It’s thought the government will announce a decision on the future of local government in Somerset by the end of July. A cheese producer in South Somerset is blaming Brexit for not being able to recruit new staff. A road in South Somerset closed four months ago after a landslide and could remain off-limits until the autumn. Lasagne could be replaced with lentils on school dinner menus in Somerset if a former primary school teacher gets her way.
It’s thought the government will announce a decision on the future of local government in Somerset by the end of July. All interested parties are agreed that local councils in Somerset have to change. The County Council want one council to run all services, the four district councils want a two council solution, one council based on the eastern side of Somerset the other on the western side. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, is due to make an announcement before the summer Parliamentary recess on July 22.
A cheese producer in South Somerset is blaming Brexit for not being able to recruit new staff. Norseland, in Ilchester, says many workers left the business to return to their home countries when the UK formally exited the EU at the start of the year. The company is looking to fill vacancies on 40-hour-a-week contracts and part-time vacancies on 20-hour-a-week contracts.
A road in South Somerset closed four months ago after a landslide and could remain off-limits until the autumn. Chinnock Hollow, between East Chinnock and Odcombe, was blocked by a landslip back in February. Somerset County Council say "due to the complexities of the situation" the road is likely to stay shut for several more months
Lasagne could be replaced with lentils on school dinner menus in Somerset if a former primary school teacher gets her way. Catherine Cannon has launched a campaign to have more plant-based meals served in schools. She wants the change made in school menus to help with climate change and because non-meat meals are cheaper to produce.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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