West Somerset was a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The council covered a largely rural area, with a population of 34,900 in an area of 740 square kilometres; it was the least populous non-unitary district in England. According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics in 2009, the population of West Somerset has the oldest average age in the United Kingdom at 52.
The largest centres of population are the coastal towns of Minehead and Watchet.
The council's administrative headquarters were located in the village of Williton, with an additional office in Minehead.
In September 2016, West Somerset and Taunton Deane councils agreed in principle to merge the districts into one subject to consultation. The new district would not be a unitary authority: it would still be part of the Somerset County Council area. In March 2018 both councils voted in favour of the merger and it came into effect on 1 April 2019, with the first elections to the new council in May 2019. The new authority is known as Somerset West and Taunton Council.