Friday 20th December

    Somerset Council is pursuing a less ambitious plan for redeveloping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he hasn’t given up on trying to keep open the town’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space in the Triangle in Lower Middle Street will open for public use early in the New Year...and more

    Somerset Council is pursuing a less ambitious plan for redeveloping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. The scheme, which will involve spending fifteen million pounds on enhanced audience facilities, compared to the twenty-nine million originally planned, has been submitted to the Department of Culuture, Media and Sport for sign-off. Yeovil Town Council, who plan to take over running the Octogan when the improvements are completed, have agreed in principle to contribute three and a half million pounds towards the upgrade.

    Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he hasn’t given up on trying to keep open the town’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has backed NHS Somerset’s decision to downgrade the unit, with people in Yeovil who suffer a stroke being taken by ambulance to either Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton or the County Hospital in Dorchester. Mr Dance says the Health Secretary is wrong not to intervene because a lot of the information he based his decision on is now out of date.

    Somerset Council is getting more money from the government, but warning that it's not enough to keep up with rising costs. The Local Government Settlement grant was announced earlier this week, with three billion of the seventy billion package ring-fenced for adult social care. 

    Households in Somerset, supplied by Wessex Water will pay around one hundred pounds more on their water bills over the next five years. This follows Wessex Water’s decision to increase its charges by 21 per cent, which it claims is one of the lowest increases of all water companies in England.

    Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space in the Triangle in Lower Middle Street will open for public use early in the New Year. The amphitheatre-style entertainment area has seating for around 100 and includes a big outdoor TV screen. 

    More from News

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    • Friday 18th July

      EDF has completed another milestone in constructing the new 'Hinkley C' nuclear power plant near Bridgwater. The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire opens today with helicopters built in Yeovil on display. A road leading to Chard reservoir, shut two months ago for strengthening work to a dam wall, has re-opened...and more

    • Thursday 17th July

      Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he has serious concerns about plans that could see the closure of inpatient beds at Crewkerne Community Hospital. Ilminster residents are being asked to vote in a referendum on adopting a new neighbourhood plan for the town. An event in which people take part in a race against horses is returning to Somerset later this year...and more

    • Wednesday 16th July

      A children’s play area in Ilminster has been closed on safety grounds after badger setts were found on the land. Somerset Council sold off £90m of property assets last year to help fight off bankruptcy. Crewkerne Community Hospital could be turned into a neighbourhood health centre...and more.

    • Tuesday 15th July

      The fire service has blamed a discarded portable barbecue for starting a blaze at Ham Hill Country Park. A care home for people with autism and complex needs in Crewkerne has been rated 'good'. A seven-year-old Yeovil boy has set a new world record for completing the most number of consecutive sit-ups for his age group...and more

    • Monday 14th July

      Somerset Council is warning motorists against scanning QR codes at its car parks payment meters. Chard Town Council is spending £10,000 on short-term youth provision over the summer months. Former Yeovil Town player Marcus Stewart says he wants to continue raising money towards finding a cure for motor neurone disease...and more.

    • Friday 10th July

      A Yeovil woman has shared how she is still on the waiting list for a transplant, a year on. A Crewkerne community group saved two tonnes of food from landfill last month and gave it to residents in need. Yeovil Town have announced their fixture list for the 2025/26 season....and more.

    • Thursday 10th July

      The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow heat health alert for the South West. A former Cherry Farm in Chard has donated its netting and high-tensile wire to Somerset Aid for Ukraine. Somerset Council is moving forward with its next phase of plans for the county...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 22°C | Low: 15°C

    • Chard

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 20°C | Low: 15°C

    • Crewkerne

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 20°C | Low: 15°C

    • Somerton

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 21°C | Low: 16°C

    • Wincanton

      Heavy Rain

      High: 21°C | Low: 15°C

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