Wednesday 22nd January

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council is to pay for fifty-bed spaces in nursing homes so that patients can be discharged from hospital quicker. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, is calling for improved disabled access at Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction railway stations. Crewkerne could soon get a new farm shop...and more.

Somerset Council is to pay for fifty-bed spaces in nursing homes so that patients can be discharged from hospital quicker. NHS Somerset says two-thirds of patients in local hospitals who are medically fit for discharge are not being discharged because of a bed shortage. Somerset Council plans to spend £2 million a year on so-called ‘block beds’ in nursing homes to ease the shortage.

Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, is calling for improved disabled access at Yeovil’s two railway stations. Access for disabled people to the platforms at Yeovil Junction station is only available when a staff member is present to assist. At Pen Mill station, no accessible toilets are provided. Mr Dance has tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament asking for the Access for All programme to be implemented at both stations.

Somerset cider maker, Thatchers, says it's thrilled to have won a Court of Appeal trademark battle against Aldi. Thatcher's lost a legal challenge against the supermarket chain last year after it said it had copied the labelling on its cloudy lemon cider. Now Judges at the Court of Appeal say Aldi has infringed Thatcher's trademark.

Councillors in Glastonbury have backed proposals to link the town with a new community bus service to Castle Cary. The initiative, led by the Somerset Bus Partnership, aims to make travel between the two towns easier, with improved access for rail passengers travelling to Castle Cary train station.

A public inquiry is to be held to decide the future of a Somerset shopping centre. Churchill Retirement Living wants to demolish the Crispin Shopping Centre in Street and build a retirement complex on the land. But Somerset Council is against the proposal. The refusal to grant planning permission will be the subject of an appeal hearing, starting on April 23rd.

Crewkerne could soon get a new farm shop. Plans have been submitted to open a farm shop and café at Lower Farm in Roundham, run by the A H Warren Trust. In their application, the Trust says the shop will specialise in selling locally grown and sourced goods, including meats from the farm's own livestock.

More from News

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
Tuesday 28th January

Work continues to clean up from the floods in Chard, Ilminster, Somerton, South Petherton, and parts of Yeovil. A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. A competition that gives new musicians the chance to play at this year's Glastonbury festival has opened for entries...and more
Monday 27th January

A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more
News Friday 24th January

Plans have been submitted to build a David Lloyd Health and Fitness Club in Yeovil. Carers in Somerset say spending cuts to mental health support services will be hugely damaging. People with memories of Somerset women's cricket side are being asked to take part in a project to preserve its history. Two of our local restaurants have been listed in the top 100 restaurants in the UK...and more
Thursday 23rd January

Yeovil Town Council has defended its decision to increase its share of the Council Tax by an average of £80. A man who drove an e-scooter in Yeovil while disqualified from driving has been jailed for six weeks. According to new data, the Yeovil driving test centre is the 12th easiest in the UK to pass a driving test...and more
Tuesday 21st January

A Yeovil man, who drove while on drugs, injuring two children, has been given a one-year suspended prison sentence. Somerset cider maker, Thatchers, has won a trademark battle against Aldi. Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre is looking for more land for its animals...and more.
Monday 20th January

Somerset Council says a government review of adult social care could cause the Council to go bankrupt. A pilot scheme in Somerset aimed at cutting hospital admissions to A&E by the most vulnerable patients has shown a 50 per cent reduction in visits. Somerset celebrity chef Josh Eggleton is converting a double-decker bus to help promote healthier eating in schools...and more.