Local News Friday 11th November

Friday, 11 November 2022 06:00

The chair of the Somerset Association of Secondary Heads says national funding for schools needs to be "re-prioritised" towards rural areas like Somerset. Nurses in Somerset have voted for strike action in their dispute over pay. Firefighters were called out to nearly 1,000 local outdoor incidents during this summer’s exceptionally hot weather. A stretch of the A303 in South Somerset will close tonight for work to remove a temporary bridge...and more.

The chair of the Somerset Association of Secondary Heads says national funding for schools needs to be "re-prioritised" towards rural areas like Somerset. Mark Woodlock was responding to a county council report which says Somerset is now "clearly one of the weakest areas nationally" for its educational outcomes, from early years right through to GCSE results. In response, the Department for Education says it understands the challenges facing schools, driven by high inflation. It's providing schools with almost £54 billion this year in core funding, including a cash increase of £4 billion for this financial year. This is a 7% per pupil increase in cash terms across schools and for the provision of higher-needs education.

Nurses in Somerset have voted for strike action in their dispute over pay. Walkouts at local hospitals and community teams are expected to take place before the end of the year - but emergency care won't be affected. Lucy Muchina is the regional director of the Royal College of Nurses for the South West. The government says it has given a pay rise to nurses in line with the independent NHS Pay Review body’s recommendation.

Firefighters were called out to nearly 1,000 local outdoor incidents during this summer’s exceptionally hot weather. The exact number of call-outs was 974, which compares to the fire service attending 395 similar incidents in the same period last year. The summer of 2022 was recorded as the sixth driest ever in Somerset.

A stretch of the A303 in South Somerset will close tonight for work to remove a temporary bridge. The road will shut at 10 pm tonight between the Hazlegrove and Podimore roundabouts and not re-open until 5 am on Monday. Diversions will be in operation along the A359 and the A37.

Police are investigating an alleged assault on a woman near Ilchester. They say it happened last Thursday during the afternoon in Limington. Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

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Friday 13th March

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
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more