The following update is published on behalf of Robert Francis, Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly.
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Introduction
Hello everyone, and welcome to my December update as Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly. As the year ends, it’s natural to reflect on what has been a busy year for our islands, and certainly a busy few months for the Council, including inspections of some services with positive news about the findings.
Adult Social Care rated ‘Good’ by Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Earlier this year the CQC carried out an inspection of Adult Social Care, publishing their inspection report on the 19 September.
As Dr Sue Ross, our Interim Director of Adults and Children’s Services, reported to October’s Full Council meeting, the Council achieved an overall rating of “Good.” Sue reported that Adult Social Care’s score of 70 compared favourably with the average score of 65.6 received by inspected Local Authorities, placing us in the top 30%.
Our Adult Social Services bucked the trend of smaller authorities scoring worse in these assessments and shows that we are punching above our weight in terms of the services we deliver.
As well as our strengths, the CQC noted that there were several areas picked out as requiring development, so we must not rest on our laurels and will continue to drive for improvement. Many congratulations to the Adult Social Care team, and my thanks for their hard work in delivering this result.
Delaying naming ceremony for hospital care home wing
On Adult Social Care, we took the hard decision to delay the naming ceremony for the new care home wing at the Isles of Scilly Health and Care Partnership. This was to focus on preparing the new building, training staff in the new facility and - above all - prioritising the needs of residents during the forthcoming transition period. I look forward to celebrating the completion of the new integrated facility with you in 2026.
Fire and Rescue Service rated ‘Good’ by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMIFRS)
Our new Chief Fire Officer, Phil Martin, reported to November’s Full Council meeting on the HMIFRS inspection of the Isles of Scilly Fire & Rescue service which took place earlier this year.
I’m pleased to say that they rated the service good overall, praising their capability at keeping people safe and improvements made since the last inspection.
They recognised what the service provides - with the resources it has - in the context of the size, remoteness, and uniqueness of the islands.
While there were several areas highlighted for improvement, I’m pleased with the result of the inspection, and my heartfelt thanks and congratulations go out to all the Fire & Rescue Service team.
Ofsted monitoring visit and progress
Ofsted inspectors conducted their fourth monitoring visit of our Children's Services team in October.
The findings highlighted there was improving support and protection for children on Scilly and that relationships between the Council and other agencies are working well, particularly when children are potentially at risk of significant harm.
Inspectors noted the services were well supported across the Council and children in need and their families receive support and intervention “that make a positive difference to their lives.”
They also highlighted the need for more work to strengthen the assessment and support for post 16-year-olds who access education on the mainland and recognised this was an area which senior leaders were addressing with urgency.
Overall, the Ofsted inspectors determined that “senior leaders have made progress in their implementation of their improvement plan.”
We anticipate a fifth monitoring visit in the first few months of 2026 and full inspection sometime next summer.
Post-16 update
Two meetings for parents and young people have taken place in the past two months to discuss Post-16. Both have been positive and helped influence change.
At the first meeting in October, attendees discussed, amongst other topics, the need to increase funding for visits to mainland schools and colleges. At December Full Council, Councillors doubled the amount we offer from £250 to £500, with additional support available for off-island boating.
Councillors have also committed to the creation of a Hardship and Additional Vulnerabilities Fund to support parents and young people who may be facing very significant financial challenges or other barriers to learning. I will be able to report more on this in early 2026.
We have had meetings with our MP and will be writing to the Department for Education to make our case once again for additional government funding.
Cultural Centre and Museum update
Work continues at the Town Hall with a planned soft opening of the new Cultural Centre and Museum to residents from Summer/Autumn 2026, a programme of events over the winter, and then a full opening to visitors and programme of events from Spring 2027.
Recent months have seen a change to the Cultural Centre and Museum’s governance structure. This is a simplification, bringing the Cultural Centre and Museum under the Isles of Scilly Museum Association.
Training and development of the Isles of Scilly Museum Association is underway to support and empower them in this role, and applications are being made to Arts Council England for funding towards activities in the first year of operation.
I look forward to the opening of this top-class facility that will benefit residents for generations to come.
Round-up of public meetings
It was pleasing to see so many people attending our public engagement meetings on each island during the autumn.
A very wide range of topics were discussed, some of which we've fed back to our partners, including the Duchy of Cornwall.
On St Mary's we were pleased to have a group of young people attend to talk about matters that were important to them.
We are currently working on our new Corporate Plan and many of the themes discussed will feed into that and other plans and documents.
Local plan consultation and needs assessment
The Council’s Housing and Economic Needs Assessment is now underway, as part of our Local Plan review process.
As well as being your opportunity to shape the housing situation and wider economy on Scilly, this is key to informing the Council’s work going forwards. Making sure our policies and planning decisions are based on robust evidence and reflect the realities of island life.
There are surveys for residents, second home/holiday let owners, and businesses. Owners of island-based businesses can also book 30-minute interviews with our consultants on business needs.
I ask all of you to please take the time to engage with this assessment and fill out these surveys.
Waste - Christmas opening hours
On a practical note, many Council services remain open over the Christmas period but with some changes to opening hours, and to waste collection days. You can find the full details of our Christmas opening hours on our website, where more information on the other stories above can also be found in the 'latest news' section on the front page.
Christmas is always a magical time on Scilly, and I’ll take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Best wishes,
Robert Francis
Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly