Castle Cary is a tiny market town and also civil parish in south Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 km) north west of Wincanton and also 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Shepton Mallet, at the foot of Lodge Hill and on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett. The Town Council has responsibility for neighborhood concerns, including setting an annual principle (neighborhood rate) to cover the council's operating costs and also creating annual make up public scrutiny. The Town Council assesses neighborhood planning applications and also works with the local police, area council policemans, and area watch groups on matters of crime, security, as well as traffic. The Town Council's function likewise consists of starting jobs for the repair and maintenance of community centers, in addition to seeking advice from the district council on the upkeep, repair work, and improvement of highways, water drainage, paths, public transportation, and also road cleansing. Preservation issues (including trees as well as provided structures) as well as ecological issues are the duty of the district council. The community falls within the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was based on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having actually previously become part of Wincanton Rural District. The district council is responsible for neighborhood preparation and also building control, local roads, council real estate, environmental health and wellness, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, burial grounds and also crematoria, leisure services, parks, and also tourism. Somerset County Council is in charge of running the largest and most expensive local solutions such as education, social solutions, collections, main roads, public transportation, policing as well as fire solutions, trading criteria, garbage disposal and strategic preparation. The community remains in the Cary electoral ward. This stretches southern to the North Cadbury parish, and also south west to Babcary. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 5,502.