Local News Friday 21st October

Friday, 21 October 2022 06:00

People in Somerset are being offered extra help to keep warm this winter. Councillors have been told that a private developer is being lined up to take-over ownership of Boden Mill in Chard. A shoplifter has been jailed for stealing from supermarkets in Yeovil. Work has re-started building a new seventy-four-bed care home in Wincanton. A new report says it may be another two years before work starts building the planned Chard Eastern Relief Road...and more.

People in Somerset are being offered extra help to keep warm this winter. County Councillors have voted through a 700 thousand pound package including providing warm places where people can meet like libraries and schools, help with food banks and more mental health support.

Councillors have been told that a private developer is being lined up to take-over ownership of Boden Mill in Chard. South Somerset District Council had planned to upgrade the Grade II listed building as part of the Chard regeneration scheme but was forced to scrap the plan due to a lack of funding. The district council says it’s in discussions with a private developer about taking over the site.

A shoplifter has been jailed for stealing from supermarkets in Yeovil. Billy Chapman, of no fixed address, received a one-year prison sentence at Yeovil Magistrates Court. The court was told that on four occasions during September and October, Chapman had stolen cleaning products and alcohol from two stores in Yeovil.

Work has re-started building a new seventy-four-bed care home in Wincanton. Work stopped in February building the Cornerstone Healthcare Care Home following construction firm Midas going into administration. The Markey Group successfully tendered to take over the project. Once completed, the care home will create up to 140 new jobs in Wincanton.

A new report says it may be another two years before works starts building the planned Chard Eastern Relief Road. The need for the road was first highlighted in the Chard Local Plan seven years ago but despite new housing developments in Chard work on the road has yet to start. The relief road that will stretch from the A358 Tatworth Road to the A30 Crewkerne Road, taking pressure off the existing ‘Convent Link’ junction.

Next year's Taunton Marathon and Half Marathon have been cancelled. Organisers say they’ve been struggling to attract enough runners to cover their costs and that the event is no longer viable.

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