Castle Cary is a little market town and also civil church in south Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 kilometres) north west of Wincanton and 8 miles (12.9 kilometres) south of Shepton Mallet, at the foot of Lodge Hill and also on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett. The Town Council has responsibility for local problems, including setting an annual precept (neighborhood price) to cover the council's operating costs as well as generating yearly make up public scrutiny. The Town Council reviews neighborhood planning applications and also deals with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on issues of crime, safety and security, and also web traffic. The Town Council's duty likewise consists of initiating tasks for the maintenance and repair of town centers, in addition to seeking advice from the area council on the upkeep, fixing, and enhancement of freeways, drainage, paths, public transportation, and road cleansing. Preservation issues (including trees and also provided buildings) and also environmental problems are the duty of the area council. The community drops within the Non-metropolitan area of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having formerly belonged to Wincanton Rural District. The area council is accountable for neighborhood planning and also structure control, regional roadways, council housing, ecological wellness, markets and also fairs, reject collection and also recycling, burial grounds as well as crematoria, recreation solutions, parks, and tourism. Somerset County Council is accountable for running the biggest and most costly regional solutions such as education and learning, social solutions, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and also fire services, trading criteria, waste disposal and also tactical preparation. The town remains in the Cary selecting ward. This extends south to the North Cadbury parish, as well as southern west to Babcary. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 5,502.