Bath and North East Somerset
| Bath and North East Somerset District | |
|---|---|
| |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Unitary district |
| Region: | South West England |
| Historic county: | Somerset |
| Ceremonial county: | Somerset |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 137th 351.12 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Bath |
| ONS code: | 00HA |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2022) - Density |
Ranked / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 97.2% White |
| Politics | |
| Bath and North East Somerset Council http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/ | |
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | |
| MPs: | Don Foster, Dan Norris |
Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a unitary authority that was created on April 1, 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset.
The city of Bath is the principal settlement in the district, but BANES also covers Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock and the Chew Valley. The geographical area covered is 351.12 km² (135 mi²). There are a total of 72,000 dwellings within the area, 6,408 are listed buildings, 662 Grade 1and 145 Grade 2 and classified as of historical or architectural importance. 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.
Since BANES was created, no political party has been in overall control of the council. The Liberal Democrats quickly became the dominant party, but in the local elections on May 1, 2003 the Conservative Party won ten seats and are almost level with the Liberal Democrats. The Labour Party has only six seats, none of which are in Bath.
Local issues include traffic calming measures, graffiti, council tax and the escalating cost of the new (and much delayed) Thermae Bath Spa development.
BANES is often criticised for being divided between its distinct component parts, the urban Bath and rural North East Somerset, with Bath getting most of the investment and attention from the council. However, it is predominantly Bath residents who are campaigning for a return to a separate Bath city council as it existed under the former Avon County. The district was formed as a merger of the former Avon districts of Bath and Wansdyke.
The district borders Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire local government areas.
On December 10, 2003, Bath and North East Somerset was granted Fairtrade Zone status.
Towns and villages
The major towns and villages in the district are:
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 (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added[1] | Agriculture[2] | Industry[3] | Services[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 5,916 | 125 | 1,919 | 3,872 |
| 2000 | 8,788 | 86 | 2,373 | 6,330 |
| 2003 | 10,854 | 67 | 2,873 | 7,914 |
^ includes hunting and forestry
^ includes energy and construction
^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding