Parents and pupils have been left disappointed by the council’s decision not to replace a violin tutor who retired from the schools service at Christmas, with one “desperate” 10-year-old trying to learn from a classmate.

Nominations for prospective SIC councillors opened this week ahead of May’s election – a poll guaranteed to transform the political landscape as around half of the current batch of elected members exit the stage.

A council worker at the Freefield Centre in Lerwick was sent home after writing an outspoken letter against proposals to close the building.

Shetland councillors have demanded radical action to help the growing number of islanders suffering fuel poverty despite government schemes to tackle the problem.…

Councillors have demanded Scottish government action to address “exorbitantly unequal” ferry fares which allow families in Stornoway to make a return trip to the Scottish mainland for a fifth of the price a Shetland family has to pay.

The playing field for this May’s council elections is becoming a little clearer, with five new candidates putting their heads above the parapet this week – including former police chief Malcolm Bell and ex-Shetland College director George Smith.

Shetland’s former chief police inspector Malcolm Bell has announced he will stand for election to the SIC later this spring and sounded a warning that the very future of public services in the islands could be under threat.