Wednesday 18th December

Wednesday, 18 December 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Unite union says it is becoming ‘increasingly anxious’ about a delay in awarding Leonardo in Yeovil a multi-million-pound contract to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the RAF. The government has set Somerset a target to build 3,700 new homes next year. A boxing glove once worn by Muhammad Ali is being auctioned in Chard today...and more

The Unite union says it is becoming ‘increasingly anxious’ over the time the government is taking to award Leonardo in Yeovil a multi-million-pound contract to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the RAF. It follows a meeting between Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, and defence secretary, John Healey, at which Unite, asked for the government's assurance that it will commit to purchase UK-produced defence equipment. The MOD has confirmed that Leonardo in Yeovil is now the sole bidder for the new medium-lift helicopter contract.

The government has set Somerset a target to build 3,700 new homes next year. In the whole South West, the target is to build 39,992 which is 11 percent of all homes to be built in England in 2025. The targets are set by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, as part of a government aim to build one and a half million new homes by 2029.

A boxing glove worn by Muhammad Ali is being auctioned in Chard today. The left-hand glove, made by Baily’s of Glastonbury, was worn by Ali or Cassius Clay as he was known when he fought Henry Cooper in June 1963 and is signed by Henry Cooper. It’s being sold together with a letter hand-written by the late Richard Mayers, managing director of Baily’s, stating the glove is genuine. The auction at Chard Auctioneers gets underway at 3 pm today, with a starting bid of half a million pounds.

A pothole between Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet is continuing to cause hundreds of pounds worth of damage to vehicles. The hole, dubbed the 'Pilton Pothole' has been reported as a danger to Somerset Council but has still not been filled in.

Children at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have raised £200 in support of the Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Appeal. They were joined by Christmas jumper-wearing pupils at the Apple Orchard Pre-School in raising the money.

More from News

Friday 20th December

Somerset Council is pursuing a less ambitious plan for redeveloping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he hasn’t given up on trying to keep open the town’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space in the Triangle in Lower Middle Street will open for public use early in the New Year...and more
Thursday 19th December

A Somerset pensioner has criticised the government for refusing to compensate women who claim they were not given adequate warning about changes to the start date for receiving the state pension. Parents are being asked to check their children have been vaccinated against measles following a rise in cases. The use of energy-saving light bulbs is greater in the South West than in any other region in England.
Tuesday 17th December

Emergency teams are still working across Somerset to remove trees damaged in last week’s Storm Darragh. Crewkerne Town Council has been asked to ban the Seavington Hunt from gathering in the town centre on Boxing Day. The London Standard newspaper has named the Lord Poulett Arms in Hinton St George as its "Country Pub of the Week"...and more
Monday 16th December

The government says it won’t intervene in the decision to close the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Police are asking for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man suffered a broken leg. Shepton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School has been rated as good by Ofsted...and more.
Friday 13th December

Somerset-based social housing provider, Stonewater, is urging caution over plans by the government to relax the planning rules. The Samaritans in Yeovil are gearing up for their busiest time of the year. The curtain goes up today on this year’s Yeovil panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, at the Westlands Entertainment venue...and more.
Thursday 12th December

Farmers from Somerset were amongst the hundreds of others from across the UK who gathered in London yesterday. Avon and Somerset Police is trialling a new way to find people with dementia when they are reported missing. A cake designer from Yeovil has been crowned Best Cake Designer in the South West...and more.
Wednesday 11th December

An open letter has been sent to NHS Somerset asking for a revision of the decision to close the emergency stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset residents, whose lives and property were impacted by Storm Darragh, could be entitled to compensation. Haselbury Mill, near Crewkerne, has been sold for an undisclosed price...and more.
Tuesday 10th December

Seventy-seven homes on the outskirts of Yeovil remain without electricity this morning. Yeovil MP Adam Dance wants schools in Yeovil and South Somerset to receive a fair share of new special educational needs funding. A Somerset business has been talking about its involvement with the hit film Wicked...and more