1  Origins and ambitions

The Act originated from a series of initiatives and consultations aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by Scotland’s island communities:

1. Our Islands, Our Future Campaign: In 2013, leaders of the three island councils (Shetland, Orkney, and the Western Isles) launched the ‘Our Islands, Our Future’ campaign. This campaign called for greater autonomy and recognition of the islands’ unique needs.
2. Lerwick Declaration: In response to the campaign, the Scottish Government announced the Lerwick Declaration in July 2013, which committed to exploring the decentralisation of power to the islands.
3. Consultations and Reports: Between 2013 and 2015, various consultations and reports were conducted to gather views on devolving powers to the islands and improving their representation and services.

These initiatives highlighted the unique challenges of island communities and raised a number of issues that required addressing through legislation, including:

• geographic remoteness
• declining populations
• transport
• digital connections.

Proponents felt policies and strategies for Scotland don’t always take into account these challenges, leading to island inhabitants and communities being at a disadvantage compared to communities on the mainland.

The Islands (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 9 June 2017. The Bill was passed on 30 May 2018 and became an Act on 6 July 2018.

The Act aims to address these issues by ensuring that island communities are considered in public policies and services ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met. It was hoped legislation would enable culture change through introducing statutory duties on relevant public authorities to assess how proposed changes would affect island communities.

The Act also aimed to support Sustainable Development through creating a National Islands Plan and allowing for better management of marine resources, which would also support economic growth in the islands.

The Act has eight parts:

1. Key definitions

2. National Islands Plan

3. Duties in relation to island communities

4. Representation of island communities

5. Additional powers request

6. Development in the Scottish Island Marine Area

7. Delegation of functions relating to Regional Marine Plans

8. Final Provisions

This course will provide an overview of Parts 1, 2 and 3 as these are the most relevant parts of the legislation for Island Community Councils. The role of Community Councils in relation to these parts of the legislation will be explored, ensuring the course provides practical learning that you can take away and use to affect decision-making.