Local News Friday 17th September

Friday, 17 September 2021 06:00

There's been a big increase in the number of phone appointments being carried out by family doctors in Somerset. It's the last day for care home workers in Somerset to get a first covid vaccine. Inquests into the deaths of two people in a crash involving a light aircraft at Buckland St Mary near Chard have been opened and adjourned. Plans for a giant solar farm that crosses into Dorset from South Somerset near South Perrott will soon be decided...and more.

There's been a big increase in the number of phone appointments being carried out by family doctors in Somerset. 20% of GP appointments were by phone in February 2021 and by July it had risen to 43% but the NHS in Somerset says despite huge demand for appointments at the moment, it is now seeing more patients in person than last summer.

It's the last day for care home workers in Somerset to get a first covid vaccine. On November 11th, it will be mandatory for staff to be fully vaccinated. Leader of Somerset county council David Fothergill says it means some employees will lose their jobs.

Inquests into the deaths of two people in a crash involving a light aircraft at Buckland St Mary near Chard have been opened and adjourned. The pilot Jonathan Mann and his passenger, Margaret Costa, were pronounced dead at the scene on August 12th. Post-mortem examinations show they died from multiple injuries. The inquests were adjourned pending a report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

Plans for a giant solar farm that crosses into Dorset from South Somerset near South Perrott will soon be decided. The 54-hectare site, close to Pipplepen Farm on School Hill and to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is predicted to generate up to 32 megawatts, enough to provide electricity for around 10,000 homes. If planning consent is given, the site is expected to take between four and six months to develop and to be in operation for 30-years.

Plans have been submitted to build a 24-bed nursing home on the site of the former Lamb Inn pub at Horton Cross near Ilminster. The site lies near the Monks Yard conference venue, about half a mile from the Southfields roundabout, where the A358 joins the A303. South Somerset District Council is expected to make a decision on the new proposals before the end of the year.

A new shop and cafe have been approved at an animal rescue centre in Wincanton. Following the granting of planning permission the new outlets, as well as holiday accommodation, will be added to the site of the Somerset and Dorset Animal Rescue Centre in Common Lane.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more