Local News Thursday 22nd September

Thursday, 22 September 2022 06:00

Children's services in Somerset have been rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted inspectors. Police are appealing for witnesses after two men were assaulted in Wincanton last weekend. Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has been made a junior government minister in Prime Minister Liz Truss’s new administration. Some bus drivers in Somerset will be going on strike next month in a row over pay and job cuts. Yeovil women’s rugby international, Marlie Packer, has been selected to play for England at the Women’s Rugby World Cup...and more.

Children's services in Somerset have been rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted inspectors. An inspection in 2017 found the service to be ’inadequate’ and 'requiring improvement', in their latest report, Ofsted says children and families in Somerset now receive a good-quality service.

Police are appealing for witnesses after two men were assaulted in Wincanton last weekend. The men, in their twenties, were attacked in a car park in West Hill on Saturday night at around 11 pm. Both were seriously injured. Anyone with information is asked to call the police non-emergency number 101.

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has been made a junior government minister in Prime Minister Liz Truss’s new administration. Mr. Fysh takes on the position of International Trade Minister at the Department for International Trade.

Some bus drivers in Somerset will be going on strike next month in a row over pay and job cuts. Members of the RMT union employed by First South West, which runs Buses of Somerset, are due to stage a walkout on Saturday, October 1st.

Yeovil women’s rugby international, Marlie Packer, has been selected to play for England at the Women’s Rugby World Cup. She leaves for New Zealand at the end of the week, for the start of the tournament in Auckland on October 8th.

Two members of the Chard and Crewkerne After Stroke Group have been recognised for their long service. Jenny Fielder and Chris Williams, who have been leaders with the group for 30 years, were presented with gifts and a cheque by Peter Hardwill, President of Crewkerne Rotary Club.

More from News

Friday 29th September

The £29M project to up-grade Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, which has run into financial problems, could be bailed out by Yeovil Town Council. New play equipment is to be installed at Ninesprings Country Park in Yeovil. A Martock woman has been fined £95 after being caught speeding in a 20 mph zone...and more.
Thursday 28th September

A new service that makes it easier for older women to get checked for womb cancer has started in Somerset. A convicted killer from Somerset who refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the body of his murdered wife has failed in his bid to be freed from prison. A Somerset woman, living with Multiple Sclerosis, is doing a skydive this weekend to raise money for the RNLI...and more.
Wednesday 27th September

A Somerset head teacher is calling for tighter regulation on vaping after seeing a significant rise in pupils vaping on school premises. Somerset Council says it's facing significantly higher costs with the planned upgrade of Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. Avon and Somerset Police will soon start deploying a drone in the fight against rural crime...and more.
Tuesday 26th September

A Somerset woman, who has Multiple Sclerosis, is calling on the government to overhaul the assessment process for claiming disability benefits. Somerset Council has been fined £1,000 after a stroke patient was left without care for long periods. A Consultant Urologist in Somerset says men need to be made more aware of the early signs of prostate cancer...and more.
Monday 25th September

The NHS in Somerset is urging people to sign up for a Covid top-up booster jab. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assault. Work has started on creating a new cycle route along Lyde Road in Yeovil. The go-ahead has been given for a new cricket pavilion to be built at the Recreation Ground in Ilminster...and more.
Friday 22nd September

The RSPB in Somerset says it is seeing big changes in bird migrations to and from the county. The Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police says delays in answering 101 calls are a result of understaffing and accidental pocket dials. Beekeepers in Somerset are appealing for help to spot Asian hornets that are a threat to honey bees...and more.
Thursday 21st September

Somerset NHS Trust, which runs Yeovil Hospital, paid out more than £13.5M in medical negligence claims in the last twelve months. Yeovil-based charity, School in a Bag, is asking for help to send supplies to earthquake-hit Morocco. Work has started on the next phase of the Yeovil Refresh project causing more disruption in the town centre...and more.
Wednesday 20th September

We're being asked to think carefully before using NHS services in Somerset this week, due to strikes by doctors. Wilko will shut its Yeovil store at the end of September. Crosscountry Rail, who run trains through Somerset, has been given a new contract with the government...and more.