Do you agree with Orkney seeking 'alternative governance' from the UK?

Orkney could seek independence from the UK after its councillors backed plans to investigate "alternative forms of governance".

Orkney Islands Council voted on Tuesday to explore its options, and now council officers will compile a report on the future of how the islands are run.

An amendment attempting to block the motion was defeated by 15 votes to six.

The archipelago off the coast of the north of Scotland is made up of 70 islands.

Read more: Why is Orkney exploring 'alternative governance'?

The leader of the council, James Stockan, told the meeting on Tuesday that Orkney had been subject to "discrimination" by the Scottish and UK governments.

He said: “I have been a councillor now for 20 years, but for the last number I’ve been in negotiation with our governments to get what I believe is an equitable solution of position for the Orkney Islands in funding and in the opportunity that we have in and around these islands to benefit not just us, but to benefit our neighbours, to benefit our nation and to benefit the world.

“But we have been restricted in every conversation, we have been held down, and what I would say is we all know most of what I could say with regard to the discrimination that we’ve had against this community from governments in the funding settlement we have.”

He has proposed a number of suggestions, which include Orkney following the crown dependencies model seen in Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, or even become a self-governing territory of Norway, which is 300 miles away.

“I say it is time for government to take us seriously, and I say it’s time for us to look at all the options we’ve got," he said.

But he said: “This is not about us joining Norway. There is a far bigger suite of options here – this could even be that we could get our money direct from the Treasury in London and look after our own future.”

What do you think about the proposals for Orkney to become independent?

Stockan has floated the idea that Orkney should use its "Nordic connections”, which could mean following the Faroe Islands, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark in the North Sea.

Orkney was annexed by Norway in the year 875 and settled by Norsemen.

But in 1472, Orkney and Shetland was brought into the Kingdom of Scotland after the failure to pay a dowry promised to James III of Scotland by the family of his bride, Margaret of Denmark.

The islands had been used as security for the marriage, seen as a way of uniting Scotland and Denmark following years of discord about taxation of the Hebrides Islands.

READ MORE:

- Orkney mulls return to Norwegian ownership after being 'failed' by government (Herald Scotland, 3 mins)

- Orkney Islands to consider break from UK governance and explore 'Nordic connections' (Sky News, 2 mins)

- Orkney Islands declared Britain's best rural place to live (Yahoo News UK, 2 mins)

- Orkney explores options after being 'failed dreadfully' by UK and Scotland (PA Media, 2 mins)

Stockan said: “We were part of the Norse kingdom for much longer than we were part of the United Kingdom," he said.

“On the street in Orkney, people come up and say to me when are we going to pay back the dowry, when are we going back to Norway.

“There is a huge affinity and a huge deep cultural relationship there. This is exactly the moment to explore what is possible.”

Orkney is 10 miles north of the coast of the county of Caithness. Of its 70 islands, 20 are inhabited, and more than 22,500 people live there.

The largest Orkney island is the Mainland, also known as Hrossey and Pomona, and is an area of 200 square miles.

The largest settlement on Orkney is the town of Kirkwall, which has a population of about 10,000 people.