Local News Tuesday 18th January

Tuesday, 18 January 2022 00:00

South Somerset District Council is offering free energy efficiency surveys to local people to help them save money on their energy bills. A temporary timetable has been introduced by South Western Railway. Employers in Somerset are being told they need to think about the mental and physical health impacts of staff working from home. Motorists are facing three weeks of diversions while a key route on the Blackdown Hills is resurfaced. People are being asked to comment on plans for the future of areas of outstanding natural beauty in South Somerset...and more.

South Somerset District Council is offering free energy efficiency surveys to local people to help them save money on their energy bills. The district Council has bought two thermal imaging cameras to show people where heat is escaping from their homes and where better insulation is needed. If you would like a free energy check made on your home, visit the South Somerset District Council website for details.

A temporary timetable has been introduced by South Western Railway, who run trains through Yeovil Crewkerne and Sherborne, following high numbers of staff absences due to the Omicron variant of Coronavirus. The timetable is designed to help key workers, school pupils, and those who have to attend at work, plan their journeys.

Employers in Somerset are being told they need to think about the mental and physical health impacts of staff working from home. The Health and Safety Executive has published guidance suggesting employers talk more to staff who are based at home and do risk assessments with them about their mental health.

Motorists are facing three weeks of diversions while a key route on the Blackdown Hills is resurfaced. Work is due to begin early next month on Blackdown Hill Road, on the Somerset-Devon border that provides a link between the A38 and the A303 west of Ilminster. Motorists are being advised of a 24-mile diversion during the period that resurfacing is taking place.

People are being asked to comment on plans for the future of areas of outstanding natural beauty in South Somerset, including the Blackdown Hills. It follows publication of the government’s proposals to protect England’s AONB’s based on the findings of a Landscapes Review.

A new all-female singing group has launched in Chard. Blackdown Acapella sing in four-part harmony and currently has twenty members. If you’d like to join them, call Chard Town Council for details.

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