Dunster Authority, which is known as a 'single-purpose' authority, whose purpose is to "conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Parks" and "promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the Parks by the public", including responsibility for the conservation of the historic environment. Dunster is the most populous area of the electoral ward named 'Dunster and Timbercombe'. The ward extends North East to the Bristol Channel and South West to Timberscombe. The total population at the 2011 Census was 1,219. It is also part of the Bridgwater and West Somerset
Dunster county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and is part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament; the constituency elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. Dunster Castle was positioned on a steep, high hill. Geologically, the hill is an outcrop of Hangman Grits, a type of red sandstone. During the early medieval period the sea reached the base of the hill, close to the mouth of the River