For judicial, shrievalty and lieutenancy purposes, the Local Government Act 1972 provided that the Isles of Scilly are "deemed to form part of the county of Cornwall".

Accordingly, in 1891, the Isles of Scilly Rural District Council (the RDC) was formed as a sui generis local government authority, outside the administrative county of Cornwall.

[6] Section 265 of the Local Government Act 1972 allowed for the continued existence of the RDC, but renamed as the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

[12] As of 2015[update], 130 people are employed full-time by the council[13] to provide local services (including water supply and air traffic control).

These numbers are significant, in that almost ten per cent of the adult population of the islands is directly linked to the council, as an employee or a councillor.

[14] The main national political parties do not routinely field candidates for elections to the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

[29] Whilst each of the inhabited isles is formally a civil parish, none of them possess a council or meeting in their own right.