Local News Tuesday 21st September

Tuesday, 21 September 2021 06:00

The farmer’s union the NFU says it wants to see visas relaxed so more European workers can come here to help tackle a staffing shortage. Up to £6.5 million pounds is being invested in improving Yeovil and Wincanton's leisure facilities. Police in Somerset are using unmarked HGVs to help spot dangerous drivers. South Western Railway, which runs services between Crewkerne and London Waterloo, has come under fire after a series of recent cancellations...and more.

The farmer’s union the NFU says it wants to see visas relaxed so more European workers can come here to help tackle a staffing shortage. Farmers in Somerset say they've been struggling to recruit workers since Brexit and some are reducing the number of times a day they milk their cows as a result. The Government says it's aware of the challenges facing the industry but is encouraging the farming sector to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers.

Up to £6.5 million pounds is being invested in improving Yeovil and Wincanton's leisure facilities. Freedom Leisure, who manage Goldenstones, Westlands sports centre and the leisure centre in Wincanton, has outlined a series of major improvements to each of the three buildings. At Goldenstones, the gym will be "refreshed" with new equipment and the swimming pool changing rooms completely revamped. At Westlands, an additional aerobics studio will be provided. And in Wincanton, an indoor cycling studio will be created.

Police in Somerset are using unmarked HGVs to help spot dangerous drivers. It's part of a region-wide operation over two weeks following a programme run by National Highways who've helped train officers to drive the vehicles.

South Western Railway, which runs services between Crewkerne and London Waterloo, has come under fire after a series of recent cancellations. Over 2,400 unhappy customers have formed a Facebook group to share their stories of cancelled journeys, long delays and other issues. They're calling on the train service to improve services immediately. South Western Railway has apologised and says the cancellations are due to a number of drivers and guard having to self-isolate; as well as a slow intake of new train drivers.

Historic England is to invest in improvements to older buildings in Chard. The town is one of 60 places in England chosen as a High Street Historic Action Zone that will see buildings transformed and restored in the hope of attracting more people onto local high streets.

The go-ahead has been given to build 8 new homes in the village of Compton Dundon, near Somerton. The development, at Home Farm on Compton Street, will involve demolishing several existing agricultural buildings.

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Monday 16th June

The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Friday 13th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Thursday 12th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
Wednesday 11th June

People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 10th June

A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Monday 9th June

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more
Friday 6th June

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.
Thursday 5th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.