The civic head is the Chair of the Council who is elected every year at the Council's Annual General Meeting, and holds office for one year.
This year's Chair is Councillor Tony Eaton BCA.
This year's Vice-Chair is Councillor David Naylor.
Chairman of Bassetlaw District Council, Councillor Tony Eaton BCA
Cllr Tony Eaton was elected as Chair of Bassetlaw District Council for the municipal year 2025/26 at the Council’s AGM on 14th May 2025.
Tony lives in Worksop, where he has been a resident for over 34 years. He is married with a daughter who currently lives and works in Sheffield.
His career has been a long and varied one and he has been involved with the military one way or another for the past fifty years, including working as a regional manager for a veteran's charity that supported wounded, injured and sick military personnel. He has also worked at the NHS for many years at various hospitals, including Bassetlaw.
Cllr Eaton’s volunteer work has included being a community responder, working on the first Heart start campaign, training young police cadets, volunteering in the Bassetlaw Food Bank and covid vaccination centres.
He was awarded a British Citizens award and a Points of Light Award Medal of Honour as well as being presented with the Points of Light Award for his volunteer work and for raising thousands of pounds for charity.
A former Vice Chair of Bassetlaw District Council, Worksop Charter Mayor and Armed Forces Champion, Tony became a councillor for Worksop South in 2019 and is proud to serve the community.
Cllr Tony Eaton said:
“It is a great honour and privilege to serve the community as a district councillor and as Chair of the District Council.
“I am committed to supporting our local residents and look forward to meeting them at civic events.”
Invitations to the Chair
The Chair, or the Vice-Chair, will attend most events within the District, time permitting.
The Chair welcomes invitations to attend events in the District. The Chair likes to be well briefed about any function to be attended, therefore it is best that you provide as much information as possible.
Precedence
- Within the District, the Chair has precedence, subject to Her Majesty’s Royal prerogative.
- This means that when attending functions in the District, the Chair is the most important guest, except when Members of the Royal Family or the Lord Lieutenant are present.
- There is one exception to this rule. If the event is taking place within a County Council establishment, the Chair of the County Council takes precedence over the Chair of the District Council.
- When the Vice-Chair of the Council is deputising for the Chair, the same precedence rule applies.
Chair's Arrival
The Chair of the Council should be met and officially welcomed at a function by a responsible person and escorted to their correct position. The Chair should always sit on the right-hand side of the host as the appropriate place of honour. The Chair’s Escort should be placed immediately to the left of the Chair at a meeting or dinner.
Speeches
If the Chair is required to make a speech or reply to a toast, it would be greatly appreciated if as much information as possible could be submitted in advance of the event, such as information about the body organising the event and any words of welcome and thanks which should be included.
Last Updated on Wednesday, May 14, 2025