Somerset West and Taunton

Somerset West and Taunton was a local government district in Somerset, England, from 2019 to 2023. It was established on 1 April 2019 by the Somerset West and Taunton (Local Government Changes) Order 2018. The council replaced the Taunton Deane and West Somerset councils, which governed the same area from 1974.

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.

Background
In September 2016, West Somerset and Taunton Deane councils agreed in principle to merge the districts into a single one, subject to consultation. The new district was not a unitary authority, with Somerset County Council still performing its functions at county level. In March 2018 both councils voted in favour of the merger and it came into effect on 1 April 2019, with the first elections to the new council in May 2019.

The new council was approved by James Brokenshire the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 30 May 2018. The merger was expected to save £3.1 million each year.

West Somerset covered a largely rural area, with a population of 35,300 in an area of 740 km2; it was the least populous non-unitary district in England. According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics in 2009, the population of West Somerset has the oldest average age in the United Kingdom at 52. The largest centres of population were the coastal towns of Minehead (population 10,000) and Watchet (4,400).

Taunton Deane was based in Taunton. Taunton Deane had an estimated population of 102,600 in 2001.

Governance
The Conservative Party held a majority on the new council following the merger of Taunton Deane and West Somerset districts on 1 April 2019. This majority was inherited from their seat totals on the predecessor councils rather than the result of a direct election to the council. Inaugural elections to the council were held on 2 May 2019 which saw the Lib Dems gain control of the council. The final composition of the council was the following (note one seat was vacant pending a by-election):

Abolition
On 1 April 2023, the council was abolished and replaced by a Somerset Council, a unitary authority for the area at previously served by Somerset County Council. Elections for the new council took place in May 2022, and it ran alongside the other councils until their abolition in April 2023.