South Somerset

South Somerset was a local government district in Somerset, England, from 1974 to 2023. The district covered an area of ranging from the borders with Devon, Wiltshire and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It had a population of approximately 158,000. 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.

History

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. 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.

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 Abbas and Templecombe Civil parish 1,560 Wincanton Rural District Alford Civil parish 63 Wincanton Rural District Aller Civil parish 410 Langport Rural District Ansford Civil parish 1,085 Wincanton Rural District Ash Civil parish 626 Yeovil Rural District Ashill Civil parish 529 Chard Rural District Babcary Civil parish 248 Langport Rural District Barrington Civil parish 438 Langport Rural District Barton St David Civil parish 561 Langport Rural District Barwick Civil parish 1,221 Yeovil Rural District Beercrocombe Civil parish 134 Langport Rural District Compton Pauncefoot Civil parish 130 Wincanton Rural District Bratton Seymour Civil parish 104 Wincanton Rural District Brewham Civil parish 441 Wincanton Rural District Broadway Civil parish 740 Chard Rural District Bruton Town 2,907 Wincanton Rural District Brympton Civil parish 7,308 Yeovil Rural District Buckland St Mary Civil parish 521 Chard Rural District Castle Cary Town 2,276 Wincanton Rural District Chaffcombe Civil parish 229 Chard Rural District Chard Town Town 13,074 Chard Municipal Borough Charlton Horethorne Civil parish 591 Wincanton Rural District Charlton Mackrell Civil parish 1,073 Langport Rural District Charlton Musgrove Civil parish 398 Wincanton Rural District Chillington Civil parish 164 Chard Rural District Chilthorne Domer Civil parish 574 Yeovil Rural District Chilton Cantelo Civil parish 445 Yeovil Rural District Chiselborough Civil parish 275 Yeovil Rural District Closworth Civil parish 220 Yeovil Rural District Combe St Nicholas Civil parish 1,373 Chard Rural District Compton Dundon Civil parish 705 Langport Rural District Corton Denham Civil parish 189 Wincanton Rural District Crewkerne Town 7,000 Crewkerne Urban District Cricket St Thomas Civil parish 50 Chard Rural District Cucklington Civil parish 173 Wincanton Rural District Cudworth Civil parish 69 Chard Rural District Curry Mallet Civil parish 306 Langport Rural District Curry Rivel Civil parish 2,148 Langport Rural District Dinnington Civil parish 65 Chard Rural District Donyatt Civil parish 347 Chard Rural District Dowlish Wake Civil parish 277 Chard Rural District Drayton Civil parish 379 Langport Rural District East Chinnock Civil parish 479 Yeovil Rural District East Coker Civil parish 1,667 Yeovil Rural District Fivehead Civil parish 609 Langport Rural District Hambridge and Westport Civil parish 514 Langport Rural District Hardington Mandeville Civil parish 585 Yeovil Rural District Haselbury Plucknett Civil parish 744 Yeovil Rural District Henstridge Civil parish 1,814 Wincanton Rural District High Ham Civil parish 909 Langport Rural District Hinton St George Civil parish 442 Chard Rural District Holton Civil parish 238 Wincanton Rural District Horsington Civil parish 571 Wincanton Rural District Horton Civil parish 812 Chard Rural District Huish Episcopi Civil parish 2,095 Langport Rural District Ilchester Civil parish 2,153 Yeovil Rural District Ilminster Town 5,808 Chard Rural DistrictIlminster Urban District Ilton Civil parish 854 Chard Rural District Isle Abbots Civil parish 205 Langport Rural District Isle Brewers Civil parish 150 Langport Rural District Keinton Mandeville Civil parish 1,068 Langport Rural District Kingsbury Episcopi Civil parish 1,307 Langport Rural District Kingsdon Civil parish 303 Langport Rural District Kingstone Civil parish 83 Chard Rural District Kingweston Civil parish 128 Langport Rural District Knowle St Giles Civil parish 244 Chard Rural District Langport Town 1,081 Langport Rural District Long Load Civil parish 332 Yeovil Rural District Long Sutton Civil parish 833 Langport Rural District Lopen Civil parish 260 Chard Rural District Lovington Civil parish 141 Wincanton Rural District Maperton Civil parish 140 Wincanton Rural District Marston Magna Civil parish 523 Yeovil Rural District Martock Civil parish 4,766 Yeovil Rural District Merriott Civil parish 1,979 Chard Rural District Milborne Port Civil parish 2,802 Wincanton Rural District Misterton Civil parish 826 Chard Rural District Montacute Civil parish 831 Yeovil Rural District Muchelney Civil parish 195 Langport Rural District Mudford Civil parish 696 Yeovil Rural District North Barrow Civil parish 233 Wincanton Rural District North Cadbury Civil parish 950 Wincanton Rural District North Cheriton Civil parish 208 Wincanton Rural District North Perrott Civil parish 246 Yeovil Rural District Norton sub Hamdon Civil parish 743 Yeovil Rural District Odcombe Civil parish 759 Yeovil Rural District Penselwood Civil parish 273 Wincanton Rural District Pitcombe Civil parish 532 Wincanton Rural District Pitney Civil parish 374 Langport Rural District Puckington Civil parish 117 Langport Rural District Queen Camel Civil parish 908 Wincanton Rural District Rimpton Civil parish 235 Yeovil Rural District Seavington St Mary Civil parish 384Chard Rural District Seavington St Michael Civil parish 127 Chard Rural District Shepton Beauchamp Civil parish 728 Chard Rural District Shepton Montague Civil parish 208 Wincanton Rural District Somerton Town 4,697 Langport Rural District South Barrow Civil parish 162 Wincanton Rural District South Cadbury Civil parish 284 Wincanton Rural District South Petherton Civil parish 3,367 Yeovil Rural District Sparkford Civil parish 617 Wincanton Rural District Stocklinch Civil parish 154 Chard Rural District Stoke sub Hamdon Civil parish 1,068 Yeovil Rural District Stoke Trister Civil parish 313 Wincanton Rural District Tatworth and Forton Civil parish 2,660 Chard Rural District Tintinhull Civil parish 902 Yeovil Rural District Wambrook Civil parish 184 Chard Rural District Wayford Civil parish 114 Chard Rural District West Camel Civil parish 459 Yeovil Rural District West and Middle Chinnock Civil parish 592 Yeovil Rural District West Coker Civil parish 2,018 Yeovil Rural District West Crewkerne Civil parish 631 Chard Rural District Whitelackington Civil parish 209 Chard Rural District Whitestaunton Civil parish 256 Chard Rural District Wincanton Town 5,272 Wincanton Rural District Winsham Civil parish 748 Chard Rural District Yarlington Civil parish 123 Wincanton Rural District Yeovil Town 30,378 Yeovil Municipal Borough Yeovil Without Civil parish 6,834Yeovil Rural District Yeovilton and District Civil parish 1,425 Yeovil Rural District

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

South Somerset

Bron en licentie