Local News Tuesday 7th December

Tuesday, 7 December 2021 06:00

Construction is about to begin on a new £30 million pound helicopter logistics centre in Yeovil. The two groups bidding to takeover Yeovil Town football club have been given until the end of the week to conclude a deal. South Somerset District Council is planning to scrap a number of projects to save one and a half million pounds. The owner of a transport business in Chard says the shortage situation with lorry drivers has started to improve and a doctor working on Somerset's vaccination programme is asking people not to be put off having a Covid booster because it’s difficult to book an ap

Construction is about to begin on a new £30 million pound helicopter logistics centre in Yeovil. The state-of-the-art facility is being built on the site of a former GKN factory at West Hendford and will support Leonardo’s global fleet of helicopters through the storage of components and tooling.

The two groups bidding to takeover Yeovil Town football club have been given until the end of the week to conclude a deal. The club’s owner, Scott Priestnall says if a deal hasn’t been reached by the weekend then he will continue to be in charge at Huish Park. In a statement, Mr Priestnall gave illness and personal circumstances as the reasons for not attending Huish Park of late to watch Yeovil play. In the FA Third Round, Yeovil have been drawn at home against Championship side Bournemouth.

South Somerset District Council is planning to scrap a number of projects to save one and a half million pounds. Expanding the café at Yeovil Country Park looks set to be dropped, together with installing solar panels on the John O'Donnell Pavilion at Yeovil Recreation Ground and fitting out the first floor of the Yeovil Innovation Centre. Improvements to council-owned car parks and the creation of new car parks across the district are also unlikely to go ahead.

The owner of a transport business in Chard says the shortage situation with lorry drivers has started to improve. Managing Director of C&D South West in Chard, Lorna Hammond, says a drop in the number of drivers leaving the sector, has made her feel more confident.

A doctor working on Somerset's vaccination programme is asking people not to be put off having a Covid booster because it’s difficult to book an appointment. The government’s aim to get everyone who’s eligible offered a Covid booster by the end of January. Clinical Director at Somerset CCG, Doctor Alex Murray, accepts there are difficulties but says local appointments are available through the national booking system

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Monday 16th March

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Friday 13th March

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