Local News Friday 22nd April

Friday, 22 April 2022 06:00

Work has resumed on up-dating Yeovil town centre. The latest figures show that five people in South Somerset who had Covid-19 died between last Thursday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 20. The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the waiting times endured by some of its patients. A computer glitch is being blamed for the poorest families in Somerset missing out on cash to buy fresh fruit and veg and ‘Beat The Street’ is coming back to Yeovil on the 4th of May.

Work has resumed on up-dating Yeovil town centre but South Somerset District Council says it can’t give a date for when the whole of the Yeovil Refresh scheme will be completed. Work on the first part of the project in Westminster Street suffered a setback when Midas Construction went into administration in February. The Council says that the contract has been re-let and work on the south side of Westminster Street, from outside the NatWest bank to Clarence Street, should be completed by the end of May. A date for work to start at The Triangle in Lower Middle Street, where a new amphitheatre and fountain will be built, has yet to be confirmed. The Council says contracts to up-grade upper Middle Street should be signed next month, with work beginning later in the year.

The latest figures show that five people in South Somerset who had Covid-19 died between last Thursday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 20. Over the same period, 594 people in the district confirmed they had tested positive for the coronavirus. The number of people in South Somerset given a first dose of the Covid vaccination by Monday, April 18th was 141,833, 136,093 had received a second dose and 114,471 a booster or third dose.

The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the waiting times endured by some of its patients. It follows the publication of data showing the longest period an NHS patient in Somerset had to wait to be seen to start treatment after being referred was 152 weeks. The figures also showed no patients waited for more than three years (156 weeks) or for more than four years (208 weeks) at the trust.

A computer glitch is being blamed for the poorest families in Somerset missing out on cash to buy fresh fruit and veg. The food poverty campaign group, Sustain, says that since the NHS Healthy Start voucher system was digitised in October last year, many eligible families applying for vouchers have been rejected. The Department of Health says the software issue is now working.

‘Beat The Street’ is coming back to Yeovil on the 4th of May. The game involves walking, cycling or rolling between ‘Beat Boxes’ across the town centre to earn as many points as possible for you and your team.

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Thursday 16th May

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Wednesday 15th May

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Tuesday 14th May

Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.
Monday 13th May

Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.
Friday 10th May

The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs an immediate injection of £100,000 to keep going. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has returned to Yeovil Rugby Club where she began her rugby career 20 years ago. Twenty-five Town criers from across the South will be in Ilminster tomorrow competing in the annual Ilminster Town Criers' Competition...and more.
Thursday 9th May

Train services through Somerset are again being disrupted today due to continued strike action by the train driver’s union ALSEF. A campaign has been launched in Somerset aimed at stopping people overdosing on opioids. A Somerset business is raising a smile with its name.‘Top Of The Clops’, a tack shop near Taunton has won a place in the top ten of the UK’s funniest business names...and more.
Wednesday 8th May

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