Bassetlaw District
Bassetlaw is a local government district in north Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Worksop; the other towns in the district are Retford, Tuxford and Harworth Bircotes. The district also contains numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
Bassetlaw is bounded to the south by the Newark and Sherwood and Mansfield districts, to the south-west by the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, to the north-west by the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham and the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, to the north by North Lincolnshire, and to the east by West Lindsey.
The district council is a non-constituent member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
History
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole of two former districts and most of another two, which were all abolished at the same time:- East Retford Municipal Borough
- East Retford Rural District
- Worksop Municipal Borough
- Worksop Rural District
Governance
Bassetlaw District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Nottinghamshire County Council. Much of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.Political control
The council has been under Labour majority control since 2011.The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 1981 have been:Composition
Following the 2023 election, and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:Three independent councillors sit together as a group. The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2002 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 25 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.Most of the district is within the Bassetlaw constituency. The south-east of the district, including Tuxford, is in the Newark constituency.
Premises
Council meetings are held at both Worksop Town Hall, built in 1851, and Retford Town Hall, built in 1868, both of which the council inherited from its predecessor authorities. The council's main offices are at Queen's Buildings, completed in 1981 on Potter Street in Worksop, adjoining the Town Hall. The council also maintains an area office in Harworth.Settlements
Bassetlaw is divided into 64 parishes, each governed by an elected parish council or parish meeting. The two main settlements of Retford and Worksop are the only areas of the district that are unparished, however, both towns are entitled to elect a town mayor via their respective charter trustees.| Name | Status | Image | Population | Ward(s) |
| Retford | Unparished | 22,023 |
| |
| Worksop | Unparished | Chesterfield Canal, Worksop | 43,252 |
|
| Askham | Civil parish | St. Nicholas' Church, Askham | 181 | East Markham |
| Babworth | Civil parish | 1,687 | Sutton | |
| Barnby Moor | Civil parish | 278 | Sutton | |
| Beckingham | Civil parish | 1,098 | Beckingham | |
| Bevercotes | Civil parish | Unknown | East Markham | |
| Blyth | Civil parish | 1,233 | Blyth | |
| Bole | Civil parish | 247 | Sturton | |
| Bothamsall | Civil parish | 270 | East Markham | |
| Carburton | Civil parish | Unknown | Welbeck | |
| Carlton in Lindrick | Civil parish | St. John's Church, Carlton in Lindrick | 5,623 | Carlton |
| Clarborough and Welham | Civil parish | Public house in Clarborough | 1,088 | Clayworth |
| Clayworth | Civil parish | St Peter's Church, Clayworth | 419 | Clayworth |
| Clumber and Hardwick | Civil parish | Unknown | Welbeck | |
| Cottam | Civil parish | Cottages in Cottam | 108 | Rampton |
| Darlton | Civil parish | St. Giles Church, Darlton | 110 | Tuxford and Trent |
| Dunham-on-Trent | Civil parish | St. Oswald's Church, Dunham-on-Trent | 343 | Tuxford and Trent |
| East Drayton | Civil parish | St. Peter's Church, East Drayton | 252 | Tuxford and Trent |
| East Markham | Civil parish | St. John the Baptist Church | 1,160 | East Markham |
| Eaton | Civil parish | Eaton | 233 | East Markham |
| Elkesley | Civil parish | St. Giles Church, Elkesley | 822 | Welbeck |
| Everton | Civil parish | 839 | Everton | |
| Fledborough | Civil parish | Unknown | Tuxford and Trent | |
| Gamston | Civil parish | St Peter's Church, Gamston | 246 | East Markham |
| Gringley on the Hill | Civil parish | St Peter & St Paul's Church | 699 | Everton |
| Grove | Civil parish | View towards Grove | 105 | Rampton |
| Harworth Bircotes | Civil parish | All Saints Church, Harworth | 7,948 | Harworth |
| Haughton | Civil parish | Haughton watermill | Unknown | East Markham |
| Hayton | Civil parish | St. Peter's Church, Hayton | 385 | Clayworth |
| Headon cum Upton | Civil parish | St. Peter's Church, Headon | 253 | Rampton |
| Hodsock | Civil parish | Hodsock Priory | 2,472 | Langold |
| Laneham | Civil parish | Signpost in Laneham | 312 | Tuxford and Trent |
| Lound | Civil parish | Lound | 471 | Sutton |
| Marnham | Civil parish | St. Wilfrid's Church, Marnham | 117 | Tuxford and Trent |
| Mattersey | Civil parish | All Saints' Church, Mattersey | 792 | Ranskill |
| Misson | Civil parish | 745 | Everton | |
| Misterton | Civil parish | All Saints' Church, Misterton | 2,140 | Misterton |
| Nether Langwith | Civil parish | Public house in Nether Langwith | 526 | Welbeck |
| Normanton on Trent | Civil parish | St. Matthew's Church | 345 | Tuxford and Trent |
| North and South Wheatley | Civil parish | Church of St. Peter and St. Paul's | 509 | Sturton |
| North Leverton with Habblesthorpe | Civil parish | North Leverton Windmill | 1,047 | Sturton |
| Norton, Cuckney, Holbeck and Welbeck | Civil parish | 550 | Welbeck | |
| Ragnall | Civil parish | St.Leonard's Church, Ragnall | Unknown | Tuxford and Trent |
| Rampton and Woodbeck | Civil parish | All Saints' Church, Rampton | 1,139 | Rampton |
| Ranskill | Civil parish | Church of St Barnabas, Ranskill | 1,362 | Rampton |
| Rhodesia | Civil parish | Chesterfield Canal, Rhodesia | 982 | Worksop North West |
| Saundby | Civil parish | Church of St Martin of Tours | 165 | Worksop North West |
| Scaftworth | Civil parish | Public house in Scaftworth | Unknown | Everton |
| Scrooby | Civil parish | St. Wilfrid's Church, Scrooby | 315 | Blyth |
| Shireoaks | Civil parish | 1,432 | Worksop North West | |
| South Leverton | Civil parish | 480 | Rampton | |
| Stokeham | Civil parish | St. Peter's Church, Stokeham | Unknown | Rampton |
| Sturton le Steeple | Civil parish | Sturton le Steeple | 486 | Sturton |
| Styrrup with Oldcotes | Civil parish | St. Helen's Church, Oldcotes | 684 | Blyth |
| Sutton | Civil parish | St. Bartholomew's Church | 673 | Sutton |
| Torworth | Civil parish | 263 | Ranskill | |
| Treswell | Civil parish | St. John the Baptist Church, Treswell | 211 | Rampton |
| Tuxford | Civil parish | Tuxford High Street | 2,649 | Tuxford and Trent |
| Walkeringham | Civil parish | 1,022 | Beckingham | |
| Wallingwells | Civil parish | Wallingwells Hall | 22 | Carlton |
| West Burton | Civil parish | Unknown | Sturton | |
| West Drayton | Civil parish | West Drayton | 225 | East Markham |
| West Markham | Civil parish | All Saints' Church, West Markham | 170 | East Markham |
| West Stockwith | Civil parish | West Stockwith lock | 327 | Misterton |
| Wiseton | Civil parish | Cottages in Wiseton | Unknown | Clayworth |
Wards
Bassetlaw is divided into 25 wards for electoral purposes. Each ward returns either one, two or three councillors at each election depending upon the number of electors within each ward.Media
Bassetlaw receives better TV signals from the Emley Moor transmitter rather than Waltham transmitter which means the area is served by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire, both broadcast from Leeds.Radio stations that broadcast to the area are BBC Radio Sheffield, Greatest Hits Radio South Yorkshire, Hits Radio South Yorkshire, Doncaster Radio and Trust AM, an online hospital radio station serving the Bassetlaw District General Hospital in Worksop.
Bassetlaw's local newspapers are Worksop Guardian and Retford Times.
Town twinning
- Farmers Branch, Texas, USA
- Garbsen, Germany
- Pfungstadt, Germany
- Aurillac, France