 322 | Elected |
| Catherine HUGHSON | Independent | 282 | Elected |
| Ian SCOTT | Independent | 271 | Elected |
| Martin RANDALL | Scottish Green Party | 99 | Not elected |
| Brian NUGENT | Sovereignty | 26 | Not elected |
In a multi-member contest a voter can cast more than one candidate vote. Do not use the sum of candidate votes as turnout. A blank vote figure can indicate an uncontested election or missing source data.
Ward 5 - Lerwick North and Bressay3 declared winners · 39.0% turnout
Electorate: 2,410. Ballot papers: 941. Source and method.
STV election. Votes below are first preferences. Later transfers determine who is elected.
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen LEASK | Independent | 310 | Elected |
| Gary ROBINSON | Independent | 301 | Elected |
| Arwed WENGER | Independent | 136 | Elected |
| Marie WILLIAMSON | Independent | 115 | Not elected |
| Stephen FERGUSON | Independent | 66 | Not elected |
In a multi-member contest a voter can cast more than one candidate vote. Do not use the sum of candidate votes as turnout. A blank vote figure can indicate an uncontested election or missing source data.
Ward 6 - Lerwick South4 declared winners · 44.8% turnout
Electorate: 3,036. Ballot papers: 1,361. Source and method.
STV election. Votes below are first preferences. Later transfers determine who is elected.
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis LEASK | Independent | 302 | Elected |
| John Finlay Sinclair FRASER | Independent | 262 | Elected |
| Cecil Laing SMITH | Independent | 251 | Elected |
| Neil PEARSON | Independent | 171 | Elected |
| Amanda HAWICK | Independent | 153 | Not elected |
| Peter COLEMAN | Independent | 106 | Not elected |
| Shayne Charles MCLEOD | Independent | 99 | Not elected |
In a multi-member contest a voter can cast more than one candidate vote. Do not use the sum of candidate votes as turnout. A blank vote figure can indicate an uncontested election or missing source data.
Ward 7 - Shetland South4 declared winners · 55.4% turnout
Electorate: 3,348. Ballot papers: 1,856. Source and method.
STV election. Votes below are first preferences. Later transfers determine who is elected.
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allison DUNCAN | Independent | 805 | Elected |
| Bryan PETERSON | Independent | 500 | Elected |
| Alex ARMITAGE | Scottish Green Party | 274 | Elected |
| Robbie MCGREGOR | Scottish National Party | 217 | Elected |
| Stewart DOUGLAS | Independent | 46 | Not elected |
In a multi-member contest a voter can cast more than one candidate vote. Do not use the sum of candidate votes as turnout. A blank vote figure can indicate an uncontested election or missing source data.
Check the council by-election directory. The absence of an upcoming contest here does not confirm that no election is due.
Councillors: 2026 archive
Download councillors (CSV)23 member records from the Open Council Data post-May archive. Members can change party, resign or be replaced. Use the council’s own member register for current contact details.
23 records shown
| Councillor | Ward or division | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Arwed Wenger | Lerwick North and Bressay | Independent / Other |
| Gary Robinson | Lerwick North and Bressay | Independent / Other |
| Stephen Leask | Lerwick North and Bressay | Independent / Other |
| Cecil Smith | Lerwick South | Independent / Other |
| Dennis Leask | Lerwick South | Independent / Other |
| John Fraser | Lerwick South | Independent / Other |
| Neil Pearson | Lerwick South | Independent / Other |
| Duncan Anderson | North Isles | Independent / Other |
| Robert Thomson | North Isles | Independent / Other |
| Ryan Thomson | North Isles | Independent / Other |
| Catherine Hughson | Shetland Central | Independent / Other |
| Davie Sandison | Shetland Central | Independent / Other |
| Ian Scott | Shetland Central | Independent / Other |
| Moraig Lyall | Shetland Central | Independent / Other |
| Andrea Manson | Shetland North | Independent / Other |
| Andrew Hall | Shetland North | Independent / Other |
| Emma Macdonald | Shetland North | Independent / Other |
| Alex Armitage | Shetland South | Scottish Green Party |
| Allison Duncan | Shetland South | Independent / Other |
| Bryan Peterson | Shetland South | Independent / Other |
| Robbie McGregor | Shetland South | Scottish National Party (SNP) |
| Liz Peterson | Shetland West | Independent / Other |
| Mark Robinson | Shetland West | Independent / Other |
Local figures
Download local figures (CSV)Each table has its own date, unit and source. Census categories can contain subcategories. Do not add all rows together. Residents, households and electors are different measures.
Population by ageMid-2025
Unit: people. Source and definitions.
| Measure | people |
|---|---|
| All ages | 22,710 |
| Under 16 | 3,873 |
| Age 16 to 64 | 13,546 |
| Age 65 and over | 5,291 |
Population history2011–2025
Unit: people. Source and definitions.
| Measure | people |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 23,240 |
| 2012 | 23,200 |
| 2013 | 23,180 |
| 2014 | 23,330 |
| 2015 | 23,370 |
| 2016 | 23,240 |
| 2017 | 23,110 |
| 2018 | 23,000 |
| 2019 | 22,910 |
| 2020 | 22,890 |
| 2021 | 22,960 |
| 2022 | 23,020 |
| 2023 | 22,890 |
| 2024 | 22,800 |
| 2025 | 22,710 |
Census residentsCensus 2022
Unit: people (rounded). Source and definitions.
| Measure | people (rounded) |
|---|---|
| All persons | 22,900 |
| Females | 11,400 |
| Males | 11,500 |
GDP history (archived release)1998–2019
Unit: GBP millions. Source and definitions. Historic economic output at current market prices. This is an old release, not a current local economy estimate.
| Measure | GBP millions |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 420 |
| 1999 | 435 |
| 2000 | 431 |
| 2001 | 453 |
| 2002 | 461 |
| 2003 | 489 |
| 2004 | 528 |
| 2005 | 559 |
| 2006 | 594 |
| 2007 | 601 |
| 2008 | 645 |
| 2009 | 697 |
| 2010 | 700 |
| 2011 | 761 |
| 2012 | 774 |
| 2013 | 809 |
| 2014 | 866 |
| 2015 | 815 |
| 2016 | 792 |
| 2017 | 838 |
| 2018 | 832 |
| 2019 | 823 |
About the data
We use ONS boundaries, published election results, Open Council Data seat and member records, and official population, census and local finance statistics. Each table shows its date. Read about the sources, coverage and methods.
