Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The 1974 Zetland and Orkney County Council Acts laid the foundation for the Northern Isles relationship with North Sea Oil. The Acts granted powers for local council control and environmental protection, as well as setting up reserve funds for the community with a share of oil revenues. But how did the UK’s tiniest councils convince a busy Westminster 50 years ago to give them powers beyond those of any other UK local authority?
Dr Tim Noble of Heriot-Watt University’s International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT) worked with the oil construction on Flotta and Shetland in the 1970s. He recalled the excitement of those times to an audience in the 2024 Orkney International Science Festival. He examined the parliamentary case made for the Acts, and he went on to ask: could the same approach help with energy developments today?
The talk was chaired by the Director of ICIT, Dr Sandy Kerr.
The 1974 Zetland and Orkney County Council Acts laid the foundation for the Northern Isles relationship with North Sea Oil. The Acts granted powers for local council control and environmental protection, as well as setting up reserve funds for the community with a share of oil revenues. But how did the UK’s tiniest councils convince a busy Westminster 50 years ago to give them powers beyond those of any other UK local authority?
Dr Tim Noble of Heriot-Watt University’s International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT) worked with the oil construction on Flotta and Shetland in the 1970s. He recalled the excitement of those times to an audience in the 2024 Orkney International Science Festival. He examined the parliamentary case made for the Acts, and he went on to ask: could the same approach help with energy developments today?
The talk was chaired by the Director of ICIT, Dr Sandy Kerr.
