Local News Tuesday 11th April

Tuesday, 11 April 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Health managers say merging Yeovil Hospital with Musgrove Park in Taunton will mean patients in Yeovil having to travel further for specialist treatments. Chard and Ilminster are being given £150,000 of government funding to improve flood protection. Passenger numbers on buses in Somerset went up by fourteen per cent in the first three months of the year. Work to improve the environment at Yeovil Recreation Ground could be copied in other public parks in other parts of the country...and more.

Health managers say a merger of Yeovil Hospital and Musgrove Park in Taunton together with mental health services into one trust should not impact the level of care that patients receive. But they admit that patients in Yeovil may have to travel further for some specialist treatments.

Chard and Ilminster are being given £150,000 of government funding to improve flood protection. The money is being shared between the two towns to support homes and businesses that have been subjected to repeated flooding events.

Passenger numbers on buses in Somerset went up by fourteen per cent in the first three months of the year, according to Somerset Council. It follows the introduction of a £2 single journey fare in January and the launch of the ‘Bus It’ campaign by Somerset Council. The £2 single journey fare is set to run until the end of June.

Work that’s being done to improve the environment at Yeovil Recreation Ground could be used in other public parks. Last year, the council-run site won national recognition at the Grounds Management Association’s Industry Awards for its sustainability projects, beating Premier League club Leicester City into second place.

Yeovil Town fell to yet another defeat playing at home to Dorking yesterday. The one-nil scoreline in Dorking’s favour has left Yeovil six points adrift of safety in the National League with just four games remaining. Mathematically Yeovil can still avoid relegation but it will need Torquay and Aldershot to lose games for them to survive. The Glovers are next in action next Saturday when they play away against Solihull Moors. Their other remaining games are away to Wrexham at home against Oldham; with their last game of the season away to Boreham Wood.

More from News

Thursday 1st May

There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.