The way the 1996 change was implemented was to create both a non-metropolitan district and non-metropolitan county called Bath and North East Somerset, covering the combined area of the city of Bath and Wansdyke district, but with no separate county council.

[10] Following a petition, a referendum was held in 2016 proposing a directly elected mayor for the Bath and North East Somerset district.

Bath and North East Somerset Council provides both district-level and county-level functions.

[12] Much of the district is covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas.

[27][28] Council meetings are generally held at the Guildhall on High Street in the centre of Bath.

The building was first completed in 1778, and was subsequently extended in the 1890s to include municipal offices for Bath City Council.