Orkney appoints Scotland's youngest council leader

Orkney Islands Council has named a 29-year-old as Scotland's youngest local authority leader.

Heather Woodbridge also becomes the first woman to lead the island council.

The independent was elected in 2020 to represent the North Isles after a by-election was called following the death of her father, Kevin Woodbridge.

The new leader replaces James Stockan, who announced in January he was leaving office and standing down as a councillor.

He had led Scotland's smallest local authority for six years.

Ms Woodbridge grew up in North Ronaldsay and was educated at the local primary school and Kirkwall Grammar School.

At 18 she took take part in a student exchange programme in Norway, before studying for an Ecology degree at the University of Stirling.

She later moved home to Orkney and worked for a spell with the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Speaking about her new role, Ms Woodbridge said she believed in fighting for fairness for Orkney.

"It's an exciting moment for Orkney moving forward and, I think, with a change of leader comes opportunities to strengthen relationships, opportunities to build new ones and opportunities to strive forward," she said.

"Fairness is the biggest thing for us. There's no doubt that local authorities across Scotland are in the same financial difficulty and very much feeling those pressures going forward. But it is very much a case of let's ensure this is fair. We know there's not a lot of money going around but lets ensure that the distribution is fair."

Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) president Shona Morrison welcomed the new appointment.

"Heather sits on Cosla's Barriers to Elected Office Group, where she is a valued member, and contributes significantly on issues like councillor safety and has views on being a young woman in a rural ward." she said.

"It is good to see her breaking down the barriers further and I wish her well in her new role and look forward to working with her."