Your councillors
Our Councillors were elected on 5 May 2022. There are six multi-member wards across Orkney, each represented by three or four Councillors. Every Councillor represents the people of the ward they're elected to serve. The Council is made up of 19 independent councillors and two members of the Scottish Green Party.
- Leader: Heather Woodbridge
- Deputy Leader: Sandy Cowie
- Convener: Graham Bevan
Code of Conduct
The Councillor Code of Conduct sets out, openly and clearly, the standards of conduct Councillors must follow. It helps reinforce and strengthen public confidence in Councillors and others appointed to public bodies. The Standards Commission for Scotland, working with the Chief Investigating Officer, is responsible for enforcing the Code.
Declarations of interest
Under the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc (Scotland) Act 2000, every Councillor must provide details of their interests for public inspection. You'll find each Councillor's declaration by clicking on their name above. This information is also available to view at the Council Offices, School Place, Kirkwall.
Privacy notice
Councillors represent residents as part of their work in the community. Our Councillors' Privacy Notice explains the type of personal information Councillors might collect while carrying out this work, how it's collected, how it's used and how it's stored.
Decision making
Committees and the full Council meet in public and are broadcast live online. You can also watch meetings in comfort from the public gallery at the rear of the Council chamber. A sound system ensures debates are heard clearly, with equipment available for people with impaired hearing. The public gallery is up a small flight of stairs, so unfortunately it isn't easily accessible to those with mobility problems - but if you'd like to attend a meeting, we can make arrangements for you. Contact our communications team or call 01856 886348.
Councillors' Record of Claims
Expenses incurred by Councillors while carrying out their approved duties are reimbursed by us, subject to predetermined limits. We publish a Record of Claims each year by 1 June, prepared in line with the Local Government (Allowances and Expenses) (Scotland) Regulations 2008.
The published information covers salaries and the expenditure incurred by each Councillor on items such as travel expenses, information services and conference fees. The level of Councillor salaries is set by the Scottish Parliament.
You can download the Record of Claims by financial year from our downloads below.
Related resources
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Record of claims 2025-2026
This document contains Orkney Islands Council councillors’ salaries, allowances and expenses for 2025 to 2026. It lists each councillor’s ward, roles, travel and other expenses, payments from outside bodies, and total earnings. The record shows overall salaries and expenses of £678,643.24, including £60,751.69 in expenses and £20,289.22 reimbursed by outside bodies or council services. Notes explain the rules, limits and support costs not included.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Record of claims 2024-2025
This document contains Orkney Islands Council councillors’ salaries, claims and expenses for 2024 to 2025, including mileage, travel, accommodation, meals, telephone and information technology costs, and other allowances. It lists each councillor’s ward, roles and payments, including amounts reimbursed by outside bodies and twinning activities. The total cost was £530,673.66, an increase of £21,224.89 (4.17%) on the previous year. Notes explain the rules and costs not included.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Record of claims 2023-2024
This document contains Orkney Islands Council councillors’ salaries, expenses and other claims for 2023 to 2024. It lists each councillor’s ward, council and other roles, salary, travel, accommodation, meals, phone and other costs, including payments covered by outside bodies. The total cost was £509,448.77, an increase of £28,124.96 (5.84%) on the previous year. Explanatory notes describe how claims are checked and which support costs are not included.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Record of claims 2022-2023
This document contains Orkney Islands Council councillors’ salaries, expenses and reimbursements for the 2022 to 2023 financial year. It lists claims by councillor, ward and committee role, including travel, accommodation, meals, telephone and other costs, as well as money refunded by outside organisations. The total cost was £481,323.81, an increase of £41,439.60 (9.4%) on the previous year. Explanatory notes describe the rules and costs not included.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Record of claims 2021-2022
This document contains Orkney Islands Council councillors’ salaries, allowances and expenses for 2021 to 2022, including details for each councillor and ward. It records total costs of £439,884.21, including £11,938.42 in expenses, with £4,641.92 reimbursed by outside bodies. Explanatory notes cover reimbursement rules, excluded council support costs and the 7.519% increase from the previous year.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
Attendance at Council and Committee Meetings
Each June, we publish information about Elected Member attendance at Council meetings. This shows the number of meetings attended by each Councillor against each Committee and Sub-Committee they serve on.
If a Councillor is unable to attend a meeting, they can give apologies, which are recorded in the minutes. The categories of apology are shown at the foot of each page in the documents below.
Related resources
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Councillor attendance at committees 2025-2026
This document contains attendance records for Orkney Islands Council members at council, committee and sub-committee meetings from May 2025 to May 2026. It lists meetings attended and records absences as apologies for council business, personal matters or exceptional circumstances, or as no apology. The figures cover decision-making meetings only and don't show members’ full workload, including other community and partnership meetings.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Councillor attendance at committees 2024-2025
This document contains attendance records for Orkney Islands Council members at council, committee and sub-committee meetings between May 2024 and May 2025. It lists meetings attended, possible meetings and recorded apologies, including absences due to council business, personal matters or exceptional circumstances. The figures cover formal decision-making meetings only and don't show the full workload of councillors, which includes other community, partnership and working group meetings.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Councillor attendance at committees 2023-2024
This document contains Orkney Islands Council's elected members' attendance at council and committee meetings from May 2023 to May 2024. It gives meeting-by-meeting and overall totals for the full Council, standing committees and sub-committees, recording attendance, apologies, exceptional circumstances and unexplained absences. It also notes leadership changes, Councillor James Stockan's resignation and Janette Park's election. The figures cover decision-making meetings only, so they don't show all councillors' work, including other local and partnership meetings.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Councillor attendance at committees 2022-2023
This document contains attendance records for Orkney Islands Council elected members at council, committee and sub-committee meetings from May 2022 to May 2023. It lists meeting dates, each councillor’s attendance and recorded reasons for absence, including council business, personal matters and exceptional circumstances. The figures cover decision-making meetings only and don’t show the full workload of councillors, including community and partnership meetings.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Councillor attendance at committees 2021-2022
This document contains elected members’ attendance records for Orkney Islands Council meetings from May 2021 to May 2022. It covers full Council meetings, committees and sub-committees, showing possible and actual attendance for each member. It also explains attendance codes, meeting changes during the COVID-19 restrictions, the reduction in Planning Committee and Local Review Body membership, and the closure of the Orkney Health and Care Committee.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.