People across Somerset are voting today in the local elections. Up to twenty-five new jobs are being created in Martock by transport company C & D. Around thirty UK-based aerospace and engineering companies have met in Yeovil to discuss initiatives to benefit local communities still recovering from the impact of the pandemic and A memorial dedicated to lives lost in battle has been unveiled at the village church in Isle Brewers.
People across Somerset are voting today in the local elections. It’s to elect 110 councillors to run the new Somerset unitary council that takes over responsibility for providing all council services in Somerset in April next year and at which point Somerset’s four district councils, including South Somerset, and the County Council cease to exist. Polling stations opened at 7 am this morning and stay open until 10 pm tonight for votes to be cast. 337 candidates are standing in 55 divisions across Somerset with each division returning 2 councillors. The Conservatives are fielding 109 candidates across all 55 divisions, the Liberal Democrats have 108 candidates, the Green Party has 50 candidates, Labour 45 candidates and 23 candidates are standing as independents or with no affiliation or description. Look at your polling card for the address of the polling station in your area. Votes are being counted tomorrow (May 6th) with the results announced at around 4 pm. You can hear all the results in a special local elections programme here on Radio Ninesprings, starting at 7 pm, tomorrow evening.
Up to 25 new jobs are being created in Martock by transport company C & D. It follows the opening of a new depot and warehouse on the Martock Business Park by the Chard-based logistics business. C & D Transport South West currently employ around 50 drivers and other staff at their depot on the Millfield Industrial Estate in Chard.
Around 30 UK-based aerospace and engineering companies have met in Yeovil to discuss initiatives to benefit local communities still recovering from the impact of the pandemic. The gathering, organized by Leonardo Helicopters, was held at the new iAero centre, off Bunford Lane, in Yeovil.
A memorial dedicated to lives lost in battle has been unveiled at the village church in Isle Brewers. All Saints Church is inviting people to come forward with names of relatives who lived in Isle Brewers and died in conflict to have their names added to the memorial.
NHS Somerset reports a strong uptake of flu jabs, but some eligible people for free vaccinations haven’t come forward. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303 in which a pedestrian was killed. A Crewkerne woman has gone viral on TikTok after being trapped inside a Lidl store in the town... and more.
Somerset Bus Partnership has welcomed a £24.7m boost for the county's bus services. Outline planning permission has been granted to build up to 100 new homes in Ilminster. An Ilminster man has been banned from keeping animals for seven years. Residents in Chiselborough have set up a group to try and re-open the village pub...and more.
Crewkerne Community Hospital is to lose half its inpatient beds. A review will be conducted of a project to make Bridgwater more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Chard Methodist Church is offering residents a free lunch on Christmas Day. Yeovil-based Screwfix is opening a new outlet in Minehead...and more.
Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that delays in ordering 30 new medium lift helicopters for the RAF is putting the future of Somerset’s defence industries at risk. Somerset's farmers are being urged to convert more cow manure into biogas to heat homes. A new visitor centre has opened at Ham Hill country park...and more
Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’. Demand for mental health support provided by South Western Ambulance Service is running at record levels. A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking for charity...and more
New data shows that crime in the Avon and Somerset police area is at an all-time high. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard has issued a warning to prospective pet owners ahead of Christmas. The owner of four pubs in Somerset has warned that many could be forced to shut unless the government reconsiders business rates...and more.
Toolstream in Yeovil has been put into administration, threatening the jobs of dozens of employees. NHS Somerset has issued a last chance call for people to get a flu jab after hospital admissions increased by 76% in a week. Police are investigating the theft of a bike valued at £7,000 in Sherborne... and more
The Chief Executive of Somerset Council, Duncan Sharkey, has admitted to making mistakes in cutting jobs. Yeovil MP Adam Dance is supporting a Lib Dem initiative to introduce a new ‘Farm First’ training scheme. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has launched an appeal to help buy a second helicopter... and more.