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:
The new district was named Bassetlaw after the medieval Bassetlaw Wapentake, which had covered a similar area. The council's logo now says "Bassetlaw District Council – North Nottinghamshire".

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.
NameStatusImagePopulation Ward(s)
RetfordUnparished
22,023
  • Retford East
  • Retford North
  • Retford South
  • Retford West
WorksopUnparished43,252
  • Worksop East
  • Worksop North
  • Worksop North East
  • Worksop North West
  • Worksop South
  • Worksop South East
AskhamCivil parish
St. Nicholas' Church, Askham
181East Markham
BabworthCivil parish1,687Sutton
Barnby MoorCivil parish278Sutton
BeckinghamCivil parish1,098Beckingham
BevercotesCivil parishUnknownEast Markham
BlythCivil parish1,233Blyth
BoleCivil parish247Sturton
BothamsallCivil parish270East Markham
CarburtonCivil parishUnknownWelbeck
Carlton in LindrickCivil parish

St. John's Church, Carlton in Lindrick
5,623Carlton
Clarborough and WelhamCivil parish

Public house in Clarborough
1,088Clayworth
ClayworthCivil parish419Clayworth
Clumber and HardwickCivil parishUnknownWelbeck
CottamCivil parish

Cottages in Cottam
108Rampton
DarltonCivil parish

St. Giles Church, Darlton
110Tuxford and Trent
Dunham-on-TrentCivil parish

St. Oswald's Church, Dunham-on-Trent
343Tuxford and Trent
East DraytonCivil parish

St. Peter's Church, East Drayton
252Tuxford and Trent
East MarkhamCivil parish

St. John the Baptist Church
1,160East Markham
EatonCivil parish

Eaton
233East Markham
ElkesleyCivil parish

St. Giles Church, Elkesley
822Welbeck
EvertonCivil parish839Everton
FledboroughCivil parishUnknownTuxford and Trent
GamstonCivil parish

St Peter's Church, Gamston
246East Markham
Gringley on the HillCivil parish

St Peter & St Paul's Church
699Everton
GroveCivil parish

View towards Grove
105Rampton
Harworth BircotesCivil parish7,948Harworth
HaughtonCivil parish

Haughton watermill
UnknownEast Markham
HaytonCivil parish

St. Peter's Church, Hayton
385Clayworth
Headon cum UptonCivil parish

St. Peter's Church, Headon
253Rampton
HodsockCivil parish

Hodsock Priory
2,472Langold
LanehamCivil parish

Signpost in Laneham
312Tuxford and Trent
LoundCivil parish

Lound
471Sutton
MarnhamCivil parish

St. Wilfrid's Church, Marnham
117Tuxford and Trent
MatterseyCivil parish

All Saints' Church, Mattersey
792Ranskill
MissonCivil parish

St. John the Baptist Church, Misson
745Everton
MistertonCivil parish

All Saints' Church, Misterton
2,140Misterton
Nether LangwithCivil parish

Public house in Nether Langwith
526Welbeck
Normanton on TrentCivil parish

St. Matthew's Church
345Tuxford and Trent
North and South WheatleyCivil parish

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul's
509Sturton
North Leverton with HabblesthorpeCivil parish

North Leverton Windmill
1,047Sturton
Norton, Cuckney, Holbeck and WelbeckCivil parish550Welbeck
RagnallCivil parish

St.Leonard's Church, Ragnall
UnknownTuxford and Trent
Rampton and WoodbeckCivil parish

All Saints' Church, Rampton
1,139Rampton
RanskillCivil parish

Church of St Barnabas, Ranskill
1,362Rampton
RhodesiaCivil parish

Chesterfield Canal, Rhodesia
982Worksop North West
SaundbyCivil parish165Worksop North West
ScaftworthCivil parish

Public house in Scaftworth
UnknownEverton
ScroobyCivil parish

St. Wilfrid's Church, Scrooby
315Blyth
ShireoaksCivil parish1,432Worksop North West
South LevertonCivil parish480Rampton
StokehamCivil parish

St. Peter's Church, Stokeham
UnknownRampton
Sturton le SteepleCivil parish

Sturton le Steeple
486Sturton
Styrrup with OldcotesCivil parish

St. Helen's Church, Oldcotes
684Blyth
SuttonCivil parish

St. Bartholomew's Church
673Sutton
TorworthCivil parish263Ranskill
TreswellCivil parish

St. John the Baptist Church, Treswell
211Rampton
TuxfordCivil parish

Tuxford High Street
2,649Tuxford and Trent
WalkeringhamCivil parish1,022Beckingham
WallingwellsCivil parish22Carlton
West BurtonCivil parishUnknownSturton
West DraytonCivil parish

West Drayton
225East Markham
West MarkhamCivil parish

All Saints' Church, West Markham
170East Markham
West StockwithCivil parish327Misterton
WisetonCivil parish

Cottages in Wiseton
UnknownClayworth

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.

  1. Beckingham
  2. Blyth
  3. Carlton
  4. Clayworth
  5. East Markham
  6. East Retford East
  7. East Retford North
  8. East Retford South
  9. East Retford West
  10. Everton
  11. Harworth
  12. Langold
  13. Misterton

  1. Rampton
  2. Ranskill
  3. Sturton
  4. Sutton
  5. Tuxford and Trent
  6. Welbeck
  7. Worksop East
  8. Worksop North
  9. Worksop North East
  10. Worksop North West
  11. Worksop South
  12. Worksop South East

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