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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Wednesday 24th December

A formal planning application has been made to carry out significant improvements to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, costing £15 million. The Halifax Bank in King George Street in Yeovil could be converted into 17 flats. A new young people’s centre opens in Chard early in the New Year...and more.
Tuesday 23rd December

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.
Monday 22nd December

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.
Friday 19th December

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.
Thursday 18th December

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
Wednesday 17th December

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
Tuesday 14th December

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.
Monday 15th December

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