South Somerset Explained

South Somerset
Settlement Type:	Non-metropolitan district
Image Blank Emblem:	South Somerset District Council.svg
Blank Emblem Size:	180px
Subdivision Type:	Sovereign state
Subdivision Name:	United Kingdom
Subdivision Type1:	Constituent country
Subdivision Name1:	England
Subdivision Type2:	Region
Subdivision Name2:	South West England
Subdivision Type3:	Ceremonial county
Subdivision Name3:	Somerset
Subdivision Type4:	Admin HQ
Subdivision Name4:	Yeovil
Government Type:	South Somerset District Council
Leader Title:	Leader
Leader Name:	Val Keitch
Leader Title1:	Council
Leader Title2:	MPs
Leader Name2:	David Warburton (Conservative), Marcus Fysh (Conservative)
Established Title:	Created
Established Date:	1 April 1974
Area Total Km2:	959.04
Population Density Km2:	auto
Timezone:	GMT
Utc Offset:	0
Timezone Dst:	BST
Utc Offset Dst:	+1
Postal Code Type:	Post Code
Postal Code:	BA7-10BA20-22
Area Code:	01935/01963
Website:	http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/

South Somerset was a local government district in Somerset, England, from 1974 to 2023. The district covered an area of 370sqmi^[1] ranging from the borders with Devon, Wiltshire and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It had a population of approximately 158,000.^[2] The administrative centre of the district was Yeovil.

On 1 April 2023, the district was abolished and replaced by Somerset Council, a unitary district for the area previously served by Somerset County Council.^[3]

History

See also: South Somerset District Council elections. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, and was originally known as Yeovil, adopting the South Somerset name in 1985. It was formed by the merger of the municipal boroughs of Chard, Yeovil, along with Crewkerne and Ilminster urban districts and the Chard Rural District, Langport Rural District, Wincanton Rural District and Yeovil Rural District.

The district covered the whole of the Yeovil constituency, and part of Somerton and Frome. The district was governed by the South Somerset District Council, last elected in the 2019 South Somerset District Council election.

Abolition

On 1 April 2023, the district council was abolished and replaced by Somerset Council, a unitary authority for the area previously served by Somerset County Council.^[3] Elections for the new council took place in May 2022. It ran alongside South Somerset and the other district councils in the county until their abolition.^[4]

Towns

Its main towns included:

• Bruton
• Castle Cary
• Chard
• Crewkerne
• Ilminster
• Langport
• Milborne Port
• Somerton
• Wincanton
• Yeovil

Wards

The electoral wards included: Camelot and Wessex.

Parishes

Image	Name	Status	Population	Former local authority	Coordinates	Refs
		Civil parish	1,560		50.99°N -2.41°W	^[5] ^[6]
		Civil parish	63		51.08°N -2.57°W
		Civil parish	410		51.05°N -2.85°W	^[7]
		Civil parish	1,085		51.09°N -2.51°W
		Civil parish	626		50.98°N -2.75°W	^[8]
		Civil parish	529		50.94°N -2.96°W	^[9]
		Civil parish	248		51.05°N -2.62°W
		Civil parish	438		50.96°N -2.87°W
		Civil parish	561		51.08°N -2.65°W
		Civil parish	1,221		50.92°N -2.62°W
		Civil parish	134	Langport Rural District	50.98°N -2.97°W
		Civil parish	130		51.03°N -2.5°W
		Civil parish	104		51.07°N -2.47°W
		Civil parish	441		51.13°N -2.4°W
		Civil parish	740		50.93°N -2.97°W
		Town	2,907		51.11°N -2.45°W
		Civil parish	7,308		50.94°N -2.68°W
		Civil parish	521		50.91°N -3.04°W
		Town	2,276		51.09°N -2.51°W
		Civil parish	229		50.89°N -2.92°W
		Town	13,074		50.87°N -2.96°W
		Civil parish	591		51.01°N -2.48°W
		Civil parish	1,073	Langport Rural District	51.05°N -2.68°W
		Civil parish	398		51.08°N -2.39°W
		Civil parish	164		50.89°N -2.87°W
		Civil parish	574		50.97°N -2.68°W
		Civil parish	445		51°N -2.6°W
		Civil parish	275		50.93°N -2.76°W
		Civil parish	220		50.89°N -2.62°W
		Civil parish	1,373		50.89°N -2.99°W
		Civil parish	705	Langport Rural District	51.09°N -2.73°W
		Civil parish	189		51°N -2.52°W
		Town	7,000		50.88°N -2.79°W	^[10]
		Civil parish	50		50.87°N -2.89°W
		Civil parish	173		51.05°N -2.35°W
		Civil parish	69		50.89°N -2.89°W
		Civil parish	306	Langport Rural District	50.99°N -2.96°W
		Civil parish	2,148	Langport Rural District	51.03°N -2.86°W
		Civil parish	65		50.91°N -2.85°W
		Civil parish	347		50.93°N -2.95°W
		Civil parish	277		50.91°N -2.89°W
		Civil parish	379	Langport Rural District	51.019°N -2.85°W
		Civil parish	479		50.92°N -2.72°W
		Civil parish	1,667		50.91°N -2.65°W
		Civil parish	609	Langport Rural District	50.99°N -2.92°W
		Civil parish	514	Langport Rural District	50.99°N -2.86°W
		Civil parish	585		50.9°N -2.69°W
		Civil parish	744		50.89°N -2.75°W
		Civil parish	1,814		50.97°N -2.39°W
		Civil parish	909	Langport Rural District	51.08°N -2.82°W
		Civil parish	442		50.91°N -2.82°W
		Civil parish	238		51.04°N -2.45°W
		Civil parish	571		51.01°N -2.43°W
		Civil parish	812		50.93°N -2.97°W
		Civil parish	2,095	Langport Rural District	51.04°N -2.81°W
		Civil parish	2,153		51°N -2.68°W
		Town	5,808		50.93°N -2.91°W
		Civil parish	854		50.95°N -2.92°W
		Civil parish	205	Langport Rural District	50.98°N -2.92°W
		Civil parish	150	Langport Rural District	50.99°N -2.9°W
		Civil parish	1,068	Langport Rural District	51.07°N -2.65°W
		Civil parish	1,307	Langport Rural District	50.99°N -2.81°W
		Civil parish	303	Langport Rural District	51.04°N -2.69°W
		Civil parish	83		50.92°N -2.89°W
		Civil parish	128	Langport Rural District	51.08°N -2.68°W
		Civil parish	244		50.9°N -2.93°W
		Town	1,081	Langport Rural District	51.04°N -2.83°W
		Civil parish	332		51.01°N -2.76°W
		Civil parish	833	Langport Rural District	51.03°N -2.76°W
		Civil parish	260		50.93°N -2.82°W
		Civil parish	141		51.07°N -2.58°W
		Civil parish	140		51.04°N -2.46°W
		Civil parish	523		51°N -2.58°W
		Civil parish	4,766		50.97°N -2.77°W
		Civil parish	1,979		50.91°N -2.79°W
		Civil parish	2,802		50.97°N -2.46°W
		Civil parish	826		50.87°N -2.78°W
		Civil parish	831		50.95°N -2.72°W
		Civil parish	195	Langport Rural District	51.021°N -2.82°W
		Civil parish	696		50.97°N -2.61°W
		Civil parish	233		51.06°N -2.57°W
		Civil parish	950		51.05°N -2.52°W
		Civil parish	208		51.03°N -2.44°W
		Civil parish	246		50.88°N -2.75°W
		Civil parish	743		50.94°N -2.76°W
		Civil parish	759		50.94°N -2.7°W
		Civil parish	273		51.08°N -2.35°W
		Civil parish	532		51.1°N -2.47°W
		Civil parish	374	Langport Rural District	51.05°N -2.79°W
		Civil parish	117	Langport Rural District	50.96°N -2.89°W
		Civil parish	908		51.02°N -2.58°W
		Civil parish	235		50.99°N -2.56°W
		Civil parish	384		50.93°N -2.86°W
		Civil parish	127		50.93°N -2.84°W
		Civil parish	728		50.95°N -2.85°W
		Civil parish	208		51.08°N -2.47°W
		Town	4,697	Langport Rural District	51.05°N -2.74°W
		Civil parish	162		51.05°N -2.56°W
		Civil parish	284		51.03°N -2.52°W
		Civil parish	3,367		50.95°N -2.81°W
		Civil parish	617		51.04°N -2.57°W
		Civil parish	154		50.95°N -2.88°W
		Civil parish	1,068		50.95°N -2.75°W
		Civil parish	313		51.06°N -2.38°W
		Civil parish	2,660		50.85°N -2.96°W
		Civil parish	902		50.97°N -2.71°W
		Civil parish	184		50.86°N -3°W
		Civil parish	114		50.85°N -2.85°W
		Civil parish	459		51.02°N -2.6°W
		Civil parish	592		50.92°N -2.76°W
		Civil parish	2,018		50.92°N -2.69°W
		Civil parish	631		50.88°N -2.79°W
		Civil parish	209		50.94°N -2.88°W
		Civil parish	256		50.89°N -3.02°W
		Town	5,272		51.06°N -2.41°W
		Civil parish	748		50.85°N -2.89°W
		Civil parish	123		51.06°N -2.49°W
		Town	30,378		50.95°N -2.64°W	^[11]
		Civil parish	6,834		50.96°N -2.65°W
		Civil parish	1,425		51°N -2.65°W	^[12]

Major roads

• A30
• A37
• A303
• A357

Railway stations

• Bruton (Heart of Wessex Line and Reading to Taunton Line), Great Western Railway
• Castle Cary (Heart of Wessex Line and Reading to Taunton Line), Great Western Railway
• Crewkerne (West of England Main Line), South Western Railway
• Templecombe (West of England Main Line), South Western Railway
• Yeovil Junction (West of England Main Line), South Western Railway
• Yeovil Pen Mill (Heart of Wessex Line), Great Western Railway

Heritage Railways

• Chard branch line, former Great Western Railway line between Chard and Taunton
• Yeovil Railway Centre

Education

County schools (those which are not independent) in the five non-metropolitan districts of the county were operated by Somerset County Council (now Somerset Council).

For a full list of schools see: List of schools in Somerset

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in South Somerset
• 2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England

External links

• South Somerset District Council

Notes and References

1. Web site: An introduction to South Somerset. South Somerset District Council. 6 June 2012. 29 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129052617/http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/15589/Economic%20Profile%20An_Introduction_to_South_Somerset.pdf. live.
2. Web site: Population of South Somerset. South Somerset District Council. 2009-07-11. 30 October 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071030184947/http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/index.jsp?articleid=1940. dead.
3. Web site: Frequently asked questions. Somerset County Council. 1 January 2022. 1 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220101113709/https://newsomersetcouncil.org.uk/faqs/. live.
4. News: Elections for new Somerset Council to be held in May 2022 . BBC News . 2 December 2021 . 1 January 2022 . 1 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220101143356/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-59502512 . live .
5. Web site: Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles. Somerset Intelligence. 4 January 2014. Excel. 4 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140104204152/http://www.somersetintelligence.org.uk/files/Somerset%20Census%20Key%20Statistics%20-%20Summary%20Profiles.xls. live.
6. Web site: Wincanton RD. A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. 4 January 2014. 5 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105035716/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10202474. live.
7. Web site: Langport RD. A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. 4 January 2014. 5 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105043937/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10054928. live.
8. Web site: Yeovil RD. A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. 4 January 2014. 8 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131208184514/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10186286. live.
9. Web site: Chard RD. A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. 4 January 2014. 5 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105041057/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10001535. live.
10. Web site: Crewkerne UD. A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. 4 January 2014. 5 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105043855/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10135280. live.
11. Web site: Yeovil MB. A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. 4 January 2014. 5 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105044109/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10153104. live.
12. Web site: The South Somerset (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order 2022. Local Government Boundary Commission for England. 21 May 2022. 20 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220320055200/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Resources/Local%20Government%20Orders/South%20West/Somerset/The%20South%20Somerset%20(Reorganisation%20of%20Community%20Governance)%20Order%202022.pdf. live.