Mansfield District is a local government district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is named after the town of Mansfield, where the council is based. The district also contains Mansfield Woodhouse (which forms part of the Mansfield urban area) and Warsop.
The neighbouring districts are Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, Ashfield and Bolsover.
History The town of Mansfield had been governed by improvement commissioners from 1823. They were replaced in 1891 when it was incorporated as a municipal borough.
The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the whole area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time: Mansfield Municipal Borough Mansfield Woodhouse Urban District Warsop Urban District
The new district was named Mansfield after its main town. Unusually for a district taking the same name as a former borough, the new Mansfield district was not granted borough status. Instead charter trustees were established for the area of the former borough of Mansfield, with responsibility for looking after the civic regalia of the town.
Since 2002 the council has been led by a directly elected mayor.
Under current local government reorganisation plans, all district councils in Nottinghamshire, as well as the county council, will be abolished in 2028, with the district becoming part of a new Nottinghamshire unitary authority. Andy Abrahams, incumbent Mayor from 2019, confirmed that the position would be abolished as part of the changes scheduled for 2028.Mayor 'emotional' as role cut under council shake-up BBC News, 29 July 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026
Governance
Mansfield District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Nottinghamshire County Council. Warsop is also a civil parish, which is a third tier of local government for that part of the district.
Political control The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election.
The first election to the modern district council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows: (Put "Mansfield" in search box to see specific results.)
Party in control Years 1974–2003 2003–2011 2011–2015 2015–2019 2019–2023 2023–present
Leadership
From 1974 until 2002, political leadership was provided by the leader of the council. Only one person served as leader in that time: Councillor Party From To Jim Hawkins 1974 2002
In 2002 the council changed to having a directly elected mayor. The mayors since 2002 have been:
Mayor Party From To Tony Egginton 21 Oct 2002 10 May 2015 Kate Allsop 11 May 2015 5 May 2019 Andy Abrahams 6 May 2019
Composition Following the 2023 election, and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council (excluding the elected mayor's seat) was:
The next full election is due in May 2027.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the district has been divided in 36 wards, each of which elects one councillor. Elections are held every four years.
Premises The council is based at the Civic Centre on Chesterfield Road South in Mansfield. The building was purpose-built for the council at a cost of £6.7million and opened on 1 September 1986.
In 2023, Mansfield District Council was awarded £20 million of funding from the UK Government for the Mansfield Connect Project, which aims to regenerate the former Beales department store into a replacement district council headquarters and multi-agency and community hub. The building was handed back to the council by the contractor after phase one completion from June 2026.Mansfield: Contractor named for first phase of £30m project BBC News, 23 March 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2026Major milestone achieved in delivering Mansfield Connect Mansfield District Council, 21 May 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2026 A major rationale for relocating administrative staff en mass into the town centre to boost retail trade was mooted by then-mayor Tony Egginton in 2009."Is this the end for the Civic Centre?" Chad, 29 July 2009, p.19. Accessed 27 August 2026
Geography Mansfield and Mansfield Woodhouse form a single urban area, which also includes Forest Town. The only civil parish in the district is Warsop; the rest of the district, corresponding to the combined area of the pre-1974 borough of Mansfield and Mansfield Woodhouse urban district, is an unparished area. The parish of Warsop contains the settlements of Market Warsop, Church Warsop and Meden Vale plus surrounding rural areas, including areas of woodland which form part of Sherwood Forest. Part of the urban area of Pleasley, most of which is in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, extends across the boundary into Mansfield district.
Arms
See also Mansfield (UK Parliament constituency)
References
External links Mansfield District Council Home Page