Local News Tuesday 27th September

Tuesday, 27 September 2022 06:00

Some teaching staff at Yeovil College have gone on strike in a pay dispute. The government has announced that work to turn the A358 between Ilminster and Taunton into a dual carriageway is to be fast-tracked. Somerset County Council has launched a campaign to raise awareness about head trauma in babies. Police are asking the public to help find Daniel Kellaway, aged 27, who’s wanted on a warrant for breaching his probation and in connection with a number of offences...and more.

Some teaching staff at Yeovil College have gone on strike in a pay dispute. Members of the University and College Union claim the pay of their members has fallen behind inflation by 35 percent since 2009 and that the pay gap between school and college teachers now stands at around £9,000. The UCU says the strike action will continue for 10 days unless their members are made a serious pay offer. (This story is courtesy of Somerset Live).

The government has announced that work to turn the A358 between Ilminster and Taunton into a dual carriageway is to be fast-tracked. It says it wants to speed up the planning process and get building work started by next year.

Somerset County Council has launched a campaign to raise awareness about head trauma in babies. The "Babies cry, you can cope" campaign is aimed at getting parents to open up about stress and seek help and advice.

Police are asking the public to help find Daniel Kellaway, aged 27, who’s wanted on a warrant for breaching his probation and in connection with a number of offences including theft, public order and assault. Kellaway is described as white, around 5ft 7ins tall, with short, dark brown hair and is known to frequent Yeovil, Castle Cary and Sherborne. A photo of him can be viewed on the Avon and Somerset Police website. If you see Kellaway or know of his whereabouts you’re asked not to approach him and to call 999.

Two students at Holyrood Academy in Chard are fundraising for a school trip to Cambodia to help build sustainable housing and schools. Milly Tucker and Megan Wrenn, both aged 15, plan to travel to Cambodia next year as part of the Camps International scheme. So far, Milly and Megan have held a cake sale, two garage sales, and a tombola to raise funds for the £4,000 they each need to raise to pay for the trip.

More from News

Friday 7th February

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
Thursday 6th February

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.
Wednesday 5th February

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.
Tuesday 4th February

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.
Monday 3rd February

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.
Friday 31st January

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
Thursday 30th January

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
Wednesday 29th January

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