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.
Yeovil Hospital has introduced a new system for handling patients at its A&E department aimed at cutting waiting times. It’s claimed that an Iron Age settlement preserved under Somerset's wetlands for 2,000 years is facing erosion due to climate change. Montacute Road in Tintinhull will be closed for five days next week for repairs to a gas main.
Workers at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil are taking part in a second day of strike action in their dispute over pay. Lloyds Bank has closed its branch in Chard permanently. A week-long programme of tree planting will be held at Ham Hill later this month to mark National Tree Week...and more
Workers belonging to the Unite union at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil begin a two-day strike today. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, has been speaking in a parliamentary debate on improving dyslexia support in schools. South Western Ambulance Service is inviting applications for positions on its governing council...and more
Somerset residents are being urged to get a flu jab as cases of flu continue to rise. Seven horse saddles have been stolen in a break-in at a riding school in Queen Camel. Donations of children’s toys are needed for this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal...and more
It’s claimed Somerset Council has lost nearly £5 million selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. A car has been set on fire in a suspected arson attack in Shepton Mallet. A Crewkerne man says night-time noise from the town's Waitrose store is causing him and his family "sleep disturbance" ... and more.
A man from Yeovil has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of three counts of rape. Smoking rates in Somerset remain higher than in many other parts of the UK. Students at three schools in Yeovil have created a new shoe design for Clarks.
The Supreme Court has ruled that building thousands of homes in Somerset has been "unlawfully held up". The Head of Holyrood Academy in Chard has described the building of a new primary school in the town as an ‘incredible opportunity’. A pub near Chard has been named one of the best in Britain by The Good Food Guide...and more
Members of the Unite union at Leonardo in Yeovil have called off a planned strike for today. South Western Railway says trains on the West of England Line will start running normally again at the end of the month. A memorial post box has been placed at the entrance to Crewkerne cemetery...and more.