Local News Monday 22nd May

Monday, 22 May 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Five thousand people have now signed a petition opposing plans to close the acute stroke ward at Yeovil Hospital. People in Queen Camel have launched a crowdfunding appeal to help repair the damage caused by the major flooding event of two weeks ago. The main A30 through West Coker is to shut for six weeks this summer for resurfacing and new traffic lights...and more.

Five thousand people have now signed a petition opposing plans to close the acute stroke ward at Yeovil Hospital. NHS Somerset wants to shut the Yeovil unit and centralise stroke services at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. Both Yeovil and Musgrove Park hospitals have stroke units but NHS Somerset says a shortage of specialist staff means they can’t provide twenty-four-hour cover.

People in Queen Camel have launched a crowdfunding appeal to help repair the damage caused by the major flooding event of two weeks ago.

The main A30 through West Coker is to shut for six weeks this summer for resurfacing and new traffic lights. The road will close between the Coker Hill Bridge and Green Lane from Saturday, July 22nd to Monday, September 4th. The new traffic lights will be installed by the Post Office at the junction of High Street with Church Street and East Street. Motorists using the A30 to drive into Yeovil from Chard and Crewkerne will be diverted along the A356 and onto the A303 adding seventeen miles to the journey.

A twenty-year-old man has been jailed for twenty-eight months for supplying crack cocaine and heroin in Yeovil. Taunton Crown Court was told that Seamus Ford of Eastleigh in Hampshire was arrested during a policing operation targeted at County Lines Drugs dealing.

Plans have been submitted to convert a former day centre in Chard into a special needs school. The building on Wilkins Close, previously called the Laurels, closed as a day centre in 2020 and is now owned by Somerset Council. Three Dimensions Ltd has applied for planning permission to convert the building to a special school for up to thirty pupils.

A new leaflet's been produced to help cyclists discover more of Somerset. It’s divided into eight sections exploring country lanes, market towns and villages, covering eighty miles of cycleways. The leaflet's free and is available from tourist information centres.

Councillor Leanne Taylor was re-elected Mayor of Ilminster at the Town Council's annual meeting. Councillor Brian Hamilton was re-elected to act as her deputy.

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Friday 23rd January

New data shows that South Western Ambulance is one of the worst-performing ambulance trusts in England. Plans to introduce improved accessibility at Yeovil Junction station have moved a step closer. A community centre in Street is providing vulnerable people with a warm, safe place to meet...and more.
Thursday 22nd January

A new NHS diagnostic centre has opened in Yeovil. The go-ahead has been given to build a replacement school for Milford Junior School in Yeovil. A new 500-bed hotel-style campus is being planned to accommodate workers at the new Agratas car battery factory near Bridgwater...and more
Wednesday 21st January

Councillors have approved controversial plans to build four large carnival club sheds near Ilminster. Somerset Council says there's an increasing gap between the cost of education and the amount the government provides to run local schools. The Bridgwater Tidal Barrier, aimed at protecting homes and businesses from flooding, has been reduced in size...and more
Tuesday 20th January

Citizens Advice says thousands of people in Somerset have lost some or all of their council tax discount. The UK's first autonomous full-size helicopter, manufactured by Leonardo in Yeovil, has successfully completed its maiden flight. A new pharmacy has opened in Wincanton...and more
Monday 19th January

The government is facing increasing pressure to clarify whether it will order new medium-lift helicopters from Leonardo in Yeovil. Somerset Council is spending £5 million on new laptops. A new singing group is being set up in Yeovil for people living with dementia...and more
Friday 16th January

The go-ahead has been given to build 200 new homes at Ilchester. Taunton Town Council is increasing its share of the Council Tax by 3 per cent a year. Somerset is featured in a new Agatha Christie drama being shown on Netflix from this week...and more
Thursday 15th January

The company behind a proposed tidal lagoon between Watchet and Minehead says it could create up to eight thousand jobs. A third councillor on Somerset Council has joined Reform UK. St Margaret's Hospice says this year’s Christmas tree collection scheme raised forty-seven thousand pounds...and more.
Wednesday 14th January

The union representing workers at Leonardo in Yeovil says it needs a clear answer from the government on whether the Yeovil factory will be awarded a contract to build new medium-lift helicopters for the RAF. Somerset Council says more support will be provided to foster carers. A bird flu surveillance zone remains in place over the Somerset Levels...and more