Local News Friday 22nd April

Friday, 22 April 2022 06:00

Work has resumed on up-dating Yeovil town centre. The latest figures show that five people in South Somerset who had Covid-19 died between last Thursday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 20. The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the waiting times endured by some of its patients. A computer glitch is being blamed for the poorest families in Somerset missing out on cash to buy fresh fruit and veg and ‘Beat The Street’ is coming back to Yeovil on the 4th of May.

Work has resumed on up-dating Yeovil town centre but South Somerset District Council says it can’t give a date for when the whole of the Yeovil Refresh scheme will be completed. Work on the first part of the project in Westminster Street suffered a setback when Midas Construction went into administration in February. The Council says that the contract has been re-let and work on the south side of Westminster Street, from outside the NatWest bank to Clarence Street, should be completed by the end of May. A date for work to start at The Triangle in Lower Middle Street, where a new amphitheatre and fountain will be built, has yet to be confirmed. The Council says contracts to up-grade upper Middle Street should be signed next month, with work beginning later in the year.

The latest figures show that five people in South Somerset who had Covid-19 died between last Thursday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 20. Over the same period, 594 people in the district confirmed they had tested positive for the coronavirus. The number of people in South Somerset given a first dose of the Covid vaccination by Monday, April 18th was 141,833, 136,093 had received a second dose and 114,471 a booster or third dose.

The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the waiting times endured by some of its patients. It follows the publication of data showing the longest period an NHS patient in Somerset had to wait to be seen to start treatment after being referred was 152 weeks. The figures also showed no patients waited for more than three years (156 weeks) or for more than four years (208 weeks) at the trust.

A computer glitch is being blamed for the poorest families in Somerset missing out on cash to buy fresh fruit and veg. The food poverty campaign group, Sustain, says that since the NHS Healthy Start voucher system was digitised in October last year, many eligible families applying for vouchers have been rejected. The Department of Health says the software issue is now working.

‘Beat The Street’ is coming back to Yeovil on the 4th of May. The game involves walking, cycling or rolling between ‘Beat Boxes’ across the town centre to earn as many points as possible for you and your team.

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Voting is taking place today to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. NHS Somerset says the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital will stay open until a new replacement unit is built in Dorchester. A supermarket worker has retired after spending 52 years working at the same store in Ilminster...and more.
Wednesday 1st May

SUEZ, the company that collects Somerset’s waste is warning it may cease operations. Twenty thousand pounds is being spent cleaning red paint off the front of County Hall in Taunton following a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. An occupational therapist at Yeovil Hospital has won an award for her smart appearance at work...and more.
Tuesday 30th April

Somerset Council is taking legal action to remove an arms company from one of its commercial properties. Waste collection days across Somerset are set to change next month due to two impending bank holidays. An archaeological survey has begun on the proposed site of a new skate park in Bruton... and more.
Monday 29th April

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Friday 26 April

A man has been arrested in Castle Cary and charged with stalking, harassment and making threats to kill. The NHS in Somerset says its staff retention rate has improved over the past two years. A farmer in South Petherton is preparing to cycle 1,000 miles to raise money for charity...and more.
Thursday 25th April

The NHS is offering spring COVID-19 vaccines to people in Somerset who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus. A new way of making roads safer for children in Somerset has started this week. A Yeovil-based apprentice has been named as a winner in the JTL Regional Awards. Haselbury Mill near Crewkerne has been put up for sale...and more
Wednesday 24th April

Yeovil Town FC have sent a strongly worded letter to the Football Association asking for plans to end FA Cup replays to be dropped. A Somerset woman who's spent the last 32 years living with Hepatitis C, says better support is needed for those affected by the contaminated blood scandal. A new school of musical theatre has opened in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 23rd April

Two teenage boys have admitted animal cruelty after filming themselves throwing a lamb down a stone staircase at Montacute. Somerset Council could lose around £5 million by selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. Chard, Wincanton, Castle Cary and Ansford are on a list of fifteen places in Somerset where new 20 mph speed limits could soon be introduced...and more.