Friday 26th January

Friday, 26 January 2024 at 06:00

By Steve Haigh

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.

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Friday 30th October

Wells Cathedral says it's having to get creative to bring in more money as financial pressures continue to grow. A convenience store in Martock has been allowed to keep its alcohol licence despite an employee working there illegally. Police have seized an illegally ridden e-scooter in Yeovil in response to concerns from local residents... and more
Thursday 29th October

A Yeovil man has been detained under the Mental Health Act for attacking his mother with a knife. People in Chard are being reminded that it’s unlawful to attach flags to lamp posts and street furniture. Wincanton Racecourse has called off its 'Badger Chase Day' because the ground is too firm... and more
Wednesday 28th October

Leweston School near Sherborne has announced that it is closing with immediate effect. NHS Somerset could merge with neighbours in Bath and North-East Somerset and Dorset to cut costs. Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant has launched a campaign to get more people nominated for national honours... and more
Tuesday 27th October

Work has started building a new six-million-pound flood defence scheme in Taunton. Plans have been submitted to build a new church hall in Martock. People are being asked to donate gifts to this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal... and more
Monday 26th October

Eligible groups in Somerset are being encouraged to get their flu jabs. There’s a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look inside Avon & Somerset Police’s control room. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP, has visited Yeovil... and more.
Friday 23rd October

Somerset is the 11th most challenging place in England to be a child according to a report. Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire could have its own elected ‘Wessex Mayor’ by 2028. Cricketer, Ian Botham returns to the county this weekend... and more.
Thursday 22nd October

The NFU says that testing for the virus Bluetongue needs to be sped up. Construction of new flats on Yeovil’s Grimsby Corner site will officially begin next year. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind tomorrow... and more.
Wednesday 21st October

The owner of campsite in Somerset says a two-thousand-seven-hundred percent increase in business rates will be 'catastrophic' for his business. Plans to build nearly 300 new homes on the outskirts of Chard have been given the go ahead. Yeovil Town are through to the first round proper of the FA Cup after beating Leatherhead 5-2 at Huish Park last night... and more