Local News Monday 21st March

Monday, 21 March 2022 06:00

A new report claims the controversial cull of badgers that began in Somerset ten years ago and aimed at helping stop the spread of TB among cattle hasn’t worked. Plans have been submitted to build a new drive-thru coffee shop, using repurposed shipping containers, in Yeovil. Kerbing and drainage work at Boden Street in Chard is due to be completed by the end of the month, A new home for adults with autism and other learning disabilities is to open in Yeovil...and more.

A new report claims the controversial cull of badgers that began in Somerset ten years ago and aimed at helping stop the spread of TB among cattle hasn’t worked. It’s been published by a group of scientists known as Born Free, who are opposed to culling badgers. The government says the report has manipulated official data.

Plans have been submitted to build a new drive-thru coffee shop, using repurposed shipping containers, in Yeovil. The facility would be on land opposite Palmers fish and chip shop, next to the Bluebell roundabout on Bunford Lane. South Somerset District Council is due to make a decision on the application in the next three months.

Kerbing and drainage work at Boden Street in Chard is due to be completed by the end of the month, making way for the new asphalt to be laid. South Somerset District Council says a new footway along the east side of Boden Street will be in place by April, making it safer to walk into town from the Boden Street car park, as well as Chard Leisure Centre. The improvements are part of the multi-million pound Chard Regeneration project.

A new home for adults with autism and other learning disabilities is to open in Yeovil. The complex of five-bed bungalows on The Avenue in Yeovil is for people who have ended a stay in hospital. They will stay for 2-years after which they will move into permanent accommodation.

A water tap has been installed in Middle Street in Yeovil for public use. It’s aimed at encouraging people to drink more tap water and not use water in plastic bottlers to avoid the use of single-use plastic bottles. The tap and has been provided by Wessex Water as a free service.

Parliament has passed legislation allowing for the setting up of Somerset’s new unitary council. The Somerset Structural Changes Order gives responsibility for creating the single unitary council from April next year and replacing the County Council and four district councils, to a new Implementation Executive. It also gives approval for local elections to be held on May 5th to elect 110 councillors to run the new Somerset unitary council.

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Friday 7th February

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more
Thursday 6th February

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.
Wednesday 5th February

The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.
Tuesday 4th February

Somerset has been permitted to increase its Council Tax share by 7.5 percent. An Ilminster man, forced out of his house by last week's floods, says he doesn't know when he will be able to return home. Ilminster Literary Festival has launched its annual children’s writing competition, designed to encourage local children to write creative literature...and more.
Monday 3rd February

Five men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Yeovil. A 16-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with a stabbing in Yeovil. Yeovil’s new outdoor entertainment space in Lower Middle Street has been officially opened by the town’s MP... and more.
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