The campaign to stop the closure of the acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital has ended in failure. People in Yeovil could be paying an extra £130 a year in council tax to Yeovil Town Council from April to fund Local Amenities. South Somerset saw the highest increase in the number of fly-tipping incidents in the South West in the year 2022 to 23...and more.
The battle to stop the closure of the acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital has ended in failure for those who've campaigned to keep it open. At a meeting yesterday, NHS Somerset’s Integrated Care Board members voted to downgrade the Yeovil unit and provide a single emergency stroke unit for the whole County at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.
People in Yeovil could be paying an extra £130 a year in council tax to Yeovil Town Council from April to fund the Town Council's take-over of services like public toilets, Yeovil Recreational Centre and the Octagon Theatre that Somerset Council says it can no longer afford to provide. Yeovil Town Council will vote on the increase next Tuesday.
South Somerset saw the highest increase in the number of fly-tipping incidents in the South West in the year 2022 to 23. Incidents increase from 478 in 2021/22 to 801 in 2022/23 an increase of 67.5 percent.
Somerset Wildlife Trust has been awarded £60,000 funding from the Blue Influencers scheme. It’s one of twenty-two charities nationally to secure funding and will receive £20,000 a year for three years. The grant will be used to employ a 'Blue Mentor' tasked with recruiting young people between the ages of 10 and 14, to create and implement social initiatives aimed at environmental betterment in their schools and communities.
The Managing Director of Thatcher's has expressed disappointment at losing a high court case against Aldi. The Somerset cider maker had alleged that the German supermarket had copied its cloudy lemon cider drink but a judge has ruled that Aldi hasn't copied the brand, and posed no reputational risk to Thatchers.
The Chief Executive of Somerset Council, Duncan Sharkey, has admitted to making mistakes in cutting jobs. Yeovil MP Adam Dance is supporting a Lib Dem initiative to introduce a new ‘Farm First’ training scheme. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has launched an appeal to help buy a second helicopter... and more.
A man has appeared in court in connection with an attack in Wincanton. A member of Somerset Council, jailed for 26 months for taking part in a Just Stop Oil protest, may not have to stand down as a councillor. NHS Somerset has announced that changes to stroke services at Yeovil Hospital will "go live" in the spring of next year...and more
Avon and Somerset Police say 62 drivers were arrested in the first week of the Christmas drink and drug driving campaign. A reindeer farm near Yeovil thinks it may have to close after being told it needs a Zoo licence. Father Christmas has made a special delivery of presents to Charlton Farm Children's Hospice in Somerset...and more
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset has criticised the government for axing the role. Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Ilminster in which a woman was seriously injured. Residents of Freedom Avenue in Yeovil are raising funds for charity with a big display of Christmas lights...and more.
Plans to build 150 new homes in Ilminster have been scrapped. A Somerset councillor has been jailed for 26 months. Marks & Spencer wants to build a new Food Store in Ilminster. Poundland has announced that it’s shutting its store in Middle Street in Yeovil...and more
Police are appealing for witnesses after an assault on a man in Chard. Lloyds Banking Group has announced a date for closing the Halifax in Yeovil. Train journeys on the Castle Cary to Taunton line will be disrupted next week due to engineering work. The mental health charity MIND in Somerset has produced a Christmas advent calendar... and more.
The Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police says her force is doing all it can to reduce anti-social behaviour. Somerset Council has deferred a decision on introducing Sunday car parking charges. People living in deprived areas in Somerset are being fast-tracked for hospital treatment...and more
Fire crews have rescued the driver of a car that got stuck in floodwater near Ilminster. Avon and Somerset Police are urging people going out to celebrate this Christmas to book a taxi or use public transport. A woman from South Petherton has come top at the British Down Syndrome Swimming Championships...and more,
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