Castle Cary is a small market town and civil church in south Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 km) north west of Wincanton as well as 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 obligation for local issues, consisting of setting an annual precept (regional price) to cover the council's operating costs and generating yearly make up public scrutiny. The Town Council reviews neighborhood planning applications and also collaborates with the neighborhood police, district council police officers, and also neighbourhood watch teams on matters of criminal offense, safety, and also traffic. The Community Council's role likewise includes starting tasks for the maintenance and repair of town centers, along with talking to the district council on the upkeep, repair, and enhancement of highways, drainage, paths, public transport, and road cleansing. Conservation issues (including trees and also provided buildings) as well as environmental concerns are the responsibility of the district council. The community drops within the Non-metropolitan area of South Somerset, which was based on 1 April 1974 under the City Government Act 1972, having formerly become part of Wincanton Rural District. The area council is in charge of local planning and also building control, neighborhood roads, council real estate, ecological health and wellness, markets as well as fairs, decline collection as well as recycling, cemeteries and also crematoria, recreation services, parks, and also tourism. Somerset County Council is accountable for running the biggest and most expensive regional solutions such as education and learning, social solutions, collections, highways, public transport, policing and also fire solutions, trading standards, garbage disposal and tactical planning. The town is in the Cary selecting ward. This stretches southern to the North Cadbury parish, as well as south west to Babcary. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 5,502.