The Leader of Somerset Council says a five-million pound bill for making twenty-nine senior managers redundant is a good deal for council taxpayers. Great Western Railway has added an extra forty-four trains each week to its timetable. Merriot Primary School has again been rated as ‘Good’ following an Ofsted inspection....and more.
The Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans says a five-million pound bill for making twenty-nine senior managers redundant is a good deal for council taxpayers. The managers worked at the four district councils and county council, which were combined to form the new unitary Somerset Council in April.
Great Western Railway, which runs services through Castle Cary station, has added an extra forty-four trains each week to its timetable. GWR says people are using trains differently post-pandemic, and additional services are needed to meet demand.
Merriot Primary School in Merriot has again been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Their inspectors visited the school in March, having rated it as ‘Good’ following an earlier inspection.
Somerset's main water provider Wessex Water says it'll triple investment to modernise storm overflows and tackle pollution but not for another two years. Their plans also include spending fifteen million pounds on a new water pumping station and pipeline at Ubley in Somerset. It comes following a joint apology from all of England's water companies for not doing enough to tackle pollution.
Yeovil Town have announced a pre-season friendly at Western League Premier side Buckland Athletic. The Glovers will travel to the Newton Abbot based club on Saturday 8th July.
There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.