TOM MORTON has stood down from his role as SIC councillor for Shetland North. Here, he outlines where he believes the council has gone wrong, including a challenging power-play between councillors and officials.

It’s almost 40 years since I attended my first Shetland islands council meeting, in the days when Mike Gerrard was chief executive and Edward Thomason convener.

Before mobile phones, before computers, even. Streaming was something that happened when pipes burst.

Councillors were forbidden from reading out their contributions to debates, and negotiations with the oil industry over Sullom Voe payments had to be conducted in conditions of what I can only call very leaky secrecy.

When was it the police were called to the town hall after recording equipment was allegedly found concealed in the council chamber? Was that under Mikey G or Malcolm Green? Who could possibly have been responsible for gaffer-taping a cassette recorder to the base of the press bench? Wisnae me, officer.

Chief executives I have known: Malcolm Green was impressively dour but could be very funny and was not just a wonderful fiddle player, but basically invented the Shetland Folk Festival.

The Braer happened on his watch.

He died tragically young. And then they came and went: Nick Reiter lasted only seven months, leaving in 1999 after a nonsensical claim that he’d misled councillors at interview.

The council was humiliated and slammed by everyone from local petitioners to the controller of audit.

What was then a huge sum had to be dispensed in compensation and legal costs.

Morgan Goodlad steadied the ship and then it was the advent of Big Dave, for a torrid few months until his early departure was compensated with £250,000 (amid claims he’d wanted £1.7m, due to being “bullied, harassed and subject to racism” because he was not a Shetlander).

Tricky times. That was when Alistair Buchan was brought in from Orkney, along with a host of “helicopter consultants” who came, saw, supped our reestit mutton soup and submitted their invoices.

Mark Boden, military historian, was appointed and stayed for six years, handing over to Maggie Sandison, whose love for Shetland music is as impressive as Mr Green’s.

And here we are. Or there they went, as I have finally severed my connection with the council, for the last two and a half years as a non-elected member for Shetland North.

How does this manifestation of the council measure up to the ones I have reported on in the past? Better in some ways, worse in others.

I remember when, as one of those much-maligned consultants during the Buchan interregnum, I helped put together a communications policy based on the ideas of openness, transparency and accountability.

Well, now we have the technology to let anyone with digital access enjoy the glorious rhetoric and fiery debate of council meetings, with full, bloodshot-eye-and-blackhead video close-ups of councillors.

And while it’s encouraging that people do watch and listen in their … dozens, there is more to accessibility and accountability than allowing a few cameras and microphones into the bunker.

I don’t believe Shetland Islands Council is open enough. Too many seminars, private briefings and premeetings of senior councillors and officials, setting not just the agenda but the narrative of “open” meetings.

Sure, that can sometimes be derailed by bolshie or garrulous foot-soldiers during public debate, but the balance of power at the SIC is in favour of the executive.

It’s a ragtag bunch of elected members, really, only three (now two) openly claiming party affiliation, and that’s the central problem.

The entire structure of Scottish local government is based on adversarial party politics. In other councils (with a few exceptions) the party with the most members assumes power, sets its policy agenda and ratifies its policies in debate.

It then instructs the executive to do what it’s told. In Shetland , the idea is that the council works in a collegiate fashion, but the truth is that members are very much in the informational and indeed policy hands of officials.

Now, many of these officials are of a very high calibre and obviously they know more about how things work and need to work in a variety of disciplines.

Because they’re professional, they’ve been trained and promoted and have both experience and knowledge.

Too many councillors are like putty in their hands. Albeit sometimes very noisy putty. And occasionally silly putty.I mean, I can see that officials become frustrated when councillors huff and puff about issues they barely comprehend in any detailed sense.

Some of our officers display a sometimes hilarious, barely concealed contempt, others sigh, smile, grit their teeth and try to explain “the way things have to be”.

Some have perfected a poker-faced disdain. Others are even more out of their depth than (some) councillors.

In a party political setting sooth, potential members would be screened and interviewed by the party before being allowed to stand.

There would probably be a pretty fierce electoral contest. Some would be on their way to full time political life in one of the parliaments (of the SIC crop, only Emma, unaligned Libo-crat, and Alex of the Green Gansie look like they’re pitching for that).

Meanwhile, Shetland struggles even to fill all the vacant council seats. I do hope for a competition in Northmavine.

I’m not holding my breath.

I should say that, although basic council wages go up to £24,500 from next April, the job has all the demands on time and effort of a £60,000-perannum post in the real world. At least.

Be warned, if you’re thinking of running.

As for me, after two and a half years and at 69, I have other things I need to do while mortality allows. Nine grandchildren, none in Shetland.

Books to write, another major writing project for a museum, surgeries to clean, funerals and weddings to conduct.

And my health has been none too wonderful (though no imminent crisis, you may or not be relieved to know).

I’m happy I was able to help some local folk with council issues. I’m glad that a new Brae school is on the horizon.

Nothing will persuade me that this obsession with fixed links is anything but a distraction from the need to sort out reliable and properly-staffed internal ferries.

I shake my head in wonder that we’re putting so much faith in a fantasy of rocketeering.

The Fair isle ferry could sink us all yet. But the licensing aspect of the job was worthwhile, community safety and resilience taught me a few lessons, and some councillors have been more than able, kind, friendly and considerate.

I thank them, and those excellent officers and senior officials who will be aware of my admiration, for putting up with me and occasionally defending me against the slings and arrows of outrageous idiocy.

Oh, and for the record, the current chief executive is doing an excellent job.

Sounding Off provides a free, open platform for anyone to raise an issue they feel is of importance locally or nationally, in longer format than a letter. You can email your submission to: editorial@shetlandtimes.co.uk