Local News Friday 4th March

Friday, 4 March 2022 06:00

Travelodge says it would like to build a new hotel in Yeovil. Bus operators in Somerset are to get a share of 150 million pounds of new government funding. The lifting of the ban on care staff, unvaccinated against Covid from working in care homes, has been welcomed. Rickshaws are being used as a novel form of public transport on the streets of Wells. The shop workers union USDAW has been speaking about the abuse that their members in Somerset have faced in the last twelve months...and more.

Travelodge says it would like to build a new hotel in Yeovil. The hotel chain has included Yeovil on a list of thirty-five places in the South West and Wales where it would like a presence. Travelodge is asking people to contact them if they know of any sites in Yeovil that would be suitable to turn into a hotel

Bus operators in Somerset are to get a share of 150 million pounds of new government funding. It's part of a wider grant scheme by the Department for Transport to help services recover from the effects of the pandemic. The grant scheme is expected to run until October this year.

The lifting of the ban on care staff, unvaccinated against Covid from working in care homes, has been welcomed by the Somerset-based Vice-Chair of the National Care Association, Joyce Pinfield. The government says it’s been possible to lift the ban because there’s now more natural immunity to Covid in the population but Joyce Pinfield says the care sector has paid a high price, with thousands of care workers leaving their jobs because of the ban.

Rickshaws are being used as a novel form of public transport on the streets of Wells. The Wells Community Network says the rickshaws are helping older people and those with mobility problems get around the city more easily.

The shop workers union USDAW has been speaking about the abuse that their members in Somerset have faced in the last twelve months. USDAW claims that 90% of their members experienced verbal abuse and 64% had threats made against them by customers.

Yeovil Town play away against Notts County tomorrow. Meanwhile, Yeovil Manager, Darren Sarll says he needs to bring in at least one new player to help improve his team, with a third of games in the National League this season still to be played.

More from News

Friday 31st January

A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more
Thursday 30th January

Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more
Wednesday 29th January

New mums in Somerset could soon be offered a cervical screening test six weeks after giving birth. Police are asking for help in finding a Yeovil man wanted on recall to prison. The government has given half a million pounds towards planting more trees in Somerset, including 100 new trees in Yeovil...and more
Tuesday 28th January

Work continues to clean up from the floods in Chard, Ilminster, Somerton, South Petherton, and parts of Yeovil. A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. A competition that gives new musicians the chance to play at this year's Glastonbury festival has opened for entries...and more
Monday 27th January

A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more
News Friday 24th January

Plans have been submitted to build a David Lloyd Health and Fitness Club in Yeovil. Carers in Somerset say spending cuts to mental health support services will be hugely damaging. People with memories of Somerset women's cricket side are being asked to take part in a project to preserve its history. Two of our local restaurants have been listed in the top 100 restaurants in the UK...and more
Thursday 23rd January

Yeovil Town Council has defended its decision to increase its share of the Council Tax by an average of £80. A man who drove an e-scooter in Yeovil while disqualified from driving has been jailed for six weeks. According to new data, the Yeovil driving test centre is the 12th easiest in the UK to pass a driving test...and more
Wednesday 22nd January

Somerset Council is to pay for fifty-bed spaces in nursing homes so that patients can be discharged from hospital quicker. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, is calling for improved disabled access at Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction railway stations. Crewkerne could soon get a new farm shop...and more.