Local News Monday 21st August

Monday, 21 August 2023 at 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A union leader representing workers at Pittards in Yeovil is asking the government to step in to help rescue the business. Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is demanding swift action from Royal Mail to resolve long delays in delivering the post in the Yeovil area. Planners have given the go-ahead to convert a listed building in Chard into seven flats...and more.

A union leader representing workers at Pittards in Yeovil is asking the government to step in to help rescue the business. Administrators have been appointed to run Pittards, who employ around two hundred people at their factory on Sherborne Road, after the company failed to raise one-point-one million pounds needed to stay afloat. Regional Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Ines Lage, says Pittards has been facing exceptional economic pressures and wants the government to support the business and protect local jobs.

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is demanding swift action to resolve delays in delivering the mail to homes and businesses in the Yeovil area. He’s written to Royal Mail and Ofcom, who oversee postal services, after receiving complaints that letters are arriving up to two weeks late. The Post Office is blaming staff shortages at the Yeovil sorting office for the problem. Mr Fysh says the situation can’t be allowed to continue.

Somerset Council says the roadworks in the High Street in Bruton should be completed by the end of the month. A sinkhole in the High Street has been blamed for the delay in finishing the work.

Better support is being provided to rape and abuse victims in Somerset. It follows a grant of one million pounds given by the government to the charity, Avon and Somerset Sexual Assault and Rape Support.

Planners have given the go-ahead to convert a listed building in Chard into seven flats. The addition of a retail unit is also included in the agreed changes to the property at seventeen Fore Street.

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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

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