Divided and ineffective: leaders slated by report on island council

WARRING councillors on Scotland's most northerly local authority were yesterday urged to address the serious shortcomings facing the council.

A damning report, published by the Accounts Commission into troubled Shetland Islands Council, has ruled that the authority has "serious problems" with leadership, vision and strategic direction, as well as financial management and accountability.

The scathing report also criticises the council for its handling of the departure of its controversial chief executive, David Clark, who left his post in February with a 306,000 "golden handshake" after an eight-month spell in office.

The Commission's hard hitting report, published yesterday, declares: "The Commission has serious concerns about how the council has been run. The Commission finds that there has been an absence of clear, decisive and consistent leadership for Shetland Islands Council at councillor level.

"The council has struggled to agree and communicate a clear common purpose which has been made more difficult by significant tensions among councillors and between councillors and officials."

And the Commission continues: "Councillors must now set aside personal differences and develop a clear and coherent set of priorities, based on objective evidence and sound understanding of the needs and expectations of the community the council serves."

According to the report, the approach to governance on the islands is "haphazard" with meetings between senior councillors and officials taking place in an "ad hoc and informal" way. It also claims that councillors have placed greater emphasis on local issues than on the council's corporate priorities.

The processes used in the recruitment and employment of Mr Clark are also criticised. The council chose to ignore the professional advice of senior officials in relation to the recruitment process. And no clear objectives and performance appraisal system was agreed for the chief executive.

John Baillie, the chairman of the Accounts Commission, said: "Every council needs to ensure it is run properly, through good governance.

"But that has not happened at Shetland. The council needs to develop a shared understanding of what good governance means and requires. "

Councillor Sandy Cluness, the convener of the islands council, accepted the Commission's findings and vowed to lead the council in addressing the shortcomings highlighted in the report.

He said: "The Shetland Islands Council takes these findings very seriously. I am sure this will be a catalyst for this council moving forward."