Bath and North East Somerset


Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Somerset, South West England. As its name suggests, it comprises the north-east part of Somerset including the city of Bath, which is its administrative headquarters. It has an area of.
The area was created on 1 April 1996 as part of the abolition of the county of Avon, and covers the same area as the former Avon districts of Wansdyke and Bath. Legally, it comprises a non-metropolitan county and a non-metropolitan district with identical boundaries. The area is governed by Bath and North East Somerset Council, which was created on the same date and which is constituted as a non-metropolitan district council with the responsibilities of a non-metropolitan county council. In addition to its headquarters in Bath, it also has offices in Keynsham. Other settlements in the area include Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Westfield, and Saltford.

History

Bath and North East Somerset was created in 1996, as part of larger reforms to English local government that took place in the 1990s.
The boundaries of what is now the unitary authority area were first defined in 1974, when the non-metropolitan county of Avon was created from the county boroughs of Bristol and Bath and parts of the administrative counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset. Avon was divided into six non-metropolitan districts including Wansdyke and Bath, the two of which together covered the same area as the current unitary authority area.
Avon and its districts were abolished in 1996, under the provisions of the Avon Order 1995. The same order established Bath and North East Somerset by creating a new non-metropolitan district and non-metropolitan county with the same area as the former districts Wansdyke and Bath.

Geography

Bath and North East Somerset covers an area of, of which two thirds is green belt. It stretches from the outskirts of Bristol, south into the Mendip Hills and east to the southern Cotswold Hills and Wiltshire border. Surrounding local government areas include Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.
The city of Bath is the principal settlement in the district, but B&NES also covers Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock and the Chew Valley. Bath lies on the River Avon and its tributaries such as the River Chew and Midford Brook cross the area.
In the west of the area the Chew Valley consists of the valley of the River Chew and is generally low-lying and undulating. It is bounded by higher ground ranging from Dundry Down to the north, the Lulsgate Plateau to the west, the Mendip Hills to the south and the Hinton Blewett, Marksbury and Newton St Loe plateau areas to the east. The River Chew was dammed in the 1950s to create Chew Valley Lake, which provides drinking water for the nearby city of Bristol and surrounding areas. The lake is a prominent landscape feature of the valley, a focus for recreation, and is internationally recognised for its nature conservation interest, because of the bird species, plants and insects.
To the north of Bath are Lansdown, Langridge and Solsbury hills. These are outliers of the Cotswolds.

Governance

The unitary authority area is governed by Bath and North East Somerset Council. As a single-tier local authority, it is responsible for most local government functions including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. It is also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. Fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the South Western Ambulance Service.
The current council consists of 59 councillors. The political division after the 2023 Bath and North East Somerset Council election was:

Parishes

The city of Bath is unparished. The fifteen electoral wards of Bath are: Bathwick, Combe Down, Kingsmead, Lambridge, Lansdown, Moorlands, Newbridge, Odd Down, Oldfield Park, Southdown, Twerton, Walcot, Westmoreland, Weston and Widcombe & Lyncombe. These wards are co-extensive with the city, except that Newbridge includes also two parishes beyond the city boundary.
ImageNameStatusPopulationFormer local authorityCoordinatesRefs
BathamptonCivil parish1,603Bathavon Rural District
BatheastonCivil parish2,735Bathavon Rural District
BathfordCivil parish1,759Bathavon Rural District
CameleyCivil parish1,292Clutton Rural District
CamertonCivil parish655Bathavon Rural District
CharlcombeCivil parish422Bathavon Rural District
ChelwoodCivil parish148Clutton Rural District
Chew MagnaCivil parish1,149Clutton Rural District
Chew StokeCivil parish991Clutton Rural District
ClavertonCivil parish115Bathavon Rural District
CluttonCivil parish1,602Clutton Rural District
Combe HayCivil parish147Bathavon Rural District
Compton DandoCivil parish579Keynsham Urban District
Compton MartinCivil parish508Clutton Rural District
CorstonCivil parish494Bathavon Rural District
DunkertonCivil parish502Bathavon Rural District
East HarptreeCivil parish644Clutton Rural District
EnglishcombeCivil parish318Bathavon Rural District
FarmboroughCivil parish1,035Clutton Rural District
Farrington GurneyCivil parish901Clutton Rural District
FreshfordCivil parish551Bathavon Rural District
High LittletonCivil parish2,104Clutton Rural District
Hinton BlewettCivil parish308Clutton Rural District
Hinton CharterhouseCivil parish515Bathavon Rural District
KelstonCivil Parish248Bathavon Rural District
KeynshamTown15,641Keynsham Urban District
MarksburyCivil parish397Bathavon Rural District
Midsomer NortonTown10,997Norton Radstock
Monkton CombeCivil parish554Bathavon Rural District
Nempnett ThrubwellCivil parish177Clutton Rural District
Newton St LoeCivil parish681Bathavon Rural District
Norton MalrewardCivil parish246Clutton Rural District
PaultonCivil parish5,302Clutton Rural District
Peasedown St JohnCivil parish6,446Bathavon Rural District
PristonCivil parish232Bathavon Rural District
PublowCivil parish1,119Clutton Rural District
Image:RadstockMineWheel.jpg|alt=Large wheel on brick tower.|100pxRadstockTown5,620Norton Radstock Town Council
SaltfordCivil parish4,073Keynsham Urban District
ShoscombeCivil parish443Bathavon Rural District
SouthstokeCivil parish460Bathavon Rural District
Stanton DrewCivil parish787Clutton Rural District
Stowey-SuttonCivil parish1,361Clutton Rural District
SwainswickCivil parish265Bathavon Rural District
TimsburyCivil parish2,624Clutton Rural District
UbleyCivil parish331Clutton Rural District
WellowCivil parish529Bathavon Rural District
WestfieldCivil parish5,854Norton Radstock Town Council
West HarptreeCivil parish439Clutton Rural District
WhitchurchCivil parish1,354Bathavon Rural District