of the fact that the store was sited on the former Old Mills colliery baths site. The Great Mills business was acquired by Focus DIY Ltd in 2000, and all of the stores were rebranded. This site has since been taken over by Wickes. Tesco is a major employer in the village. Although this large store is described as being in Midsomer Norton it lies within Paulton's parish boundaries. Housing In 2009–2015 the Purnells factory was replaced with 420 houses, a family restaurant, green places, small industrial units and a park. Governance Paulton has its own parish council, formed in 1894. This body maintains the following amenities in the parish: the cemetery, Memorial Park, Miners Welfare Recreation Ground, Wallenge Open Space, Noah's Ark Pre-school, nine allotments and the war memorial. The council is also responsible for the public convenience in the Red Lion car park which is leased from B&NES. The leases for the village hall and the swimming pool are held by the parish council. These amenities are looked after by independent management committees with the parish council funding major capital works to the buildings. Paulton is represented on the Bath and North East Somerset Council by two Labour Councillors, Liz Hardman and Grant Johnson. The unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1972. It provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. It is also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, Trading Standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the Great Western Ambulance Service. Bath and North East Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters are in Bath. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Wansdyke district and the City of Bath of the county of Avon. Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Clutton Rural District. The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom