Local News Monday 14th November

Monday, 14 November 2022 06:00

A report just out says the new Somerset Council is facing a shortfall in its budget of £74.2 million pounds and that urgent savings will have to be made. A Yeovil car dealership is set to expand into an empty office block. Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident in Kingsbury Episcopi. Unpaid carers in Somerset aren't getting the support they need. The Reverend Michael Beasley has been installed as the new Bishop of Bath and Wells...and more.

A report just out says the new Somerset Council is facing a shortfall in its budget of £74.2 million pounds and that urgent savings will have to be made. The new Council, which will replace the County Council and four district councils in Somerset, including South Somerset District Council, has already identified savings of £27.8 million but the report says for the budget to balance, further savings of £38.2million will have to be made. The Executive at Somerset County Council, who are overseeing the launch of the new unitary Somerset Council meet on Wednesday this week to consider ways in which further spending cuts can be made.

A Yeovil car dealership is set to expand into an empty office block. Yeovil Audi on the Houndstone Business Park has been given permission to extend into Brunel House which stands opposite its car showroom on the Houndstone Business Park. The permission includes a change of use on the building from offices to a vehicle repair facility.

Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident in Kingsbury Episcopi. It happened on Tuesday, November 8th at around 7.40 am when a cyclist collided with a blue VW Golf in Dudmoor. Police want to hear from anyone with dashcam footage of either the car or cyclist before the accident.

Unpaid carers in Somerset aren't getting the support they need. A new report from Carers UK shows that many unpaid carers face difficulties getting NHS treatment for the people they look after and are struggling to pay their bills.

The Reverend Michael Beasley has been installed as the new Bishop of Bath and Wells. He’s the 80th Bishop to hold the office which is the third highest ranked position in the Church of England. His enthronement was held at Wells Cathedral at the weekend watched on by a congregation of 900.

£2,700 has been donated to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance thanks to the efforts of staff and customers at Plumbase in Yeovil. Plumbase, who have their bathroom showroom on the Pen Mill trading estate, raised the money through various events including a skittles and curry night, World Cup sweepstakes, and giving customers a free meat pie in return for a donation to the Air Ambulance.

A new exhibition of fashion in Somerset from the 1700’s onwards has opened at the Museum of Somerset. It features everything from utility wear from the post war era to a wedding dress made in 1910.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more