At the previous election in 2017, independent councillors retained control of the council after taking all but one seat.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) took the other seat and, in the process, won their first-ever representation on the council.

[2] Source: [2] Local elections in Scotland use the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system – a form of proportional representation – in which voters rank candidates in order of preference.

The number of independent candidates (29) outstripped any individual party but fell by one from the previous election.

As a result, all five candidates were automatically elected without a poll being conducted and a by-election was scheduled to fill the vacant North Isles seat.

[11][12][13] During the election campaign, candidates gave particular focus to the cost of living, housing and the proposed construction of fixed-link tunnels.

[14] A survey conducted by The Shetland Times prior to the election found highest support for the issues of fuel poverty, fixed links and digital connectivity as priorities for the new council.

Incumbent councillors Alec Priest and Duncan Simpson did not stand for re-election and one seat was left vacant.

Cllr Lyall was elected at a by-election in 2019 after former independent councillor Mark Burgess had stood down from his role.

Source: [24][25] Independent councillor Cecil Smith retained the seat he won at the previous election while independent candidates Dennis Leask, John Fraser and Neil Pearson gained seats from former independent councillors Amanda Hawick, Beatrice Wishart - who stood down in 2019 after she was elected as MSP for Shetland - and Peter Campbell - who chose not to defend his seat but stood in Lerwick South instead.

Source: [28][29] Former council convener Malcolm Bell, who had held the role for the previous decade, had stood down prior to the election.

Two of the candidates, Stewart Douglas and Marie Williamson, had stood unsuccessfully in other wards (Shetland South and Lerwick North and Bressay respectively) during the full election.

[38] Cllr Morton remained a councillor until 31 October 2024 and a by-election was held on 23 January 2025, which was won by Andrew Hall.