The former Somerset Council Leader, Ric Pallister has been found guilty of 18 historical indecent assault charges. Another 290 cases of coronavirus were recorded in Somerset on Wednesday of this week. Councillors have expressed concern about the road safety implications of allowing 48 new homes to be built at Tatworth near Chard. The NHS Organ Donation Service in the South West is asking for more families to donate the organs of their loved ones when they die...and more.
The former Somerset Council Leader, Ric Pallister has been found guilty of 18 historical indecent assault charges, following a 2-week trial at Taunton Crown Court. Pallister, who lives in East Chinnock was accused of using his position to groom his female victims by sexually touching them. Pallister, who was a Liberal Democrat councillor in South Somerset for almost 20-years will be sentenced later today and was told to expect a custodial sentence
Another 290 cases of coronavirus were recorded in Somerset on Wednesday of this week. This is the most up-to-date figure issued by the NHS with a further 62 cases confirmed in South Somerset. It brings the number of positive test results in South Somerset since the pandemic started to 11,297.
Councillors have expressed concern about the road safety implications of allowing 48 new homes to be built at Tatworth near Chard. Land Allocation Ltd, want to develop two adjoining sites on Fore Street in Tatworth. But members of South Somerset District Council’s Area West Committee voted not to give the plans the go-ahead for the moment, pending further talks about road access with the developers.
The NHS Organ Donation Service in the South West is asking for more families to donate the organs of their loved ones when they die. Currently, when a close relative dies, only half of families agree to organ donation.
A Yeovil solicitor has welcomed planned changes to flexible working. Under the government’s planned changes, employees would have the right to request flexible working from day one of starting a new job. Katy Ponsford of Battens Solicitors says the current system is not working in the interests of new employees.
A GoFundMe page set up to support families of last week’s Exmoor bus crash, in which a 10-year-old boy died, has raised over forty thousand pounds. A local councillor is calling for the introduction of speed cameras on the A30, from Yeovil to Sherborne. A group from a school in Ilchester have hiked 26 miles across the Jurassic Coast to fundraise in memory of a school colleague...and more
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.