Local News Tuesday 9th March

Tuesday, 9 March 2021 07:30

Somerset County Council says a final decision on changes to the school system in Ilminster and Crewkerne will be made at a meeting on March 17th. Great Western Railway, that run trains through Castle Cary, is increasing services this week. Brympton Parish Council is asking for a reduced speed limit on Thorne Lane in Yeovil....and more.

Somerset County Council says a final decision on changes to the school system in Ilminster and Crewkerne will be made at a meeting on March 17th. The Council plans to scrap the current three-tier school system, comprising infant, middle and upper schools and replace this with a flatter two-tier system of primary and secondary schools. Despite strong opposition from parents, the Council says a two-tier structure is necessary due to falling pupil numbers in the area.

Great Western Railway, that run trains through Castle Cary, is increasing services this week as schools and colleges reopen fully. The timetable was reduced when a third national lockdown was introduced in January but is now back to ‘near normal’.

Brympton Parish Council is asking for a reduced speed limit on Thorne Lane in Yeovil. It claims the road has become more dangerous with increased numbers of people using it for exercise during the pandemic. (Story courtesy of Yeovil Press).

Fresh calls have been made for the government to help resolve an issue that's left plans for more than 11,000 new homes in Somerset on hold. District councils have delayed more than 750 planning applications because of concerns over water pollution on the Somerset Levels and Moors.

An Ilminster couple who next month celebrate 60 years of marriage say the secret to a successful marriage is ‘give and take’ and laughter. John and Norah Robson, of Summerlands Drive, were married on April 1st 1961 and are well known for their work with the Royal British Legion and the Army Cadet Force in Ilminster.

An appeal to build a pre-school facility at Hinton St George Primary School has so far raised £25,000. The building will be constructed using two shipping containers. A further £50,000 in donations is needed for the project. (Story courtesy of Lopen Eye community magazine).

More from News

Friday 26 April

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.
Thursday 25th April

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
Wednesday 24th April

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.
Tuesday 23rd April

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.
Monday 22nd April

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.
Friday 19th April

Work starts today building a new eastbound carriageway as part of dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore. A childhood obesity clinic in Somerset has revealed that it is treating children as young as eight months old. Somerset Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign to recruit an army of young people to act as conservation champions...and more.
Thursday 18th April

A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft flying over Yeovil. Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill. Nearly four hundred people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council...and more.
Wednesday 17 April

Three local primary schools have been named on a list of England's top five hundred primary schools. A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. Urgent repairs are being carried out to Ilminster's new public clock after it started showing the wrong time...and more