Local News Thursday 31st March

Thursday, 31 March 2022 06:00

Somerset County Council says no date is planned for when Chinnock Hollow will re-open. Politicians of all parties have begun preparations for the local elections in Somerset in May. Council officials have forcibly removed a caravan from farmland at Westport, near Langport. A report has been published following a two-year review into racial disproportionality in the Avon and Somerset Criminal Justice System and organisers of the Somerset Steam and Country Show at Low Ham near Pitney have confirmed that the event will go ahead this year.

Somerset County Council says no date is planned for when Chinnock Hollow will re-open. The road that links East Chinnock with Odcombe has been closed to traffic for more than a year following a landslip. Local residents attending a public meeting to discuss the delay were told it would be many more months before Chinnock Hollow would re-open.

Politicians of all parties have begun preparations for the local elections in Somerset in May when 110 seats will be up for grabs on the new Somerset unitary council. If you want a vote in the local elections on May 5th, check that you are registered on the Electoral Roll by the 14th of April.

Council officials have forcibly removed a caravan from farmland at Westport, near Langport. South Somerset District Council took the action following three years of talking to the landowner about the land on which the van was parked needing to have planning permission for residential use.

A report has been published following a two-year review into racial disproportionality in the Avon and Somerset Criminal Justice System. It found people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be excluded from school and more likely to be stopped and searched. It makes eighty-three recommendations for the police service, prisons, the local Youth Offending Team, schools and other agencies. The Police and Crime Commissioner welcomed the report. The Chief Constable accepted the recommendations and said they are already implementing them.

Organisers of the Somerset Steam and Country Show at Low Ham near Pitney have confirmed that the event will go ahead this year. The show has been cancelled for the last two years due to Covid.

More from News

Friday 12th June

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
Thursday 11th June

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
Wednesday 10th June

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
Tuesday 9th June

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
Monday 8th June

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.
Friday 5th June

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
Thursday 4th June

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
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more