Elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions previously carried out by unelected See more

The last full review of electoral boundaries took effect in 2013, when the county was divided into 54 electoral divisions, each of which elected one councillor except for the … See more

The council has its headquarters at County Hall on The Crescent in Taunton, which was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1935. The complex has been subsequently extended, notably with a large tower block in the 1960s.
When first created … See more

In January 2013, Ofsted inspectors gave Somerset Councils' Children’s Services the lowest rating of "inadequate".
In January 2015, Ofsted reinspected the Children’s Services Department and concluded that it remained "inadequate". The corresponding … See more

Somerset County Council needed to save £19.5 million in 2017/18, but only cut £11.1 million. Cuts were announced to highways, public transport and special needs services. Staff were told to take two days off unpaid for the coming two years. The chief executive … See more

Incomplete list, in chronological order
• Sir Edward Strachey, 3rd Baronet (1889–1892)
• Henry Hobhouse (from the 1890s), later Chairman of Council, also Member of Parliament for East Somerset See more

• Somerset portal
• High Sheriff of Somerset
• Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
• List of civil parishes in Somerset See more