Districts of SomersetAll unitary authorities 1 Somerset2 North Somerset3 Bath and North East Somerset

The ceremonial county of Somerset is divided into 417 areas known as civil parishes, which are lowest unit of local government in England. Parishes arose from Church of England divisions, and were given their current powers and responsibilities by the Local Government Act 1894. The Local Government Act 1972 retained civil parishes in rural areas. Many former urban districts and municipal boroughs were replaced by new successor parishes; urban areas that were considered too large to be single parishes became unparished areas.HMSO. Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70

The ceremonial county of Somerset is currently governed by three unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES), North Somerset Council, and Somerset Council.

Modern local government in Somerset began in 1889, when an administrative county was created and Somerset County Council was established; Bath was administered separately as a county borough.

In 1974, the county and council were abolished and replaced by two two-tier non-metropolitan counties, Somerset and Avon. Somerset was governed by a reconstituted county council and five districts: Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane and West Somerset. Taunton Deane was granted borough status that same year. Avon consisted of six districts, of which three were created from areas formerly part of Somerset: Woodspring, Wansdyke, and Bath.

In 1996, Avon was abolished and its districts were renamed and reorganised into unitary authorities. Woodspring was renamed 'North Somerset' and Wansdyke and Bath were abolished and a new district covering the same area created, named 'Bath and North East Somerset'. In 1997 the two districts and non-metropolitan county became part of the new ceremonial county of Somerset. On 1 September 2019 the non-metropolitan districts of West Somerset and Taunton Deane merged, with the new district being called Somerset West and Taunton.

In 2023, the non-metropolitan county was reorganised by abolishing the four districts and their councils and reconstituting Somerset County Council as a unitary authority for the non-metropolitan county, with the powers of both a district and county council, renamed Somerset Council. The two existing unitary authorities were not altered.

The city of Bath is the largest centre of population in Bath and North East Somerset. Areas of the city that were formerly within the Bath County Borough are now unparished, but the rest of the authority is divided into 49 parishes. All of North Somerset, the other unitary authority, is covered by its 39 parishes ranging from the village Loxton with a population of 192, to the town of Weston-super-Mare with 76,143 inhabitants.

In the Somerset unitary authority area, the largest settlement is Taunton, with a population of 60,479. All the district is parished.

History Parishes arose from Church of England divisions, and were originally purely ecclesiastical divisions. Over time they acquired civil administration powers. The Highways Act 1555 made parishes responsible for the upkeep of roads. Every adult inhabitant of the parish was obliged to work four days a year on the roads, providing their own tools, carts and horses; the work was overseen by an unpaid local appointee, the Surveyor of Highways. The poor were looked after by the monasteries, until their dissolution. In 1572, magistrates were given power to 'survey the poor' and impose taxes for their relief. This system was made more formal by the Poor Law Act 1601, which made parishes responsible for administering the Poor Law; overseers were appointed to charge a rate to support the poor of the parish. The 19th century saw an increase in the responsibility of parishes, although the Poor Law powers were transferred to Poor Law Unions. The Public Health Act 1872 grouped parishes into Rural Sanitary Districts, based on the Poor Law Unions; these subsequently formed the basis for Rural Districts. Parishes were run by vestries, meeting annually to appoint officials, and were generally identical to ecclesiastical parishes, although some townships in large parishes administered the Poor Law themselves; under the Parishes Act 1882, all extra-parochial areas and townships that levied a separate rate became independent civil parishes.

Civil parishes in their modern sense date from the Local Government Act 1894, which abolished vestries; established elected parish councils in all rural parishes with more than 300 electors; grouped rural parishes into Rural Districts; and aligned parish boundaries with county and borough boundaries. Urban civil parishes continued to exist, and were generally coterminous with the Urban District, Municipal Borough or County Borough in which they were situated; many large towns contained a number of parishes, and these were usually merged into one. Parish councils were not formed in urban areas, and the only function of the parish was to elect guardians to Poor Law Unions; with the abolition of the Poor Law system in 1930 the parishes had only a nominal existence. The Local Government Act 1972 retained civil parishes in rural areas, and many former Urban Districts and Municipal Boroughs that were being abolished, were replaced by new successor parishes; urban areas that were considered too large to be single parishes became unparished areas.

Current position

Recent governments have encouraged the formation of town and parish councils in unparished areas, and the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 gave local residents the right to demand the creation of a new civil parish. A parish council can become a town council unilaterally, simply by resolution; and a civil parish can also gain city status, but only if that is granted by the Crown. The chairman of a town or city council is called a mayor. There are currently 28 civil parishes in the county with the status of a town, and one (Wells) with city status. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 introduced alternative names: a parish council can now choose to be called a community; village; or neighbourhood council.

Bath and North East Somerset The area of the city of Bath which was part of Bath County Borough is unparished.

Image Name Status Population Former local authority Coordinates Refs Bathampton Civil parish 1,603 Bathavon Rural District Batheaston Civil parish 2,735 Bathavon Rural District Bathford Civil parish 1,759 Bathavon Rural District Camerton Civil parish 655 Bathavon Rural District Charlcombe Civil parish 422 Bathavon Rural District Chelwood Civil parish 148 Clutton Rural District Chew Magna Civil parish 1,149 Clutton Rural District Chew StokeCivil parish 991 Clutton Rural District Claverton Civil parish 115Bathavon Rural District Clutton Civil parish 1,602Clutton Rural District Combe Hay Civil parish 147 Bathavon Rural District Compton Dando Civil parish 579Keynsham Urban District Compton Martin Civil parish 508 Clutton Rural District Corston Civil parish 494 Bathavon Rural District Dunkerton and Tunley Civil parish 502 Bathavon Rural District East Harptree Civil parish 644 Clutton Rural District Englishcombe Civil parish 318 Bathavon Rural District Farmborough Civil parish 1,035 Clutton Rural District Farrington Gurney Civil parish 901 Clutton Rural District Freshford Civil parish 551 Bathavon Rural District High Littleton Civil parish 2,104 Clutton Rural District Hinton Blewett Civil parish 308 Clutton Rural District Hinton Charterhouse Civil parish 515 Bathavon Rural District Kelston Civil Parish 248 Bathavon Rural District Keynsham Town 15,641 Keynsham Urban District Marksbury Civil parish 397 Bathavon Rural District Midsomer Norton Town Norton Radstock Monkton Combe Civil parish 554 Bathavon Rural District Nempnett Thrubwell Civil parish 177 Clutton Rural District Newton St Loe Civil parish 681 Bathavon Rural District Norton Malreward Civil parish 246 Clutton Rural District Paulton Civil parish 5,302 Clutton Rural District Peasedown St John Civil parish 6,446 Bathavon Rural District Priston Civil parish 232 Bathavon Rural District Publow Civil parish 1,119 Clutton Rural District Radstock Town Norton Radstock Town Council Saltford Civil parish 4,073 Keynsham Urban District Shoscombe Civil parish 443 Bathavon Rural District Southstoke Civil parish 460 Bathavon Rural District Stanton Drew Civil parish 787 Clutton Rural District Stowey-Sutton Civil parish 1,361 Clutton Rural District Swainswick Civil parish 265 Bathavon Rural District Temple Cloud with Cameley Civil parish 1,292 Clutton Rural District Timsbury Civil parish 2,624 Clutton Rural District Ubley Civil parish 331 Clutton Rural District Wellow Civil parish 529 Bathavon Rural District Westfield Civil parish Norton Radstock Town Council West Harptree Civil parish 439 Clutton Rural District Whitchurch Civil parish 1,354 Bathavon Rural District North Somerset The whole of the district is parished.

Image Name Status Population Former local authority Coordinates Refs Abbots Leigh Civil parish 799Long Ashton Rural District Backwell Civil parish 4,589 Long Ashton Rural District Banwell Civil parish 2,919 Axbridge Rural District Barrow Gurney Civil parish 349 Long Ashton Rural District Blagdon Civil parish 1,116 Axbridge Rural District Bleadon Civil parish 1,079 Axbridge Rural District Brockley Civil parish 277 Long Ashton Rural District Burrington Civil parish 464 Axbridge Rural District Butcombe Civil parish 218 Axbridge Rural District Churchill Civil parish 2,235 Axbridge Rural District Clapton in Gordano Civil parish 348 Long Ashton Rural District Cleeve Civil parish 902 Long Ashton Rural District Clevedon Town 21,281 Clevedon Urban District Congresbury Civil parish 3,497 Axbridge Rural District Dundry Civil parish 829 Long Ashton Rural District Flax Bourton Civil parish 715 Long Ashton Rural District Hutton Civil parish 2,582 Axbridge Rural District Kenn Civil parish 431 Long Ashton Rural District Kewstoke Civil parish 1,690 Axbridge Rural District Kingston Seymour Civil parish 388 Long Ashton Rural District Locking Civil parish 2,756 Axbridge Rural District Long Ashton Civil parish 6,044 Long Ashton Rural District Loxton Civil parish 192 Axbridge Rural District Nailsea Town 15,630 Long Ashton Rural District Pill and Easton-in-Gordano (until 2011 Easton in Gordano) Civil parish 4,828 Long Ashton Rural District Portbury Civil parish 827 Long Ashton Rural District Portishead Town 23,699 Long Ashton Rural DistrictPortishead Urban District Puxton Civil parish 359 Axbridge Rural District St Georges Civil parish 3,379 Axbridge Rural District Tickenham Civil parish 910 Long Ashton Rural District Walton in Gordano Civil parish 273 Axbridge Rural District Weston in Gordano Civil parish 301 Axbridge Rural District Weston super Mare Town 76,143 Axbridge Rural DistrictWeston super Mare Municipal Borough Wick St Lawrence Civil parish 1,331 Axbridge Rural District Winford Civil parish 2,153 Long Ashton Rural District Winscombe and Sandford Civil parish 4,546 Axbridge Rural District Wraxall and Failand Civil parish 2,302 Long Ashton Rural District Wrington Civil parish 2,633Axbridge Rural District Yatton Civil parish 7,552 Long Ashton Rural District

Somerset (district) The whole of the district is parished.