The district also includes the towns of Caistor and Market Rasen, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

The east of the district includes part of the Lincolnshire Wolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Following the 2023 election the Liberal Democrats had exactly half the seats on the council, and managed to form an administration with the support of one of the independent councillors.

[18] The council is based at the Guildhall in Marshall's Yard in Gainsborough, which is a modern office building within a retail development.

The boundary of the district in the west borders the River Trent, and meets Nottinghamshire (Bassetlaw) and North Lincolnshire at East Stockwith, close to Wildsworth.

It deviates from the Trent, to the east along the River Eau at Scotter, where it meets Messingham in North Lincolnshire.

The Bigby parish is the northern part of West Lindsey that skirts the southern edge of Brigg, crossing the A1084 and the railway line.

North of Bigby village it crosses the western escarpment of the northern Lincolnshire Wolds, then skirts the southern and eastern perimeter of Humberside Airport.

It meets the B1225 High Street at Tealby, and for around two miles southwards is the district boundary, crossing the A631 at North Willingham.

At Holton cum Beckering it crosses the B1202, then the A158 at Goltho, where it skirts the western edge of Wragby (in East Lindsey).

It skirts the southern edge of the former RAF Bardney, and crosses the B1190 near Tupholme Abbey (in East Lindsey).

A few hundred metres west it meets the Foss Dyke, which from there a mile north-west is the boundary with North Kesteven.

It follows a half-mile section of Ox Pasture Drain north to the A57, which it briefly follows westwards until Kettlethorpe (A156 junction).

It covers Gainsborough, Market Rasen, Sudbrooke, Fiskerton, Reepham, Cherry Willingham, Nettleham, Welton, Caistor, and Keelby.

These schools offer a standard of state education from ages 11–16 not available in the regions of Lincolnshire directly north of the district (former Lindsey before 1974).

[25] Publications with a focus on a particular area within the district include the Gainsborough Standard and the Market Rasen Mail.