OIC silence rings on in this week’s The Orcadian

Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and its councillors have doubled down on their refusal to engage with the press and public on the situation at the helm of the local authority.

All be one of the 21 islands councillors have declined to comment for this week’s edition of The Orcadian, online now and in shops this afternoon.

This comes after the elected members were warned not to speak about the sudden and ongoing absence of OIC’s chief executive, Oliver Reid.

Elsewhere in the newspaper, the King’s Baton Relay makes for a celebration of sport and community spirit, one year on from the Orkney Island Games. We have two pages of coverage from the event, which heralds the Commonwealth Games.

We also take a look ahead to four days of fun with Stromness Shopping Week, and showcase the businesses at the centre of the 2026 Orkney Tourism Awards.

More inside:

• Relative saddened by state of Sanday burial grounds.
• Clan stalwart completes toughest challenge yet.
• Arrowhead find a new Ness of Brodgar dig.
• Longhope Lifeboat museum makeover secures £1.6m.
• Sheila Fleet shines at UK Jewellery Awards.
• Let’s get ready to Rumbo! New mini-festival arrives during Show Week.
• Top student’s outstanding work in face of adversity.
• Tankerness couple’s shipping container transformation.
• An ‘exceptional feat’ for creel fishery.
• New face at Stromness Community Centre.
• East v West Parish Cup contest.