Dunster it was part of Williton Rural District. The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. The larger and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning are the responsibility of Somerset County Council. As Dunster falls within the Exmoor National Park, some functions normally administered by district or county councils have, since 1997, fallen under the Exmoor National Park
Dunster Castle castle include the original 13th-century gates and several pieces of art, including a Tudor copy of Hans Eworth's famous allegorical portrait of Sir John Luttrell, and a sequence of leather tapestries showing scenes from the story of Antony and Cleopatra. The castle also holds a piano that once belonged to the composer Vivian Ellis. The gardens surrounding the castle cover approximately and include the National Plant Collection of Strawberry Trees; the wider parkland beyond totals . Just to the south of the castle is the restored 18th-century castle watermill. In 2017 the castle received 209,245 visitors. Dunster Castle has been