The following update is published on behalf of Cllr Joel Williams, Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly.
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Introduction
I am honoured to write to you as the new Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly. As an islander, born and bred on St Mary's, I understand island life and the realities of living in our unique community. With 3 generations of my family living here, this role is deeply personal to me, and it is a privilege to serve the islands and the people who call them home.
Before commenting on what I hope to achieve, I would also like to express my sincere thanks to former Chairman, Robert Francis for his dedicated service over the past 8 years. His commitment has been greatly valued, and I am grateful for the contribution he has made to our community. I’m delighted he is continuing to play an active role as our Lead Member for Transport, Tourism and Economy.
Scilly can be a remarkable place to live and work, but I’m acutely aware of how tough it can be as well. I’m proud to represent a community that values both tradition and progress. As Chairman, I hope to support the work of the Council while helping to strengthen the connection between the Council, key partners, and the people it serves.
I recognise that there are significant challenges ahead for our islands, from sustaining essential local services to supporting housing, transport and opportunities for future generations. I hope that by developing strong partnerships, we can work together to meet these challenges and build a strong and sustainable future. We must also continue to lobby government strongly on the issues that matter. It is essential that our voices are heard and listened to if Scilly is to thrive in the years ahead.
Over the coming months, I look forward to working with council staff, and local and mainland partners, as well as our wider community. I know we won’t always agree, and there will be tough decisions to make, but I will do my best to serve the islands with integrity, commitment, and pride.
Islands View opened and move made from Park House
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales formally opened the Isles of Scilly Health and Care Partnership during an official visit in May. This small ceremony was to mark the completion of the build side of the project. Invited guests included representatives from the Council, NHS and Duchy of Cornwall, as well as several care home residents, hospital patients and their family members, who explained to His Royal Highness what the new model of care will mean to them and others across the islands.
It was a great honour to meet His Royal Highness and hear him speaking to members of the community who will benefit from this highly innovative and much needed project. The Council is committed to helping residents and their families access the care and support they need as close to home as possible.
In even happier news, residents and staff have now moved from Park House into Islands View, following confirmation of the new residential care home's registration earlier this month. This move frees up the old Park House building to be developed into much needed housing.
Ofsted Monitoring Visit
It is fair to say that we were all disappointed by the findings of Ofsted’s latest monitoring visit, which found that progress in Children’s Social Care stalled between October 2025 and March 2026.
While inspectors recognised recent positive steps, including the appointment of a permanent leadership team and increased capacity within the service, the report makes clear that the service did not maintain the pace of improvement expected.
The Council fully accepts these findings and apologises to children, families and the wider community for falling short of its ambitions during this time. Leaders have acknowledged that more needs to be done and committed to addressing the areas identified by Ofsted. Work is already underway to strengthen oversight, improve consistency, and build on recent progress. The Council remains determined to deliver the high-quality support that children, young people, and families deserve.
Post-16 update
There have been several developments regarding Post-16. We held a consultation on the Council’s draft Post-16 Transport Policy Statement over April and May, a report on which came to Full Council on 29 May.
We then held a meeting with the community on 18 June. This was for parents, carers, and young people to discuss the implications of the Transport Policy Statement, and to learn more about the Council’s Post-16 information leaflet and other support available to them.
I feel we got across the Council’s ongoing advocacy for additional funding and greater recognition of the specific educational challenges facing families and young people on the Isles of Scilly. Including recent engagement with Ministers and representatives from the Department for Education (DfE). We have the ear of government and our concerns are being heard at the highest level.
We have supplied the DfE with the information they asked for regarding accommodation and transport costs to families, we’re now awaiting their response and will update the community as soon as we can.
In the meantime, the next Post-16 parent/carer update meeting will take place at 5.15pm on Wednesday 12 August at Carn Gwaval Wellbeing Centre, St. Mary’s.
Childcare sufficiency
Recent announcements about future changes to the level of provision available on St Mary’s and Tresco prompted an important conversation around improving childcare sufficiency and provision on the islands.
The Council moved quickly to secure the help of Ann Van Dyke MBE, a specialist in early years and childcare provision with ties to Scilly, in leading that conversation and finding viable solutions that will secure the future of childcare on the Isles of Scilly.
We held online discussions on childcare sufficiency on 30 June and 15 July, between which Ann met with parents and carers from all the islands, childcare and education providers, Councillors and Council staff. Building on previous work from our 2025 childcare sufficiency audit, this enabled Ann to build a picture of need across the islands and start the work necessary to develop a sustainable model for childcare that meets those needs.
This is a subject that affects our community deeply, and the repercussions of falling childcare sufficiency levels are potentially disastrous. I understand that, the Council understands that, and we’re hard at work to improve this situation.
We’ll share next steps and news as things develop, but I feel positive about the future of childcare and early years provision on Scilly.
Family, Belonging and Inclusion Hub build underway
Any of you walking past the Carn Gwaval Wellbeing Centre will have seen that work is underway on the new Family, Belonging and Inclusion Hub.
This is an exciting development for the islands, creating a new space that will offer inclusive support for all children, young people, and families, especially those children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This includes facilitating and coordinating alternative provision for children who are not currently accessing school.
The Hub will also provide a dedicated space for the social connection and wellbeing of parents and children to be supported and create spaces which could be used for on-island education facilitation.
Significant funding from the DfE made this possible, and it is a real win for the islands. I look forward to it opening in due course.
On-street parking
Parking is a perennial problem on St Mary’s, and I appreciate how frustrating it is as much as the next resident. Believe me when I say it is on your Councillors’ minds, that we discuss it frequently, and a lot of work has been going on in the background to work out how to improve matters.
A report on civil enforcement and on-street parking was discussed at December’s Full Council meeting. Members resolved to progress a range of measures to prioritise public safety and improve the experience of all road users on St Mary’s, including working with Devon & Cornwall Police to address the situation.
The Council and Devon & Cornwall Police issued a joint update on 14 July. In short, we have some work to do to review and update our Traffic Enforcement Orders (TROs) governing parking restrictions on St Mary’s. This is a legal process and will take some time.
Once this is done, and the appropriate lines and signage are in place, Devon & Cornwall Police has committed to enforcing the TROs. Both organisations will continue to work with residents and visitors to raise awareness of safe and considerate parking.
Firefighters celebrate passing initial training
On 12 May, I was pleased to join members of the Isles of Scilly Fire and Rescue Service in celebrating the successful completion of an initial training programme by 6 of the islands’ on-call firefighter trainees, at an award ceremony on St Martin’s.
It was a privilege to attend, and to mark the achievements of some of those who do so much for our community. On-call volunteers make up the backbone of our emergency services on the islands. Their commitment to keeping our community safe, and the continuous training and development that goes along with that, is something for which I am forever grateful.
Looking ahead
Thanks to everyone who contacted us regarding South West Water’s proposals on St Mary’s. Members and staff are in regular contact with the organisation, and I hope to update more on this topic, as well as housing and the Cultural Centre and Museum, next time.