Local News Friday 17th December

Friday, 17 December 2021 06:00

Hospitality businesses in Somerset are having bookings cancelled as concern grows over the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant. A Somerton man has been jailed for 18-years for sexually assaulting two girls. Carers in Somerset are set to get a pay boost following an investment of five million pounds in the sector by Somerset County Council and the NHS. Public health officials say they're confident of meeting the government’s target of giving booster jabs to 1.7 million people in the South West in the next two weeks. A project run by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is helping local peopl

Hospitality businesses in Somerset are having bookings cancelled as concern grows over the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Business owners say they’re facing a "cliff-edge" after Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, urged people to "think carefully" about attending social events before Christmas.

A Somerton man has been jailed for 18-years for sexually assaulting two girls. Alan Burnell of Brunel Flats in Somerton was appearing for sentencing at Taunton Crown Court after being found guilty of 11 indecency offences at a trial earlier in the year.

Carers in Somerset are set to get a pay boost following an investment of five million pounds in the sector by Somerset County Council and the NHS. The proposed changes to carer's pay include a retention bonus of £250 to those who’ve been working in registered care for the last six months and a 9% uplift to domiciliary care providers who agree to pay all their staff a minimum of £10.50 per hour.

Public health officials say they're confident of meeting the government’s target of giving booster jabs to 1.7 million people in the South West in the next two weeks. 2.3 million people have already had a COVID booster in the region.

A project run by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is helping local people with severe mental health conditions get back into employment. A team of five specialist coaches has been assigned to work with people not in jobs or who are struggling to hold down a job.

Sherborne Post Office has been unexpectedly closed due to what’s been described as ‘health-related' issues. The branch shut on Wednesday and isn’t expected to re-open until Monday at the earliest. The nearest post office to Sherborne is Yeovil.

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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