Local News Wednesday 19th May

Wednesday, 19 May 2021 06:00

Somerset County Council is setting aside ten million pounds to help Somerset recover from the impact of the Covid pandemic. People are being asked to vote on the planned changes in local government in Somerset. Police are appealing for help in finding a local man. Plans for a 70-bed care home in Chard have been submitted to South Somerset District Council. Six horses have been stolen in Bower Hinton...and more.

Somerset County Council is setting aside ten million pounds to help Somerset recover from the impact of the Covid pandemic. Two million pounds will be spent on expanding local work to control Covid outbreaks. There'll also be funding to support people whose mental health has been affected.

People are being asked to vote on the planned changes in local government in Somerset. The choice is between replacing the County Council and four District Councils with one council for Somerset proposed by the County Council or two councils; one to cover the Eastern half of Somerset and another for the Western half of the county, proposed by Somerset’s District Councils. The District Councils have written to the Secretary of State to ask that the result be considered as part of the decision making on the future of local government in Somerset. The poll closes at 5 pm on Friday, the 4th of June.

Police are appealing for help in finding a local man. Kieran Finn, aged 28, has links to Chard and Crewkerne and is suspected of breaching his bail conditions. Police say Finn has a swallow tattoo on his neck and a heart tattoo on his fingers. They asked anyone who knows his whereabouts to call 999.

Plans for a 70-bed care home in Chard have been submitted to South Somerset District Council. A number of buildings in East Street would be demolished to make way for the new care home.

A proposal by the government to force eating places to advertise calorie counts on menus has been described as a bad idea by a local eating disorder charity. The plan was one of a number of new laws put forward in the Queen's Speech to help tackle the problem of obesity.

Six horses have been stolen in Bower Hinton. The animals were taken from a field in Hills Lane on Saturday, 15th May. If you live in the areas and saw the animals being loaded onto a trailer, you’re asked to call the police non-emergency number 101.

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.