30 April 2013 Last updated at 04:51 ET By Denis Nightingale BBC Radio Cornwall

The election for the Council of the Isles of Scilly on 2 May is the most fascinating in the islands' history.

A year of political turmoil is ending on the main island of St Mary's, with 18 candidates battling it out for 13 seats.

And, for the first time, two of the candidates are tied to a political party, hoping to end the tradition of every councillor being an independent.

Another seven seats will be contested between the other populated islands - or off-islands, as they are known.

It has not been an easy 12 months for the council. The suspension of the head teacher of the Five Islands School - the only school on Scilly - brought accusations of the council overstepping its authority.

The accusations were strongly denied but inflamed passions among islanders - so much so that a number of new candidates have come forward with a declared aim of "ousting the old guard".

The early retirement of the council's long-serving chief executive, Philip Hygate, means an immediate and vital task for the new council will be to find his replacement.

The interim chief, former Plymouth City Council head Barry Keel, has been brought in for six months to see how the council should be changed.

Is it overloaded with personnel, as some critics claim? Is it too secretive, as others believe? Does it handle its budget effectively? What about the islands' airport, which has nearly run out of funds?

See the original post:

Islands facing fascinating poll