Local News Wednesday 16th November

Wednesday, 16 November 2022 06:00

A business case put forward to combine the running of Yeovil Hospital with Musgrove Park in Taunton has been approved. A pilot scheme involving the use of e-scooters on the streets of Yeovil is set to continue. Thirty-one motorists were caught by Police driving recklessly on the A303 through South Somerset in the space of just half an hour yesterday. A planning decision to allow five units to be built for storing carnival floats on the Dillington Estate near Ilminster has been overturned in the High Court...and more.

A business case put forward to combine the running of Yeovil Hospital with Musgrove Park in Taunton has been approved. Yeovil Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust will now join together, with some medical services merging. The plans, however, have still to be finally approved by NHS England.

A pilot scheme involving the use of e-scooters on the streets of Yeovil is set to continue. The Department of Transport has extended the trial period to 2024 to gather more data on when and how often people use e-scooters.

Thirty-one motorists were caught by Police driving recklessly on the A303 through South Somerset in the space of just half an hour yesterday. Police say they were positioned on a bridge over a stretch of the A303 with a 60 limit, and no barriers between the carriageways, yet drivers were filmed travelling at speeds in excess of 90mph.

A planning decision to allow five units to be built for storing carnival floats on the Dillington Estate near Ilminster has been overturned in the High Court. The hearing was told that at a meeting of South Somerset District Council, when planning permission was given, two members of the committee who voted in favour of the planning consent, should not have voted, due to them having links to local carnival clubs. The Somerset branch of the CPRE, who brought the case to the High Court, claimed the committee’s decision had been tainted by the apparent bias of the two members involved. South Somerset District Council has described the judgement as ‘very disappointing’ and says it’s considering its position on the matter.

Two local charities have benefitted from the generosity of the Freemasons in Chard. Both St Margaret’s Hospice and the Air Ambulance have been given an equal share of nineteen hundred pounds raised at a skittles evening and bingo night organised by the Freemasons Lodge in Chard.

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Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more