Friday 8th August

Friday, 8 August 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council has paused roadworks on Fore Street in Chard indefinitely due to unforeseen complications. A Somerset farming family says they've lost faith in the government over plans to introduce inheritance tax on farm estates. Memories are being revived of a Live Aid concert in Yeovil from 40 years ago, which raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Somerset Council has paused roadworks on Fore Street in Chard indefinitely due to what it calls unforeseen complications. The repairs, which began in June and were meant to finish by early July, have frustrated local business owners who claim footfall on the High Street in Chard has plummeted.

A Somerset farming family says they've lost faith in the government over plans to introduce inheritance tax on farm estates. Labour says the move will only affect the 500 wealthiest landowners and is aimed at preventing land from not being used for agriculture. But the Kimber family, who've been farming in Wincanton for 80 years, say government policies are unfairly penalising hard-working farming families.

People in Wincanton could miss out on £240,000 for new local facilities if changes to a housing development are approved. Devonshire Homes is building 31 homes at Dancing Green near Wincanton Community Hospital and is seeking to remove its financial contributions for schools, health and leisure, citing viability concerns. Somerset Council is due to decide on the revised plans by early autumn.

Adult education courses in Somerset have been cancelled due to changes in government funding. Maths and English taught as a foreign language, and other Level-2 qualifications will no longer be offered, following updates to the Adult Skills Fund. Somerset Council says it will no longer fund the courses, but that anyone already enrolled will still be able to finish their qualifications.

Building 600 new homes in Yeovil could soon go ahead following the introduction of a new phosphate credit scheme. Plans to build around 12,000 new homes across Somerset are currently delayed due to a lack of phosphate mitigation. New credits, created by fallowing farmland near Yeovil, will allow for work to start building the 600 homes.

Memories are being revived of a Live Aid concert in Yeovil from 40 years ago, when 17 bands played at the Johnson Hall to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. A film of the event, held on August 30th 1985, is being shown at the Quicksilver Mail pub on Thursday, 28th August, for which tickets are now on sale.

More from News

Tuesday 12th August

A new 'family style' children's home for vulnerable children has opened in Somerset. Railway services between Yeovil and Exeter will run less frequently and at a slower speed from this week. A Crewkerne man has been given a one-year driving ban for drug driving. Chard Town Council says the public toilets near Sainsbury’s have been deep cleaned in preparation for re-opening them...and more.
Monday 11th August

Bus drivers with First Bus in Somerset are being balloted about possible strike action. Six thousand pounds has been raised towards repairing a boat, used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett in Langport, after vandals damaged it. A hedgehog rescue charity in Somerset is facing closure due to a lack of funds...and more
Thursday 7th August

The owners of Yeovil Town Football Club say that they are hopeful of concluding a deal with Somerset Council to buy back Huish Park very soon. Hestercombe House and Gardens near Taunton has gone into administration. The Government is eyeing up the possibility of using brownfield land near railway lines in Somerset for house building...and more
Wednesday 6th August

A fire at the former Mermaid Hotel in Yeovil town centre is being treated as accidental. People with premium bonds in Somerset are being encouraged to check their numbers as over 800-thousand pounds of prizes remain unclaimed. Chard is set to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day later this month...and more.
Tuesday 5th August

A college merger in Somerset has created one of the largest education groups in the UK. People in Somerset are being encouraged to report drivers who misuse disabled parking bays. A D-Day veteran from Somerset is celebrating his 100th birthday this week...and more
Monday 4th August

The planned £15m regeneration of Yeovil's Octagon Theatre has been delayed again. A case of the most serious strain of Avian Flu has been confirmed in Yeovil. The main A378 road through Langport will be shut to traffic from today and for the next four weeks...and more.
Friday 1st August

A family in Marston Magna is trying to get a relative home from a holiday in Greece, where he's been taken seriously ill. The fire service is warning of the dangers of leaving mirrors in view of direct sunlight. Residents in Touchstone Lane in Chard have started a new community speed watch group...and more
Thursday 31st July

A bird flu surveillance zone has been imposed in Somerset. The go-ahead has been given to build sixteen new homes in Shepton Beauchamp. Year Four pupils at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have been presented with dictionaries by the local Rotary Club...and more.