Contents
- Introduction
- About this Survey
- Our Services
- What Bassetlaw District Council does
- Your Council Tax and how the Council is Funded
- Have your say - Please note that this survey has now closed.
Introduction
As a council we are proactive in how we manage our finances and want to continue to build on our financial resilience going forward, so we are once again inviting you to help keep local priorities at the heart of our budget.
As part of this we want to know what services matter most to you, which services you use the most and capture any ideas you may have on how to keep our books balanced.
Every year, we invest around £21 million to provide the services you rely on, support community initiatives, and deliver projects that make a real, positive impact across our district.
Last year, in line with your responses, over 80% of saving proposals through our Budget Conversation helped us make a total saving of £1.1million. This was achieved by improving efficiency and reducing council running expenses, such as reducing back-office costs and agency spend, whilst maintaining front line numbers of staff.
Thanks to careful planning and a strong financial strategy, the Council is well-positioned to manage future challenges, with a modest £2million gap projected over the next three years to March 2029, providing a clear focus for targeted efficiencies and innovation.
The feedback you provide will be used by Councillors and Officers during the budget setting process, culminating in the annual budget meeting on 26 February 2026.
At this meeting, the council will agree its budget for the next financial year and yearly savings targets for the following two years until March 2029.
Please take the time to tell us your views. Your feedback will be crucial in helping inform the decisions we make. Your responses are highly valued, and we thank you for your time in helping us shape our future services.
Councillor Julie Leigh,
Leader of Bassetlaw District Council.
Councillor Alan Rhodes,
Cabinet Member for Corporate and Financial Services.
About this Survey
The Council’s financial year runs from 1st April to 31st March. This means that we start setting our annual budget for the following year in October. As part of this process, we would like residents and businesses to let us know what is important to them.
In this survey you will be asked about how satisfied you are with your area and the Council, how we should balance our budget and whether you think Council services should either be; funded, reduced or stopped, or transformed to deliver cost savings. There are also some standard demographic questions that help us understand the views of different groups and of people living in different areas of the district.
The results of the survey will be presented to Cabinet on 5th February and then Council on 26th February 2026 as part of the General Fund Budget 2026/27 to 2028/29 report. This report will set out the considerations that have had to be made to balance the budget for 2026/27 and to establish savings targets for future years.
We will also publish the result of the survey on our website in January 2026.
The survey runs from 12th November 2025 to the 24th December 2025. The easiest way to complete this survey is online. This survey should take approximately 5 minutes to complete, and those who complete the survey have the chance to win one of ten £25 Love2Shop vouchers.
You can also return paper versions of the survey to Bassetlaw District Council, Queen’s Buildings, Potter Street, Worksop, S80 2AH or leave them in one of the ballot boxes next to where you picked up your survey.
We can also provide alternative formats on request, including large print and translations. Please email: policy@bassetlaw.gov.uk
Our Services
Below are just some of the ways we used your money in the year 2025/26 to maintain and enhance the district of our 118,000 residents.
The Council
- Number of District Councillors - 48
- Total expenditure - £131.2m
- Total income - £134.1m
- Total capital spend - £21.1m
- Total value of our property, plant and equipment assets - £427.8m
How we perform
What Bassetlaw District Council does
Nottinghamshire has a two-tier system of local government. This means in Bassetlaw, services are provided between two Councils. These are Nottinghamshire County Council and Bassetlaw District Council. Many rural areas are also represented by Parish Councils as well.
Bassetlaw, as a District Council, provides the following services:
Business and Skills
Support to local businesses, Retford Enterprise Centre, Middleton's Yard, The Bridge Skills Hub, and Markets.
Leisure and Cultural Services
Parks and Open Spaces, Allotments, Splash Pools, Museum and Leisure Centres.
Supporting our Communities
Community Safety, CCTV and Anti-Social Behaviour, Environmental Health, Strategic Housing and Homlessness, Licensing, Planning & Building Control, Customer Services, Policy & Communications, Council Tax and Business Rates collection, and Benefits.
Waste and Benefits
Bin collections, Street Cleaning, and Fly-Tipping.
Property and Estate Management
Office Buildings, Town Halls, Car Parks, Cemeteries, Worksop Creative Village, Industrial Estates and Units, and Commercial assets.
Running the Council
Finance, Legal Services, IT, HR, Democratic Services and Elections.
The following services are provided by Nottinghamshire County Council and other public sector organisations, NOT Bassetlaw District Council.
For this Budget conversation, please do not comment on the following:
- Highways and road repairs
- Household waste and Recycling Centres
- Children's Services, Schools and education provision
- Community and Public transport
- Adult Social Care
Your Council Tax and how the Council is Funded
Bassetlaw District Council collects Council Tax on behalf of other authorities and public sector partners. The chart below shows the percentage of Council Tax you pay to each organisation. For every £1 you spend on Council Tax, 8.11p goes to Bassetlaw District Council.
| % of Council Tax | Cost of Service | % of Service |
|---|---|---|
| Nottinghamshire County Council | £1,894.54 | 74.60% |
| Notts Police and Crime Commissioner | £296.10 | 11.66% |
| Bassetlaw District Council | £205.90 | 8.11% |
| Notts Fire and Rescue Authority | £97.21 | 3.83% |
| Parish and Charter Trustee Precepts | £45.78 | 1.80% |
| Average Band D Council Tax | £2,539.53 | 100.00% |
What you pay towards Bassetlaw District Council services per day
Properties across the United Kingdom are separated into valuation bands from A-H, based on a variety of factors such as the size of the property, layout, location, and value. Within Bassetlaw, approximately 50% of all properties fall within Band A.
| Council Tax Band | Price (per day) |
|---|---|
| Band A | 38p |
| Band B | 44p |
| Band C | 50p |
| Band D | 56p |
| Band E | 69p |
| Band F | 81p |
| Band G | 94p |
| Band H | £1.13 |
How we spend our budget
At Bassetlaw District Council, 80% of our budget is funded through grants and other income such as fees and charges and Business Rates. That means only 20% of our budget is paid for through your Council Tax.
| Budget 2025/26 | £m | % |
|---|---|---|
| Supporting our communities | 6.1 | 28.7% |
| Running the Council | 4.5 | 20.9% |
| Leisure and cultural services | 3.6 | 16.8% |
| Waste and recycling | 3.0 | 14.1% |
| Property and estate management | 2.4 | 11.4% |
| Business and skills | 1.8 | 8.2% |
| Total | 21.4 | 100.0% |
Have your say
Those who complete the survey have the chance to win one of ten £25 Love2Shop vouchers.
Please note: This survey has now closed.
Last Updated on Wednesday, January 14, 2026