Somerset Community Council doubts that people living in rural areas of Somerset will be helped by the Chancellor’s Spring Statement. Plans have been submitted to convert a former church in Yeovil into flats. A specialist unit for secondary school-age children with autism in Mendip is to move from Frome to Glastonbury. Unions have criticised a decision to allow care staff in Somerset to carry on working even when they have Covid...and more.
Somerset Community Council doubts that people living in rural areas of Somerset will be helped by the Chancellor’s Spring Statement. Rishi Sunak announced yesterday he would raise the threshold for paying National Insurance, cut fuel duty by five pence per litre, and cut the basic rate of income tax, but Keeley Rudd, Chief Executive of Somerset Community Council, says for people in rural areas who rely heavily on using a car, the changes are unlikely to be much of a benefit.
Plans have been submitted to convert a former church in Yeovil into flats. The building on Larkhill Road was formerly used as a church and day nursery but has been empty for a number of years.
A specialist unit for secondary school-age children with autism in Mendip is to move from Frome to Glastonbury. Somerset county council has decided to move its Mendip autism base to the grounds of St Dunstan's School in Glastonbury, where building work will start shortly on part of the playing fields.
Unions have criticised a decision to allow care staff in Somerset to carry on working even when they have Covid. It follows concerns expressed by Somerset County Council that vulnerable residents in care homes would be put at more at risk of contracting other illnesses if staff were not allowed to work as normal.
A children’s pre-school in the village of Hinton St George has been provided with a new building. The building forms part of Hinton St George Primary School and has been paid for by donations and local fundraising.
People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more