Bolsover District

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:

• Bolsover Urban District
• Blackwell Rural District
• Clowne Rural District The new district was named Bolsover, after its largest town.

Governance

Labour Labour ;Administration (23) : Labour (23) ;Other parties (14) : : Reform UK (1) :

Bolsover District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Derbyshire County Council. The district is also entirely covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Since 2014 the district has been a non-constituent member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (formerly known as the Sheffield City Region); the council sends representatives to meetings of the combined authority, but the electorate of Bolsover District do not vote in elections for the Mayor of South Yorkshire.

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2021.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1976 have been:

Composition

Following the 2023 election, and subsequent changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:

Ten of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group". The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019, the council has comprised 37 councillors, elected from 17 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Premises

The council is based at The Arc in Clowne, which is a combined leisure centre and council headquarters. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 2013. When first created the council used the former Blackwell Rural District Council's offices in Mansfield (outside the district) as its main offices. In 1994 it moved to Sherwood Lodge on Oxcroft Lane in Bolsover, comprising a large Victorian house and modern office extensions. After the move to Clowne in 2013 Sherwood Lodge was sold. A retail development has since been built on the site.

Media

In terms of television, the district receives better TV signals from the Emley Moor transmitter which broadcast BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire. However, southern parts of the district can still receive TV signals from the Waltham transmitter which broadcast BBC East Midlands and ITV Central.

Radio stations for the area are:

• BBC Radio Derby
• BBC Radio Sheffield (covering Bolsover)
• Greatest Hits Radio North Derbyshire
• Capital East Midlands
• Hits Radio South Yorkshire
• Mansfield Radio
• Elastic Radio

The Derbyshire Times is the weekly local newspaper that serves the district.

Building developments

Following the September 2022 commercial failure of Woodhead Construction Ltd, an Edwinstowe-based business contracting to the council since 2016, and mid-way into delivering a Bolsover Homes scheme, Bolsover District Council created their own development business, Dragonfly Development Limited based at The Arc in Clowne, with the intention of fulfilling ongoing contracts and having potential to undertake entirely new construction and development works outside of the council's normal remit.

Councillor Fritchley stated the only risks involved were "calculated risks".

Parishes

The district is divided into 16 civil parishes. The parish councils for Old Bolsover (which covers the town of Bolsover) and Shirebrook take the style "town council".

• Ault Hucknall
• Barlborough
• Blackwell (includes Hilcote, Newton and Westhouses)
• Clowne
• Elmton with Creswell
• Glapwell
• Hodthorpe and Belph
• Langwith
• Old Bolsover (town)
• Pinxton
• Pleasley
• Scarcliffe
• Shirebrook (town)
• South Normanton
• Tibshelf
• Whitwell

References

References

1. "Bolsover Local Authority".
2. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
3. {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
4. "Council minutes, 5 March 2025".
5. "Council minutes, 2 November 2022".
6. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
7. {{cite legislation UK. (2014)
8. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
9. (10 May 2011). "England council elections". [[BBC News Online]].
10. (12 May 1990). "Re-elected Scrimshaw steps back into local limelight". Derby Evening Telegraph.
11. (14 March 2003). "Council leader steps down after 30 years". Chad.
12. (18 May 2013). "Council has a new look cabinet". Worksop Guardian.
13. "Council minutes, 21 May 2015".
14. (3 May 2019). "Labour loses control of Bolsover for first time in 40 years". The Guardian.
15. "Council minutes, 22 May 2019".
16. (13 March 2025). "Bolsover District Council's chair becomes third councillor in three months to step down from a top role". Chad.
17. "Council minutes, 29 January 2025".
18. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
19. "Bolsover". Thorncliffe.
20. {{cite legislation UK. (2017)
21. (12 October 2017). "New plans revealed for former Bolsover council offices". Derbyshire Politics.
22. (22 May 2024). "Happy birthday, as Council celebrates golden anniversary". Worksop Guardian.
23. (1 May 2004). "Emley Moor (Kirklees, England) Full Freeview transmitter".
24. (1 May 2004). "Full Freeview on the Waltham (Leicestershire, England) transmitter".
25. "About Us". Elastic FM.
26. [https://www.chad.co.uk/news/people/bolsovers-first-ever-future-homes-scheme-is-being-built-in-whaley-thorns-3705476 Bolsover's first ever 'Future Homes scheme' is being built in Whaley Thorns] ''Chad'', 23 May 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2024
27. [https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/council-steps-save-building-projects-25061440 Council steps in to save building projects after contractor Woodhead Construction goes bust] business-live.co.uk, 20 September 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2024
28. [https://committees.bolsover.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=9647 Agenda item - Dragonfly Development Limited - Full Business Case] Bolsover District Council, 1 February 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2024
29. [https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/bolsover-district-council-set-to-demolish-49-bungalows-and-possibly-pave-the-way-for-new-development-4565536 Bolsover District Council set to demolish 49 bungalows and possibly pave the way for new development] ''[[Derbyshire Times]]'', 22 March 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024
30. (10 November 2022). "Council sets up new company- Dragonfly Developments". Bolsover District Council.
31. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
32. "Parish council contact details".