People in South Somerset are to get a vote on the planned shake-up of local government in the County. Meanwhile, Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has come out against holding the poll. A man who lives in High Ham has appeared in court charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. Somerset's Director of Public Health has been made a professor. Trudi Grant has led the county council's response to the covid-19 pandemic...and more.
People in South Somerset are to get a vote on the planned shake-up of local government in the County. Voting will take place both online and by post between now and early June. All interested parties are now agreed that Somerset’s system of local government with four district councils and a county council has to change. The issue is what that change should be; should it be one council to run all services across Somerset or two councils, one based on the Western side of the County, the other on the Eastern side. The poll will not be legally binding with the outcome being sent to the Local Government Minister, Robert Jenrick, before the government announces a final decision, expected sometime in July.
Meanwhile, Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has come out against holding the poll. He’s called it a waste of public money and suggested that South Somerset District Council should spend the money earmarked for the poll on smartening up Yeovil town centre.
A man who lives in High Ham has appeared in court charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. Elliott Ash of Orchard Bank at High Ham pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined £333 and ordered to pay compensation of £225.
Somerset's Director of Public Health has been made a professor. Trudi Grant has led the county council's response to the covid-19 pandemic. She's now been made a Visiting Professor of health at University of the West of England but will also remain working for the county council.
Aspiring young actors in South Somerset can audition to take part in a musical being put on at Glastonbury Abbey this summer. Acclaimed Director Andrew Wright is behind the production of Joseph of the Technicolour Dreamcoat and is recruiting locally for cast members.
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.
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