# 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 (except parish of Finningley, which went to Doncaster)
* Worksop Municipal Borough
* Worksop Rural District (except part of parish of Harworth, which went to Doncaster and was added to the parish of Bawtry)
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:
| Party in control | Years |
| Labour | 1974–1976 |
| No overall control | 1976–1979 |
| Labour | 1979–2004 |
| No overall control | 2004–2006 |
| Conservative | 2006–2010 |
| No overall control | 2010–2011 |
| Labour | 2011–present |

### Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1991 have been:
| Leader | Seat | Party | From | To |
| Graham Oxby | Retford North | Labour | 1991 | May 2006 |
| Mike Quigley | Retford East | Conservative | May 2006 | May 2011 |
| Graham Oxby | Retford North | Labour | May 2011 | 16 May 2012 |
| Simon Greaves | Worksop North East | Labour | 16 May 2012 | 22 Sep 2022 |
| James Naish | Sturton | Labour | 22 Sep 2022 | 25 July 2024 |
| Julie Leigh | Worksop South | Labour | 25 July 2024 | |

### Composition

Following the 2023 election and changes of allegiance in May 2024, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Labour | 37 |
| | Conservative | 7 |
| | Independent | 4 |
| Total | Total | 48 |
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 (2011) | Ward(s) |
| Retford | Unparished (Charter trustees) | Retford Town Hall | 22,023 | Retford East Retford North Retford South Retford West |
| Worksop | Unparished (Charter trustees) | Chesterfield Canal, Worksop | 43,252 | Worksop East Worksop North Worksop North East Worksop North West Worksop South Worksop South East |
| Askham | Civil parish | St. Nicholas' Church, Askham | 181 | East Markham |
| Babworth | Civil parish | Chesterfield Canal, Babworth | 1,687 | Sutton |
| Barnby Moor | Civil parish | Ye Olde Bell, Barnby Moor | 278 | Sutton |
| Beckingham | Civil parish | All Saints' Church, Beckingham | 1,098 | Beckingham |
| Bevercotes | Civil parish | Farm buildings in Bevercotes | Unknown | East Markham |
| Blyth | Civil parish | St Mary and St Martin's Church, Blyth | 1,233 | Blyth |
| Bole | Civil parish | St Martin's Church, Bole | 247 | Sturton |
| Bothamsall | Civil parish | Lound Hall, Bothamsall | 270 | East Markham |
| Carburton | Civil parish | Ollerton Road Bridge, Carburton | 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 | Clumber Park | 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 | Holy Trinity Church, Everton | 839 | Everton |
| Fledborough | Civil parish | St Gregory's Church, Fledborough | 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 | St. John the Baptist Church, Misson | 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 | Welbeck Abbey | 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 | Shireoaks Hall | 1,432 | Worksop North West |
| South Leverton | Civil parish | All Saints’ Church, South Leverton | 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 | Great North Road, Torworth | 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 | St. Mary Magdalene Church, Walkeringham | 1,022 | Beckingham |
| Wallingwells | Civil parish | Wallingwells Hall | 22 | Carlton |
| West Burton | Civil parish | West Burton power stations | 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.

## Demography
### Population

Population of Bassetlaw (1811–2011) :
| Year | Population | Year | Population | Year | Population |
| 1811 | 25,813 | 1881 | 43,735 | 1951 | 101,590 |
| 1821 | 30,148 | 1891 | 45,203 | 1961 | 99,221 |
| 1831 | 32,950 | 1901 | 50,796 | 1971 | 96,918 |
| 1841 | 34,961 | 1911 | 57,084 | 1981 | 101,119 |
| 1851 | 37,180 | 1921 | 63,854 | 1991 | 105,354 |
| 1861 | 39,365 | 1931 | 71,427 | 2001 | 107,701 |
| | | | | 2011 | 112,863 |
| Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise Bassetlaw. Source: Great Britain Historical GIS. ||||||||

### Religion

| Religion | Percent |
| Christian | 81.53% |
| Buddhist | 0.09% |
| Hindu | 0.13% |
| Jewish | 0.05% |
| Muslim | 0.33% |
| Sikh | 0.07% |
| No religion | 9.99% |

## 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