Local News Wednesday 18th May

Wednesday, 18 May 2022 06:00

More than half of households in Somerset who qualify for the £150 council tax rebate towards their energy bills should by now have received the cash. A Yeovil man’s appeared in court charged with assaulting another man in Martock. An additional £1.6 million pound is to be spent making three leisure centres in South Somerset more environmentally friendly. Plans to build 130 new homes in Henstridge are to go ahead after a change of mind at South Somerset District Council...and more.

More than half of households in Somerset who qualify for the £150 council tax rebate towards their energy bills should by now have received the cash. Somerset’s District Councils have so far made one hundred and nine thousand payments on properties in bands A to D. Sixty four thousand households who qualify for the £150 payment but don’t pay their council tax by direct debit have been told that they need to apply to their local council to claim the money.

A Yeovil man’s appeared in court charged with assaulting another man in Martock. Samuel Stark of Naish Barton in East Coker pleaded guilty to the offence and was ordered to pay the man £500 in compensation. Stark was also told to complete 190 hours of unpaid work and to pay court costs of £845 pounds.

An additional £1.6 million pound is to be spent making three leisure centres in South Somerset more environmentally friendly. The centres are Wincanton Sports Centre in Wincanton, Goldenstones Leisure Centre and Westlands Leisure Centre in Yeovil. Funding for the work has been provided by central government but now South Somerset District Council has committed an extra £1.6 million to ensure the improvements are completed before the new unitary Somerset Council takes over
running the three leisure centres in April next year.

Plans to build 130 new homes in Henstridge are to go ahead after a change of mind at South Somerset District Council. Originally, members of the Council’s Area East Committee turned down the scheme to be built off Woodhayes Way. But now that decision has been overturned by members of the Council’s Scrutiny Committee allowing for the development to go ahead. Of the 130 homes proposed on the site, 46 will be affordable.

The A30 Sherborne Road close to the junction with Lyde Road in Yeovil will shut at 6.30 pm this evening and re-open at 6.30 am tomorrow. It’s to allow for work to commence resurfacing the road.

A woman with Parkinson's disease hopes her story will help inspire others living with the condition to achieve something they want to. Rho Dickson from Montacute near Yeovil was diagnosed over 11 years ago. Since then she's learnt to sing, play the guitar and write songs. She has now launched an album on Spotify.

Councillor Evie Potts-Jones was voted in for a further one year term as Mayor of Yeovil at last night’s annual meeting of Yeovil Town Council. Councillor Andy Kendall was also confirmed in the role of Deputy Mayor for a further 12 months.

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.