Local News Thursday 15th April

Thursday, 15 April 2021 07:30

People in South Somerset are being invited to take part in a major UK trial looking at whether coronavirus vaccines can be safely mixed. The Local Government Secretary, Robert Jenrick, has criticised Somerset’s district councils over a proposal to hold a local poll. A revised application for a new McDonald’s in Yeovil has been granted full planning permission, despite local objections...and more.

People in South Somerset are being invited to take part in a major UK trial looking at whether coronavirus vaccines can be safely mixed. The trial to see different ones being used for first and second doses is being expanded to include two new jabs, Moderna or Novovax. People aged over 50 who have received a first dose of the Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines can apply to take part. Their second dose will either be the same again or one of the newer vaccines.

The Local Government Secretary, Robert Jenrick, has criticised Somerset’s district councils over a proposal to hold a local poll on the planned reorganisation of local councils in the County. Last week, Somerset’s four district councils said they could hold a survey next month, at an estimated cost of more than 300-thousand-pounds, to gauge support for a countywide referendum on the issue. The government is already holding its own online consultation, which ends on Monday. The issue is whether the County should have one council, or be run by two councils; one based on the eastern half of Somerset; the other to serve the western half of the County.

A revised application for a new McDonald’s in Yeovil has been granted full planning permission, despite local objections. The fast-food chain had its application to build a restaurant on Sherborne Road approved in 2020. The only difference with the revised application is that the building will be single-storey rather than spread over two floors. Pittards, who have their factory next to the new McDonald’s, had asked for an entry and exit road to be built off the A30 but the County Highway Authority says vehicles using the new McDonald’s will not impact adversely on the A30.

Horse riders have failed in their efforts to secure a right of way across the A303 at Sparkford. The South Somerset Bridleway Association had wanted a bridleway included In the work to dual the A303 between the Sparkford and Podimore roundabouts. Somerset County Council claims no evidence existed of there having been a bridleway in use in the area and refused to add it to the local ‘rights of way map’.

The cancer charity CLIC Sargent is appealing for donations of clothes and toys for its shops in Somerset. It follows losses of around £1.5 million in sales due to shops having to shut during the lockdown. CLIC Sargent’s shop in Princes Street in Yeovil re-opened fully for trading earlier this week.

More from News

Wednesday 1st May

SUEZ, the company that collects Somerset’s waste is warning it may cease operations. Twenty thousand pounds is being spent cleaning red paint off the front of County Hall in Taunton following a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. An occupational therapist at Yeovil Hospital has won an award for her smart appearance at work...and more.
Tuesday 30th April

Somerset Council is taking legal action to remove an arms company from one of its commercial properties. Waste collection days across Somerset are set to change next month due to two impending bank holidays. An archaeological survey has begun on the proposed site of a new skate park in Bruton... and more.
Monday 29th April

Somerset’s busiest speed camera in 2023 has been revealed as the camera on the westbound carriageway of the A303 between the Podimore Roundabout and the Hazelgrove Roundabout. Bus campaigners are calling on Somerset Council to keep the public toilets open at Yeovil bus station. The funeral has taken place in Yeovil of D-Day veteran, Bill Tolley, who has died at the age of 97...and more.
Friday 26 April

A man has been arrested in Castle Cary and charged with stalking, harassment and making threats to kill. The NHS in Somerset says its staff retention rate has improved over the past two years. A farmer in South Petherton is preparing to cycle 1,000 miles to raise money for charity...and more.
Thursday 25th April

The NHS is offering spring COVID-19 vaccines to people in Somerset who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus. A new way of making roads safer for children in Somerset has started this week. A Yeovil-based apprentice has been named as a winner in the JTL Regional Awards. Haselbury Mill near Crewkerne has been put up for sale...and more
Wednesday 24th April

Yeovil Town FC have sent a strongly worded letter to the Football Association asking for plans to end FA Cup replays to be dropped. A Somerset woman who's spent the last 32 years living with Hepatitis C, says better support is needed for those affected by the contaminated blood scandal. A new school of musical theatre has opened in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 23rd April

Two teenage boys have admitted animal cruelty after filming themselves throwing a lamb down a stone staircase at Montacute. Somerset Council could lose around £5 million by selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. Chard, Wincanton, Castle Cary and Ansford are on a list of fifteen places in Somerset where new 20 mph speed limits could soon be introduced...and more.
Monday 22nd April

The parents of a two-week-old baby boy, accused of his murder at Yeovil Hospital, are to stand trial. Protesters have splashed red paint across the front of County Hall in Taunton for a second time. A comedy film about the world of competitive marrow-growing and made in Shepton Mallet has opened in cinemas across the UK...and more.