Friday 13th March

Friday, 13 March 2026 05:00

By Steve Haigh

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. The date was confirmed by Defence Minister Luke Pollard in a written reply to a question in the House of Commons. Some industry observers have described the one-billion-pound contract to build 23 medium-lift helicopters as ‘too expensive’, with cheaper options available to buy abroad. But the Ministry of Defence says it expects 15 billion pounds of exports to flow from the Leonardo order.

Somerset Council says it is experiencing complications sending out council tax bills. It’s warning that bills do not reflect changes to addresses, household circumstances and single occupancy discount applications, with households sent a second revised bill. The council says the problem has been caused by consolidating several older payment systems into a new single platform, resulting in processing times taking longer than normal. Householders are advised to view the council’s website for further information.

A Somerset quarry, a key supplier of road surfacing materials, is to expand by 40 acres. Moons Hill near Stoke St Michael is a main source of aggregate for using to repair damaged highways.

Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. The council wants to introduce a tiered pricing structure for on-street and off-street parking, with fees for using public car parks on a sliding scale, depending on location. The new structure would apply seven days a week, with fees introduced at free car parks, the subject of discussions with businesses, council members, town, city and parish councils and other stakeholders.

More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football. The Somerset Football Association says there are now six teams across the county, with many players completely new to the sport.

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