The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole of three former districts and of part of a fourth, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
Local party the Ashfield Independents has held a majority of the seats on the council since 2019.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[8][9]
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 35 councillors representing 23 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[14]
Premises
Ada Lovelace House, built 1933 as offices of Kirkby-in-Ashfield Urban District Council and used as one of Ashfield's offices until new offices were built immediately behind it in 1986.
The council is based at the Council Offices on Urban Road in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, completed in 1986 on a site behind the old headquarters (built 1933) of one of the council's predecessors, the Kirkby-in-Ashfield Urban District Council, with the old building now being known as Ada Lovelace House.[15][16] The new building was officially opened in October 1986 by Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester.[17]
Settlements and parishes
Hucknall, the second-largest settlement in the district and contiguous with nearby NottinghamKirkby-in-Ashfield, the third-largest settlement in the district and its administrative headquarters
There are just three civil parishes in the district, being Annesley, Felley and Selston. Annesley and Felley share a grouped parish council.[18] The rest of the district, corresponding to the pre-1974 urban districts of Hucknall, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield, is an unparished area.[7]
The largest settlement is Sutton-in-Ashfield. Towns and villages in the district include the following:
