Local News Thursday 3rd February

    South Somerset District Council says it’s exploring all options to complete the pavement improvements to Westminster Street in Yeovil. Somerset has been named as one of the fifty-five places in England to get extra investment in education. The police share of the council tax is set to rise by £10 from April and Chard Rugby has been accepted onto the prestigious training programme at Bath Rugby.  

    South Somerset District Council says it’s exploring all options to complete the pavement improvements to Westminster Street in Yeovil after the company carrying out the upgrade stopped work last Friday. It follows the announcement that Midas Construction has run to financial difficulties and plans to put the business into administration. SSDC also awarded Midas the contract to upgrade the bandstand area in Lower Middle Street in Yeovil with amphitheatre seating, a giant outdoor TV screen and a central water feature. Work on that scheme has yet to start. 

    Somerset has been named as one of the fifty-five places in England to get extra investment in education. The government's announced extra cash and support for schools, early years, and further education in areas which are lagging behind like Somerset, as part of its ‘levelling up’ strategy. 

    The police share of the council tax is set to rise by £10 from April. It’ll mean an average band-D property paying an extra 83 pence per month for policing. Avon and Somerset Police say the additional money will allow it to manage inflationary pressures and make it less likely that savings will be needed in frontline services.

    Chard Rugby has been accepted onto the prestigious training programme at Bath Rugby.  The programme is aimed at giving local rugby teams a chance to access more professional coaching and training facilities. 

    More from News

    • Monday 20th January

      Somerset Council says a government review of adult social care could cause the Council to go bankrupt. A pilot scheme in Somerset aimed at cutting hospital admissions to A&E by the most vulnerable patients has shown a 50 per cent reduction in visits. Somerset celebrity chef Josh Eggleton is converting a double-decker bus to help promote healthier eating in schools...and more.

    • Friday 17th January

      Bruton Primary School is the latest to have a barrier installed outside the school to stop parents parking when dropping off and picking up children. A man has appeared in court charged with being drunk and disorderly at Yeovil Hospital. A veteran of World War Two in Castle Cary has been awarded France’s highest military and civil distinction...and more

    • Thursday 16th January

      A Chard woman has appeared in court after driving her car towards a crowd of people who, she claimed, were causing a disturbance. Crewkerne residents will soon be provided with a new banking hub. Work has started removing 14 trees along the embankment of Chard Reservoir...and more

    • Wednesday 15th January

      A Yeovil man has been arrested on suspicion of engaging in sexual communication with a child. A Community Fridge in Shepton Mallet says it saved ten tonnes of unwanted food from going to landfill in the run-up to Christmas. Somerset Council has started collecting empty toothpaste tubes for recycling at the kerbside for the first time...and more

    • Tuesday 14th January

      Police are appealing for witnesses after two people died in a car crash near Shepton Mallet. A new passing loop could be introduced on the rail line between Castle Cary and Yeovil Pen Mill stations. St Margaret’s Hospice has thanked the public for making this year’s Christmas Tree Recycling project their most successful ever...and more

    • Monday 13th January

      Plans to build forty-six new homes in Castle Cary have been rejected for a third time. Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he has no plans to step down from his dual role as a member of Somerset Council. Rug Ratz in Yeovil is closing permanently today, leaving the town without a children's soft play space...and more.

    • Friday 10th January

      Yeovil Hospital has declared a critical incident due to a sharp rise in flu admissions putting pressure on bed spaces. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, joined campaigners and colleagues in Downing Street this week to hand in a petition calling for action to tackle the shortage of NHS dentists. Yeovil's Marlie Packer has been replaced as England's Red Roses captain for 2025 season... and more

    • Thursday 9th January 

      Police say three children, missing from their home in Essex, have been found safe and well in Wincanton. Yeovil Hospital is asking visitors to A&E to wear facemasks to help avoid the spread of infection. Long traffic queues can be expected in Chard over the next nine months. A new arts and music performance space has opened in Crewkerne...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

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      High: 7°C | Low: 3°C

    • Chard

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      High: 7°C | Low: 3°C

    • Crewkerne

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      High: 7°C | Low: 3°C

    • Somerton

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      High: 7°C | Low: 3°C

    • Wincanton

      Medium-level cloud

      High: 7°C | Low: 3°C

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