Local News Friday 9th December

Friday, 9 December 2022 at 06:00

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is urging the government to speed up allocating a £1.2 billion contract to build new medium-lift helicopters for the RAF. Yeovil College is being given one point two million pounds to spend on a new specialist engineering department. A pilot scheme, using a battery-driven waste collection vehicle in Somerset, has run into problems. A leading car franchise in Yeovil has changed hands...and more.

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is urging the government to speed up allocating a £1.2 billion contract to build new medium-lift helicopters for the RAF. Leonardo in Yeovil with the AW149 shortlisted for the order. Marcus Fysh says the war in Ukraine has shown why the government needs to act more quickly on the contract.

Yeovil College is being given one point two million pounds to spend on a new specialist engineering department. The government funding will go towards facilities and equipment for teaching about hydrogen cell technology in aerospace engineering. The Department for Education says it will make sure students in Yeovil are at the forefront of developments in net-zero and cell technology.

A pilot scheme, using a battery-driven waste collection vehicle in Somerset, has run into problems. Somerset Waste Partnership has been trialing an electric waste vehicle to see if it would make a suitable replacement for its diesel-powered vehicles. However, due to electrical problems, the vehicle proved to be less than reliable and has often had to be taken out of service. SWP is carrying out a separate trial using hydrogenated vegetable oil instead of diesel to run its vehicles. A report on this trial is due out in February.

A leading car franchise in Yeovil has changed hands. Westerly BMW and Mini on the Houndtsone Business Park in Yeovil have been sold by the Helston Garages Group to Vertu Motors. The deal, worth £117 million, also sees Vertu take on a further twenty-one Helston car dealerships.

A stretch of the main road leading into Ilminster is closed for repairs today. The old A3037 between Cricket Lane and Dowlish Ford will stay closed until early this evening for ironworks, including the drains, to be repaired.

The 2023 South Somerset Heritage Calendar is now on sale. This year’s theme commemorates the Queen’s Coronation 70 years ago and the 90th anniversary of the flight over Everest of two Westland-built aircraft. The calendar can be bought at the Ninesprings Café, Yeovil Recreation Ground Café, The Emporium in Yeovil, and the Visitor Information Centre at Cartgate.

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Thursday 29th October

A Yeovil man has been detained under the Mental Health Act for attacking his mother with a knife. People in Chard are being reminded that it’s unlawful to attach flags to lamp posts and street furniture. Wincanton Racecourse has called off its 'Badger Chase Day' because the ground is too firm... and more
Wednesday 28th October

Leweston School near Sherborne has announced that it is closing with immediate effect. NHS Somerset could merge with neighbours in Bath and North-East Somerset and Dorset to cut costs. Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant has launched a campaign to get more people nominated for national honours... and more
Tuesday 27th October

Work has started building a new six-million-pound flood defence scheme in Taunton. Plans have been submitted to build a new church hall in Martock. People are being asked to donate gifts to this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal... and more
Monday 26th October

Eligible groups in Somerset are being encouraged to get their flu jabs. There’s a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look inside Avon & Somerset Police’s control room. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP, has visited Yeovil... and more.
Friday 23rd October

Somerset is the 11th most challenging place in England to be a child according to a report. Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire could have its own elected ‘Wessex Mayor’ by 2028. Cricketer, Ian Botham returns to the county this weekend... and more.
Thursday 22nd October

The NFU says that testing for the virus Bluetongue needs to be sped up. Construction of new flats on Yeovil’s Grimsby Corner site will officially begin next year. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind tomorrow... and more.
Wednesday 21st October

The owner of campsite in Somerset says a two-thousand-seven-hundred percent increase in business rates will be 'catastrophic' for his business. Plans to build nearly 300 new homes on the outskirts of Chard have been given the go ahead. Yeovil Town are through to the first round proper of the FA Cup after beating Leatherhead 5-2 at Huish Park last night... and more