Councillor Steven Heddle is the Vice-President of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Steven Heddle is from Kirkwall and studied at Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities, gaining a BSc and PhD in Physics. After working for both the public and private sector in research and development, he returned to Orkney in 1999 where he ran a business and technical consultancy and worked for HIE.

First elected in 2007, he was Orkney Islands Council political and civic leader from 2012-2017, during which time he shared the 2013 Herald Local Politician of the Year Award and 2014 Scottish Public Service Award for Leadership. He served as President of the CPMR Islands Commission from 2014-16, as a board member of NHS Orkney from 2015-17 and 2022- , and as a member of the CoSLA Commission for Strengthening Local Democracy. He was CoSLA Spokesperson for the Environment and Economy from 2017-2022 and is a visiting professor at the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Away from the Council his main interests are cycling and music, including playing in and helping to organise the annual Orkney Rock Festival.