Backwell has its own parish council, made up of fifteen councillors[5] which have responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny.

The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the village hall or community centre, playing fields and playgrounds, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning.

Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also of interest to the council.

[6] The parish falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992.

The ward stretches from Brockley, through Backwell to Barrow Gurney in the east and is represented by Bridget Petty of the Green Party of England and Wales since the 2019 council elections.

[9] Backwell is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of the North Somerset constituency, which was created in 2010 and first used in the 2010 general election.

The lake was built as a balancing pond in the mid-1970s and has become a wildlife haven for birds, bats and dragonflies, which are attracted by the open water and surrounding vegetation.

Bird species include gadwall, shoveler, pochard, tufted duck, grey heron and mute swans.

Today, the quarry which is operated by Tarmac, produces Carboniferous Limestone, which is mainly for use on the roads,[13] after crushing on site.

[15] The now defunct Coles Quarry, in the south of the village, also produced limestone until it was closed by North Somerset Council.

[17] In the summer the Azores high pressure affects the south-west of England, however convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine.

In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms.

[18] On 6 June 1929 Theodore Robinson opened the park to the public [19] and gave it to the "Children and adults of the parish of Backwell".

1st Backwell Scouts hut is just outside the park boundaries, but the fields are used a lot by them for their outdoor activities.

was originally called Backwell United but then merged with one of Bristol's largest youth club's Ashton Boys FC.

[23] Tall Pines Golf Club was founded in 1989, and is located in Downside, adjacent to Bristol Airport.

[26] In addition there is West Leigh Infant School which covers reception and Key Stage 1 and which has received an outstanding Ofsted report.

[28] A private primary school, Fairfield PNEU, is located in the village, having been founded in 1935 and moved to its current site in 1947.

[35] The direct service to London makes the village popular with commuters willing to spend four hours a day travelling by train.

[36] Bristol Airport is at Lulsgate Bottom, which borders the district of Downside, 3 miles (4.8 km) from the centre of Backwell.