Local News Friday 17th December

Friday, 17 December 2021 06:00

Hospitality businesses in Somerset are having bookings cancelled as concern grows over the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant. A Somerton man has been jailed for 18-years for sexually assaulting two girls. Carers in Somerset are set to get a pay boost following an investment of five million pounds in the sector by Somerset County Council and the NHS. Public health officials say they're confident of meeting the government’s target of giving booster jabs to 1.7 million people in the South West in the next two weeks. A project run by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is helping local peopl

Hospitality businesses in Somerset are having bookings cancelled as concern grows over the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Business owners say they’re facing a "cliff-edge" after Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, urged people to "think carefully" about attending social events before Christmas.

A Somerton man has been jailed for 18-years for sexually assaulting two girls. Alan Burnell of Brunel Flats in Somerton was appearing for sentencing at Taunton Crown Court after being found guilty of 11 indecency offences at a trial earlier in the year.

Carers in Somerset are set to get a pay boost following an investment of five million pounds in the sector by Somerset County Council and the NHS. The proposed changes to carer's pay include a retention bonus of £250 to those who’ve been working in registered care for the last six months and a 9% uplift to domiciliary care providers who agree to pay all their staff a minimum of £10.50 per hour.

Public health officials say they're confident of meeting the government’s target of giving booster jabs to 1.7 million people in the South West in the next two weeks. 2.3 million people have already had a COVID booster in the region.

A project run by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is helping local people with severe mental health conditions get back into employment. A team of five specialist coaches has been assigned to work with people not in jobs or who are struggling to hold down a job.

Sherborne Post Office has been unexpectedly closed due to what’s been described as ‘health-related' issues. The branch shut on Wednesday and isn’t expected to re-open until Monday at the earliest. The nearest post office to Sherborne is Yeovil.

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