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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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