It is in the civil parish of Temple Cloud with Cameley and in the council area of Bath and North East Somerset.

The Temple in the place name possibly relates to the Knights Templar who held the manors of Cameley and Cloud around 1200.

Temple Cloud is part of the Mendip Ward, which is represented by one councillor on the Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority, which has responsibilities for services such as education, refuse, tourism etc.

According to the 2001 Census, the Mendip Ward (which includes West Harptree and Hinton Blewett), had 1,465 residents, living in 548 households, with an average age of 39.0 years.

Of these 79% of residents describing their health as 'good', 22% of 16- to 74-year-olds had no qualifications; and the area had an unemployment rate of 1.5% of all economically active people aged 16–74.