North Isles councillor’s appointment to top committee
Councillor Mellissa Thomson has stepped up to chair one of Orkney Islands Council’s most high-profile committees.
The North Isles member was unanimously backed at the council’s general meeting on Tuesday to step up from vice-chairwoman of the enterprise and infrastructure meeting.
It has a wide range of responsibilities including the oversight of the county’s roads network, ferry and air links as well as road safety, traffic management, street lighting, waste management and economic development.
The role became vacant following Councillor Kristopher Leask’s resignation in the wake of him becoming an MSP.
Proposing the new position-holder, Councillor Owen Tierney said Councillor Thomson had “good practical knowledge, speaks well and sticks to the point.”
He added: “She chaired a recent meeting of enterprise and infrastructure committee and I thought it was really tight. I thought she performed extremely well and I have total confidence that she’ll do a good job.”
Seconding her, Councillor Lindsay Hall said Councillor Thomson’s abilities and standing among her colleagues “speak for themselves.”
Councillor Thomson was elected to OIC in 2022. She is also chairwoman of the Orkney Ferries Board, will now be take on the same role at the council’s harbour authority.
In a statement after the appointment, Councillor Thomson said: “I was absolutely delighted to have been appointed this morning.
“Enterprise and infrastructure is a huge part of the council, and I am honoured to be involved in it.
“My background in farming and fishing means this committee’s work, from piers and harbours to roads, is something I understand from day-to-day life on the isles.
“I want to thank those who held this role before me for the foundation they’ve built, and I’m grateful for the trust my colleagues have placed in me.”
Council leader Heather Woodbridge added: “Councillor Thomson has been an asset to this council — and as a North Isles Ward colleague, I have had the pleasure of seeing her hard work, and dedication to isles communities, as well as her determination to improve things for all of Orkney.
“I am looking forward to working with her in this new role, which will be central to economic development and infrastructure work across Orkney in the years ahead.”