See main article: 2017 Scottish local elections.
| Election Name: | 2017 Shetland Islands Council election |
| Country: | Shetland |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2012 Shetland Islands Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2012 |
| Next Election: | 2022 Shetland Islands Council election |
| Next Year: | 2022 |
| Seats For Election: | All 22 seats to Shetland Islands Council |
| Majority Seats: | 12 |
| Turnout: | 49.1% (5.6) |
| Registered: | 15,025 |
| 3Blank: | Swing (pp)--> |
| Party1: | Independent politician |
| Last Election1: | |
| Leaders Seat1: | Shetland West (defeated) |
| Seats Before1: | 22 |
| Seats Needed1: | - |
| Seats After1: | 21 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Popular Vote1: | 7,132 |
| Percentage1: | 97.8% |
| Swing1: | 0.9% |
| Party2: | Scottish National Party |
| Last Election2: | |
| Leaders Seat2: | Shetland South |
| Seats Before2: | 0 |
| Seats Needed2: | 22 |
| Seats After2: | 1 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Popular Vote2: | 0 |
| Percentage2: | 0.0% |
| Swing2: | 1.9% |
| 3Data2: | -- map --> |
| Council Leader | |
| Before Election: | Gary Robinson |
| Before Party: | Independent politician |
| Posttitle: | Council Leader after election |
| After Election: | Cecil Smith |
| After Party: | Independent politician |
Elections to Shetland Islands Council were held on 4 May 2017 on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election was the third using seven wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, each ward electing three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation, with 22 Councillors elected.
With the Shetland South ward going uncontested, the SNP elected its first councillor in Shetland.
Several members of the pro-Shetland Autonomy Wir Shetland group stood in the election; Ian Tinkler in Shetland West, and Alec Priest and Duncan Simpson in North Isles.[1] [2] Former Wir Shetland member Ryan Thomson also stood in North Isles. Whilst having left the group, it was claimed by the Wir Shetland Chairman that Thomson still supported the group's core aims.[1] Other candidates with political positions of note included socialist Ian Scott and former Yes Scotland and Scottish Leave Left campaigner Brian Nugent in central ward.[3] Nugent is an SNP member and claimed to be standing as an independent solely due to having applied too late to use the SNP party name in the election.[4] Two paper candidates for the Conservatives also stood.[5]
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.
| Council Ward | Departing Councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shetland North | Gary Cleaver | Independent | |
| Shetland South | Billy Fox | Independent | |
| North Isles | Robert Henderson | Independent | |
| Shetland North | Drew Ratter | Independent | |
| Shetland West | Frank Robertson | Independent | |
| Lerwick North | Michael Stout | Independent | |
| Shetland Central | Vaila Wishart | Independent | |
| Lerwick North | Allan Wishart | Independent | |
| Lerwick South | Jonathan Wills | Independent | |