The 2023 Bassetlaw District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect all 48 members of Bassetlaw District Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2023 United Kingdom local elections.
The Labour Party retained control of the council with an increased majority, gaining one seat from the Liberal Democrats and one seat from an independent. The Conservatives gained three seats, one from Labour and two from Independents.
Background Bassetlaw is a shire district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is predominantly rural, with two towns: Worksop and Retford. The district was formed in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972. Local Government in Nottinghamshire is organised on a two-tier basis, with local district councils responsible for local services such as housing, local planning and refuse collection and Nottinghamshire County Council responsible for "wide-area" services, including education, social services and public transport. Bassetlaw District Council has been controlled by Labour for most of its existence, except for a brief period from 2006 to 2011 when it was controlled by the Conservatives.
Bassetlaw is divided into 25 wards for electoral purposes, with each ward electing between one and three councillors. Until 2015, the council was elected by thirds, with district elections being held every year except the year in which elections to Nottinghamshire County Council took place. The council resolved in 2014 to hold all-out elections from 2015 onwards, with all 48 councillors elected in all-out elections every four years.
Results summary
TurnoutRegistered electors87,978Votes cast27,738Turnout31.5% (+1.5%)
Ward results
(inc) denotes incumbent Councillors seeking re-election.
Beckingham
Blyth
Carlton
Clayworth
East Markham
East Retford East
East Retford North
East Retford South
East Retford West
Everton
Harworth
Langold
Misterton
Rampton
Ranskill
Sturton
Sutton
Tuxford and Trent
Welbeck
Worksop East
Worksop North
Worksop North East
Worksop North West
Worksop South
Worksop South East
Changes 2023–2027 In May 2024, Fraser Merryweather and Deborah Merryweather, both elected as Labour councillors, left the party to sit as independents. Fraser McFarland, elected as a Conservative councillor for Clayworth, became an independent in May 2024 and subsequently joined Reform UK. On 25 July 2024, Julie Leigh replaced James Naish as leader of the council. Lewis Stanniland, elected as a Conservative councillor for Tuxford and Trent, subsequently joined Reform UK. Simon Richardson, elected as a Conservative councillor for Rampton in July 2024, later sat as an independent before joining Reform UK on 25 February 2026.
By-elections
Rampton
The Rampton by-election followed the resignation of Conservative councillor Anthony Coultate.
Beckingham
The Beckingham by-election followed the retirement of independent councillor Joan Sanger, who stood down in March 2025.
Sturton
The Sturton by-election followed the resignation of Labour councillor James Naish, who had been elected as the Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe on 4 July 2024.
Ranskill
The Ranskill by-election followed the resignation of Conservative councillor David Bamford.
East Markham
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Conservative councillor Gary Dinsdale, who had attended only two council meetings that year.
Worksop East
References