Average council tax bills in Somerset are set to rise by £78 a year when the new Somerset unitary council comes into being, replacing the county council and four district councils in April. Night-time buses are expected to start running in Somerset from Monday, January 23rd. A famous Somerset drink has been featured in the new Sam Mendes film Empire of Light...and more.
Average council tax bills in Somerset are set to rise by £78 a year when the new Somerset unitary council comes into being, replacing the county council and four district councils in April. A number of major capital projects, like the planned regeneration of Wincanton town centre, have been put on hold to help cut spending at the new council by £40 million a year.
Night-time buses are expected to start running in Somerset from Monday, January 23rd. A late bus will operate between Taunton and Chard up to 10.30 pm Monday to Saturday. The routes, that are being subsidised by Somerset County Council, are aimed at getting more people to use public transport.
A famous Somerset drink has been featured in the new Sam Mendes film Empire of Light. Babycham, produced by the Showerings family in Shepton Mallet, makes an appearance in the movie, starring Olivia Coleman and Colin Firth, and set in the 1980s when Babycham was at its most popular.
Parish councils along the A358 Ilminster to Taunton road are hoping their concerns will be taken into account during the period of the delay involving a planning application to turn the road into a dual carriageway. National Highways has decided to look again at the impact the project will have on the environment and not submit the planning application for widening the road until the review has been completed. Chairman of West Hatch parish council, Councillor Keith Read claims that dualing the A358 will be highly detrimental to the local environment.
A family in Marston Magna is trying to get a relative home from a holiday in Greece, where he's been taken seriously ill. The fire service is warning of the dangers of leaving mirrors in view of direct sunlight. Residents in Touchstone Lane in Chard have started a new community speed watch group...and more
A bird flu surveillance zone has been imposed in Somerset. The go-ahead has been given to build sixteen new homes in Shepton Beauchamp. The catering team at Yeovil Hospital has won a top award for the food it serves. Year Four pupils at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have been presented with dictionaries by the local Rotary Club...and more
The fire service says they still don’t know what caused Monday’s major shop fire in Yeovil. A safeguarding review is being carried out into the case of Daniel Gunter, who was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court last week of murdering his two-week-old baby son at Yeovil Hospital. National convenience store chain, Costcutter, has taken over the empty YMCA charity shop in Middle Street in Yeovil for a new store...and more
Parents in Somerset are being advised not to leave their children unsupervised with pets. Somerset Council says it's dealing with a backlog of sixteen hundred planning applications. Ninety thousand pounds has been raised so far for Somerset Community Foundation’s appeal supporting people affected by last week’s coach crash in West Somerset...and more
A boat used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett at Langport has sunk after being vandalised. A union representing firefighters in Somerset says former retained staff are missing out on pension payments. Thirty-nine new affordable homes are to be built in Merriot...and more
A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. Experts say the dry weather has created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in significant numbers across Somerset. A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life...and more.
Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the six-week-long school summer holiday is underway. A Chard woman who was driving a van without insurance that crashed has been given a 16-month driving ban. A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says a lack of rain and hard ground conditions are making it difficult for hedgehogs to survive this summer...and more.
Somerset Council is planning to open twelve new Special Educational Needs units in mainstream schools. Yeovil Hospital is participating in a trial that could revolutionise the treatment of sepsis within the NHS. A 55-acre site in Chard, with plans approved to build 295 homes and a new football ground, has been put up for sale...and more
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