Local News Thursday 29th September

Thursday, 29 September 2022 06:00

A report from the Rural Services Network has found that people living in Somerset are struggling more than people living in urban areas with the cost of living crisis. A Yeovil man has been jailed for eight months for dangerous driving. 4,000 people have now signed a petition calling for the scrapping of plans to transfer a mental health unit in Wells to Yeovil. There’s a chance to find out more about the running of Yeovil Hospital today and people in Chard are being asked to comment on plans to upgrade the play area in Henson Park.

A report from the Rural Services Network has found that people living in Somerset are struggling more than people living in urban areas with the cost of living crisis. It found that people with homes in the countryside have been impacted to a far greater extent by rising energy bills, transport costs, and lower wages. Graham Biggs, CEO of the Rural Services Network says the government needs to invest more heavily in rural areas.

A Yeovil man has been jailed for eight months for dangerous driving. Matthew Goodchild of Fosse Park Road was clocked travelling at 90 mph during a police chase that ended with his car crashing into a traffic bollard on Newton Road. Goodchild was further charged with driving while disqualified and without insurance, and banned from driving for 28 months.

4,000 people have now signed a petition calling for the scrapping of plans to transfer a mental health unit in Wells to Yeovil. It was proposed in 2020 that St Andrews Mental Health Ward in Wells should move to Summerlands site on Preston Road in Yeovil but a final decision has yet to be made. Objectors plan a protest in Frome today where members of the new Integrated Care Board for Somerset are meeting.

There’s a chance to find out more about the running of Yeovil Hospital today. The committee responsible for the management of Yeovil Hospital is holding its annual general meeting this afternoon. The AGM of Yeovil Hospital NHS Foundation Trust takes place at Monks Yard at Horton Cross near Ilminster starting at 3 pm and is open for the public to attend.

People in Chard are being asked to comment on plans to upgrade the play area in Henson Park. The plans include providing a basket swing, rock n' bowl, surf rider, stepping logs, and five-a-side football goals for children to play on. The survey can be found on the Chard Town Council website.

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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