North Somerset

North Somerset
Official logo of North Somerset
North Somerset within Somerset
North Somerset within Somerset
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth West England
Ceremonial countySomerset
Admin HQWeston-super-Mare
Area first created1 April 1974
Unitary status1 April 1996
Government
 • TypeUnitary authority
 • Governing bodyNorth Somerset Council
 • MPs:[1]Dan Aldridge (Labour, Weston-super-Mare constituency)
Sadik Al-Hassan (Labour, North Somerset constituency)
Area
 • Total144.66 sq mi (374.68 km2)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total219,145 (Ranked 86th)
Ethnicity (2021)
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ISO 3166 codeGB-NSM
Websiten-somerset.gov.uk

North Somerset is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The council is based in Weston-super-Mare, the area's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead, along with a number of villages and surrounding rural areas. Some southern parts of the district fall within the Mendip Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The district was formed in 1974 as the Woodspring district of the county of Avon. Avon was abolished in 1996, when the district was renamed North Somerset and its council took on county-level functions from the abolished county council.

The district is on the coast, facing the Bristol Channel to the west. The neighbouring districts are Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and Somerset.

  1. ^ "MPs and Constituencies". North Somerset Council. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – North Somerset Local Authority (E06000024)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.