Castres has teamed up with the nearby town of Mazamet ( 22 kilometers southeast of Castres) and the independent suburbs and villages in between to create the Greater Castres-Mazamet Council (Communauté d'agglomération de Castres-Mazamet), which was established in January 2000 (succeeding a previous district which had been created in 1993 with fewer powers than the current council).