Somerset

Ceremonial County in England

Region: South West

§ This page provides an overview of an England's ceremonial county. Our website has 48 such county pages.

Overview ⁞ Somerset is a largely rural and historic county in South West England, celebrated for its rolling hills, cider orchards, and iconic landmarks such as Glastonbury Tor, Wells Cathedral, and Cheddar Gorge. The ceremonial county encompasses three unitary authorities: Somerset Council (formed in 2023 by merging five former district councils), Bath and North East Somerset Council, and North Somerset Council. While both Bath and North Somerset are administratively independent, they remain within the ceremonial boundary. The county blends rich cultural heritage with vibrant tourism, agriculture, and areas of outstanding natural beauty like the Mendip Hills and Exmoor.

Is Somerset a historic county? Yes—Somerset is a historic county. Administratively, the ceremonial county contains three unitary authorities: Somerset Council, Bath and North East Somerset, and North Somerset.

Somerset has 3 Local Authority Districts. The chart below shows how this compares with other counties in England.

Number of local authority districts in Somerset and other counties — Number of local authority districts in Somerset, compared with other counties

This county page, Somerset, is a sub-page this region page: South West. It zooms in to local authorities, administrative districts, and parliamentary constituencies in this county. We have this list page for easy browsing of all historic counties, ceremonial counties, and administrative counties: List of all counties in the UK.

Local Authorities in Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset Council (Unitary Authority) 🔗 bathnes.gov.uk
North Somerset Council (Unitary Authority) 🔗 n-somerset.gov.uk
Somerset Council (Unitary Authority) 🔗 somerset.gov.uk

Somerset, in England’s South West region, underwent local government reorganisation in 2023 and is now mainly governed by Somerset Council, a unitary authority responsible for all local services including education, transport, planning, housing, and social care, replacing the former county and district councils. In addition, two further unitary authorities operate separately within the historic county area: Bath and North East Somerset Council and North Somerset Council, both established in 1996 after the abolition of Avon. Together, these councils manage a county known for its cathedral city of Wells, the Roman and Georgian heritage of Bath, the seaside towns of Weston-super-Mare and Minehead, the dramatic landscapes of Exmoor and the Mendip Hills, and a patchwork of market towns and rural villages, balancing modern governance with Somerset’s rich history and diverse geography.

Districts in Somerset

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Somerset is within one of ITLs Level 2 area, North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset, that contains the following 5 ITLs Level 3 areas:

(ITL 1) South West
(ITL 2) ⇒ West of England
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire

(ITL 1) South West
(ITL 2) ⇒ North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ North Somerset ⁞ Somerset ⁞ Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole ⁞ Dorset

Constituencies in Somerset

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 11 of them are in Somerset.

Local Authorities in Somerset

Districts in Somerset

Constituencies in Somerset

Counties in South West