Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) 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 (Structural Change) 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.
Image Name Status Population Former local authority Coordinates Refs Bathampton Civil parish 1,603 Bathavon Rural District Batheaston Civil parish 2,735 Bathavon Rural District Bathford Civil parish 1,759 Bathavon Rural District Cameley Civil parish 1,292 Clutton Rural District Camerton Civil parish 655 Bathavon Rural District Charlcombe Civil parish 422 Bathavon Rural District Chelwood Civil parish 148 Clutton Rural District Chew Magna Civil parish 1,149 Clutton Rural District Chew StokeCivil parish 991 Clutton Rural District Claverton Civil parish 115Bathavon Rural District Clutton Civil parish 1,602Clutton Rural District Combe Hay Civil parish 147 Bathavon Rural District Compton Dando Civil parish 579Keynsham Urban District Compton Martin Civil parish 508 Clutton Rural District Corston Civil parish 494 Bathavon Rural District Dunkerton Civil parish 502 Bathavon Rural District East Harptree Civil parish 644 Clutton Rural District Englishcombe Civil parish 318 Bathavon Rural District Farmborough Civil parish 1,035 Clutton Rural District Farrington Gurney Civil parish 901 Clutton Rural District Freshford Civil parish 551 Bathavon Rural District High Littleton Civil parish 2,104 Clutton Rural District Hinton Blewett Civil parish 308 Clutton Rural District Hinton Charterhouse Civil parish 515 Bathavon Rural District Kelston Civil Parish 248 Bathavon Rural District Keynsham Town 15,641 Keynsham Urban District Marksbury Civil parish 397 Bathavon Rural District Midsomer Norton Town Norton Radstock Monkton Combe Civil parish 554 Bathavon Rural District Nempnett Thrubwell Civil parish 177 Clutton Rural District Newton St Loe Civil parish 681 Bathavon Rural District Norton Malreward Civil parish 246 Clutton Rural District Paulton Civil parish 5,302 Clutton Rural District Peasedown St John Civil parish 6,446 Bathavon Rural District Priston Civil parish 232 Bathavon Rural District Publow Civil parish 1,119 Clutton Rural District Radstock Town Norton Radstock Town Council Saltford Civil parish 4,073 Keynsham Urban District Shoscombe Civil parish 443 Bathavon Rural District Southstoke Civil parish 460 Bathavon Rural District Stanton Drew Civil parish 787 Clutton Rural District Stowey-Sutton Civil parish 1,361 Clutton Rural District Swainswick Civil parish 265 Bathavon Rural District Timsbury Civil parish 2,624 Clutton Rural District Ubley Civil parish 331 Clutton Rural District Wellow Civil parish 529 Bathavon Rural District Westfield Civil parish Norton Radstock Town Council West Harptree Civil parish 439 Clutton Rural District Whitchurch Civil parish 1,354 Bathavon Rural District
Demography
+Population ProfileUK Census 2001 B&NES UA SW England EnglandTotal population169,0404,928,43449,138,831Foreign born11.2%9.4%9.2%White97.3%97.7%91%Asian0.5%0.7%4.6%Black0.5%0.4%2.3%Christian71.0%74.0%72%Muslim0.4%0.5%3.1%Hindu0.2%0.2%1.1%No religion19.5%16.8%15%Over 75 years old8.9%9.3%7.5%Unemployed2.0%2.6%3.3%
170,238 people live in the area and approximately half live in the City of Bath making it 12 times more densely populated than the rest of the area.
According to the UK Government's 2001 census, Bath, together with North East Somerset, which includes areas around Bath as far as the Chew Valley, has a population of 169,040, with an average age of 39.9 (the national average being 38.6). According to the same statistics, the district is overwhelmingly populated by people of a white ethnic background at 97.2% – significantly higher than the national average of 90.9%. Other non-white ethnic groups in the district, in order of population size, are multiracial at 1%, Asian at 0.5% and black at 0.5% (the national averages are 1.3%, 4.6% and 2.1%, respectively).
The district is largely Christian at 71%, with no other religion reaching more than 0.5%. These figures generally compare with the national averages, though the non-religious, at 19.5%, are significantly more prevalent than the national 14.8%. Although Bath is known for the restorative powers of its waters, and only 7.4% of the population describe themselves as "not healthy" in the last 12 months, compared to a national average of 9.2%; only 15.8% of the inhabitants say they have had a long-term illness, as against 18.2% nationally.
Population since 1801 – Source: A Vision of Britain through TimeYear1801185119011911192119311941195119611971198119912001Population B&NES57,18896,992107,637113,732113,351112,972123,185134,346144,950156,421154,083164,737169,045
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of North and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire at current basic prices published by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. Year Regional Gross Value AddedComponents may not sum to totals due to rounding Agricultureincludes hunting and forestry Industryincludes energy and construction Servicesincludes financial intermediation services indirectly measured 1995 5,916 125 1,919 3,872 2000 8,788 86 2,373 6,330 2003 10,854 67 2,873 7,914
Settlements
The major towns and villages in the district are: Bath Bathampton Peasedown Keynsham Midsomer Norton Paulton Radstock Saltford Chew Magna
Transport Bath is approximately south-east of the larger city and port of Bristol, to which it is linked by the A4 road, and is a similar distance south of the M4 motorway. Bath and North East Somerset is also served by the A37 and A368 trunk roads, and a network of smaller roads. Bath is also south-west of Chippenham, and south-west of Corsham.
Bath is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon, navigable via locks by small boats. The river was connected to the River Thames and London by the Kennet & Avon Canal in 1810 via Bath Locks; this waterway – closed for many years, but restored in the last years of the 20th century – is now popular with narrow boat users. Bath is on National Cycle Route 4, with one of Britain's first cycleways, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, to the west, and an eastern route toward London on the canal towpath. Although Bath does not have an airport, the city is about from Bristol Airport, which may be reached by road or by rail via Bristol Temple Meads station.
Bath is served by the Bath Spa railway station (designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel), which has regular connections to London Paddington, Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff Central, Swansea, Exeter St Davids, Plymouth and Penzance (see Great Western Main Line), and also Westbury, Warminster, Frome, Salisbury, Southampton Central, Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton (see Wessex Main Line). Services are provided by Great Western Railway. There are suburban stations on the main line at Oldfield Park and Keynsham which have a limited commuter service to Bristol. Green Park station was once operated by the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, whose line (always steam driven) climbed over the Mendip Hills and served many towns and villages on its run to Bournemouth; this example of an English rural line was closed by the Beeching cuts in March 1966, with few remaining signs of its existence, but its Bath station building survives and now houses a number of shops.
The 2004 Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study was commissioned as a result of the de-trunking in 1999 of the A36/A46 trunk road network from Bath to Southampton.
Media The area is served by BBC West and ITV West Country broadcasting from the Mendip TV transmitter.
Local radio stations are: BBC Radio Bristol on 94.9 FM, 103.6 FM and 104.6 FM BBC Radio Somerset on 95.5 FM