People in South Somerset are to get a vote on the planned shake-up of local government in the County. Meanwhile, Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has come out against holding the poll. A man who lives in High Ham has appeared in court charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. Somerset's Director of Public Health has been made a professor. Trudi Grant has led the county council's response to the covid-19 pandemic...and more.
People in South Somerset are to get a vote on the planned shake-up of local government in the County. Voting will take place both online and by post between now and early June. All interested parties are now agreed that Somerset’s system of local government with four district councils and a county council has to change. The issue is what that change should be; should it be one council to run all services across Somerset or two councils, one based on the Western side of the County, the other on the Eastern side. The poll will not be legally binding with the outcome being sent to the Local Government Minister, Robert Jenrick, before the government announces a final decision, expected sometime in July.
Meanwhile, Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has come out against holding the poll. He’s called it a waste of public money and suggested that South Somerset District Council should spend the money earmarked for the poll on smartening up Yeovil town centre.
A man who lives in High Ham has appeared in court charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. Elliott Ash of Orchard Bank at High Ham pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined £333 and ordered to pay compensation of £225.
Somerset's Director of Public Health has been made a professor. Trudi Grant has led the county council's response to the covid-19 pandemic. She's now been made a Visiting Professor of health at University of the West of England but will also remain working for the county council.
Aspiring young actors in South Somerset can audition to take part in a musical being put on at Glastonbury Abbey this summer. Acclaimed Director Andrew Wright is behind the production of Joseph of the Technicolour Dreamcoat and is recruiting locally for cast members.
It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more
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