Two thirds of Shetland Charitable Trust’s trustees should be independently elected and only three should be SIC members. That is the view of John Scott, one of the trust’s two non-councillor trustees, who is trying to reignite the debate about how to implement reform in the wake of renewed criticism of the relationship between the council and the £200 million community fund.

A one-off payment of £400,000 from Shetland Islands Council has provided temporary respite from financial worries at Shetland Recreational Trust (SRT).

A street stall promoting youth politics in Shetland and Scotland will be on Commercial Street in Lerwick from noon to 4pm on Saturday.

The Shetland and Orkney and Western Isles seats will not be lumped together or in with those on the mainland as part of the coalition government’s plan to create more uniformly sized parliamentary constituencies because they are “uniquely placed given their locations”.

The banks are willing to fund 80 per cent of the proposed £800 million Viking Energy windfarm, leaving Shetland Charitable Trust with £72 million to find from its own funds or loans.

Viking Energy’s plans for a huge windfarm in the isles have received a qualified thumbs-up from all but one of the five candidates standing in the Orkney and Shetland constituency at next month’s general election.

Labour’s general election candidate has defended the UK government’s stance on fuel duty as rival politicians queued up to condemn the high prices being paid by islanders, with the price of unleaded petrol rising well above £1.30 a litre in some areas following the latest rise in duty.

This year’s UK general election will take place on Thursday 6th May after Prime Minister Gordon Brown went to Buckingham Palace this morning to ask the Queen to dissolve parliament.

A new bridging loan scheme agreed by Shetland Charitable Trust this week could prove hugely beneficial for community groups embarking on capital works projects in the isles.

Parents and rural communities across Shetland face a whole year of fighting to try to save their schools from the most sweeping closures for over 40 years.

A former Lerwick optician is suing his estranged wife and erstwhile business partner for more than £800,000, claiming that her actions after they went their separate ways six years ago effectively left him out of work.

New SIC chief executive Alistair Buchan came face to face with all councillors this week for the first time since taking up the post for what he described as “very positive” initial discussions about how to react to major criticisms in the Accounts Commission’s recent report on the local authority.

Multiple Grammy winner Steve Earle, the outspoken singer-song­writer responsible for a host of classic Americana songs including Copperhead Road, Guitar Town and Galway Girl, will be stopping off in Lerwick next Thursday for a re-arranged show at Clickimin.