Somerset Council is looking to sell off £220 million of commercial properties at a potential loss of £70 million to help stave off bankruptcy. A teacher in Wincanton has been banned from working in schools after completing a prison sentence for asking pupils to send him indecent images. Despite the damp conditions, tonight's fireworks display at Minterne House near Sherborne is going ahead...and more.
Somerset Council is looking to sell off £220 million of commercial properties at a potential loss of £70 million. The move follows news that Somerset Council has to make huge savings in its spending or face bankruptcy. The Council's portfolio of properties includes ownership of shop premises like the Marks and Spencer store in Yeovil, office buildings and other commercial units both in Somerset and other parts of the country.
A teacher in Wincanton has been banned from working in schools indefinitely after completing a prison sentence for asking pupils to send him indecent images. 35-year-old Scott Evans, who taught at King Arthur’s School, served a two-year-and-four-month prison sentence after being convicted in 2021. The Teacher Regulation Authority, part of the Education Department, said there was no evidence that his actions were not deliberate.
The number of councillors on Somerset Council could be cut by the time of the next local elections. The Council currently has 110 members which is the third highest of any upper-tier or unitary authority in England. Now, the Local Government Boundary Commission is to hold a review and has indicated the number of seats on Somerset Council could reduce to between 70 and 90 by the time the next local elections in May 2027. The review will also look into the boundaries of the existing council divisions and may rename some divisions to reflect their local character.
Despite the damp conditions, Minterne House near Sherborne say their fireworks display tonight is going ahead as planned. Gates to the house open at 5 pm with the fireworks starting at 7.30 pm.
Somerton and Glastonbury MP, Sarah Dyke, says the government needs to get an urgent grip on the worsening dentistry situation in her constituency. Bridgwater Town Council has criticised plans by the Somerset Council to charge for Sunday parking. Somerset Council’s Libraries service has launched its Winter Coat Exchange scheme for a third year...and more
A new £7 million primary school and nursery is to be built in the grounds of Holyrood Academy in Chard. A public consultation has opened into plans to merge the parishes of Ansford and Castle Cary. The nomination papers that paved the way for Margaret Thatcher to become Britain's first female Prime Minister have been uncovered in a Somerset garage...and more
Two mothers in Chard are calling on carnival organisers to make carnivals more accessible to children with special educational needs. 4,000 people have been put on a waiting list at a new NHS dental practice in Somerset. Channel 4’s ‘Love It or List It’ is looking to feature properties in Somerset in a new series... and more
The maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital is to reopen within the next six months. There’s been a further delay to reopening Yeovil’s Octagon theatre. No CrossCountry trains will run through Somerset this weekend due to planned industrial action by the RMT union...and more.
Film and TV crews have given Somerset's economy a £4 million boost in the last 12 months.
Around 100 people have objected to plans to build 325 new homes in Crewkerne. Somerset Council is asking the public to report anyone they see sleeping rough...and more
Yeovil MP Adam Dance is urging people to join a campaign for improved support for children with dyslexia. An opposition Conservative member of Somerset Council says businesses will suffer a ‘terrible blow’ if plans go ahead to sell off five Yeovil town centre car parks. A Yeovil man has been jailed for three years... and more.
Union members at Leonardo sites across the UK, including in Yeovil, have voted to go on strike after rejecting a 3.2 percent pay offer. GWR has apologised for not providing a visually impaired Yeovil women with an escort to cross between platforms at Pen Mill station. A walnut grower in Somerset is calling on supermarkets to stop importing the nuts from aboard and to sell the ones he grows instead... and more
Police are appealing for witnesses to a break-in at The Crossing Café on Preston Road in Yeovil. A Yeovil Pharmacist says a 70 percent of people booking an online covid jab are not eligible this year. A former doctor in Chard has won through to the semi-finals of BBC Mastermind...and more
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