Taunton Deane


Taunton Deane was a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council was based in Taunton.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District, and Wellington Rural District.
Taunton Deane was granted borough status in 1975, perpetuating the mayoralty of Taunton.
The district was given the name of an alternative form of the Taunton Deane Hundred.
In September 2016, West Somerset and Taunton Deane councils agreed in principle to merge the districts into one subject to consultation. The new district would not be a unitary authority, with Somerset County Council still performing its functions. 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 authority will be known as Somerset West and Taunton.

Governance

The district was governed by Taunton Deane Borough Council, with the most recent election resulting in the Conservatives gaining an increased majority on the council.
PartySeats HeldNet Gain/LossVotes Received
Conservative36+849,934
Liberal Democrat14-939,608
Independent3+15,310
Labour2-19,268
UKIP1+11,349

Settlements

Settlements in bold have a town charter or a population over 2,500.
Part of the former Taunton Municipal Borough is unparished.
ImageNameStatusPopulationFormer local authorityCoordinatesRefs
AshbrittleCivil parish225Wellington Rural District
Ash PriorsCivil parish155Taunton Rural District
BathealtonCivil parish194Wellington Rural District
BickenhallCivil parish122Taunton Rural District
Bishop's HullCivil parish2,975Taunton Rural District
Bishops LydeardCivil parish2,839
Taunton Rural District
Bradford-on-ToneCivil parish622Wellington Rural District
BurrowbridgeCivil parish508Taunton Rural District
Cheddon FitzpaineCivil parish1,929Taunton Rural District
ChipstableCivil parish309Wellington Rural District
ChurchstantonCivil parish752Taunton Rural District
Combe FloreyCivil parish261Taunton Rural District
ComeytroweCivil parish5,463Taunton Municipal Borough
Taunton Rural District
CorfeCivil parish253Taunton Rural District
Cotford St LukeCivil parishcreated post-censusTaunton Rural District
CothelstoneCivil parish111Taunton Rural District
Creech St MichaelCivil parish2,416Taunton Rural District
CurlandCivil parish225Taunton Rural District
DurstonCivil parish136Taunton Rural District
FitzheadCivil parish264Wellington Rural District
HalseCivil parish290Taunton Rural District
Hatch BeauchampCivil parish620Taunton Rural District
Kingston St MaryCivil parish921Taunton Rural District
Langford BudvilleCivil parish535Wellington Rural District
Lydeard St LawrenceCivil parish506Taunton Rural District
MilvertonCivil parish1,438Wellington Rural District
North CurryCivil parish1,640Taunton Rural District
Norton FitzwarrenCivil parish3,046Taunton Rural District
NyneheadCivil parish415Wellington Rural District
OakeCivil parish765Wellington Rural District
Orchard PortmanCivil parish150Taunton Rural District
OtterfordCivil parish356Taunton Rural District
PitminsterCivil parish956Taunton Rural District-
RuishtonCivil parish1,473Taunton Rural District
Sampford ArundelCivil parish268Wellington Rural District
Staple FitzpaineCivil parish189Taunton Rural District
StaplegroveCivil parish1,649Taunton Rural District
StawleyCivil parish279Wellington Rural District
Stoke St GregoryCivil parish942Taunton Rural District
Stoke St MaryCivil parish421Taunton Rural District
ThornfalconCivil parish119Taunton Rural District
TollandCivil parish81Taunton Rural District
TrullCivil parish2,288Taunton Rural District
WellingtonTown13,822Wellington Urban District
–Wellington WithoutCivil parish727Wellington Rural District
West BagboroughCivil parish358Taunton Rural District
West BucklandCivil parish1,189Wellington Rural District
West HatchCivil parish306Taunton Rural District
West MonktonCivil parish2,787Taunton Rural District
WiveliscombeTown2,893Wellington Rural District

Demography

The town of Taunton had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001.
Taunton forms part of the larger borough of Taunton Deane which also includes the town of Wellington and surrounding villages. Taunton Deane had an estimated population of 102,600 in 2001.
The figures below are for the Taunton Deane area.

Education

County schools in the five non-metropolitan districts of the county are operated by Somerset County Council, or are independent of the council and run as academies.
For a full list of schools see: List of schools in Somerset