Berkley is a dispersed settlement and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. According to the 2011 census the parish had a population of 344. It lies on the north-east edge of the town of Frome, St Mary's church being about from the centre of Frome. The parish includes the hamlets of Oldford, Berkley Marsh and Standerwick, and its eastern boundary is also the county boundary with Wiltshire. Geography and transport The parish church, Berkley House and the primary school are towards the south-east of the parish, and from there the hamlet of Berkley Marsh is about 600m to the west. Oldford hamlet is in the far west of the parish, straddling the boundary with Selwood parish; the River Frome is a little further west. The A361 road from Trowbridge and Beckington used to descend Oldford Hill to reach Frome town centre, but in the late 20th century it was diverted south across the parish to avoid Oldford and bypass Frome to the east. The former route through Oldford was renumbered as the B3090. The A36 between Bath and Warminster crosses the east of the parish. As it enters the parish from the north it passes through Standerwick hamlet, which is partly in Beckington parish. The Great Western Railway built their line connecting Westbury to Frome across the parish and opened it in 1850; there was no local station. Governance The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council. The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of Mendip, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Frome Rural District, which 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,