Local News Wednesday 23rd February

Wednesday, 23 February 2022 06:00

Yeovil’s new I-Aero building has been officially opened by the town’s MP Marcus Fysh. Council taxpayers in South Somerset are to pay more to help run the region’s fire service. Plans to regenerate Wincanton town centre have been cut back. Motorists are being advised that resurfacing work is taking place along Bonfire Lane at Charlton Mackrell all this week. A further £800,000 is being spent to make Yeovil Crematorium fit for purpose...and more.

Yeovil’s new I-Aero building has been officially opened by the town’s MP Marcus Fysh. I-Aero, off Bunford Lane, is described as ‘a centre of excellence’ representing companies within the South West aerospace sector.

Council taxpayers in South Somerset are to pay more to help run the region’s fire service. It follows Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority’s decision to increase its share of the council tax by 2 percent from April. The authority’s budget for 2022-23 has now been set at £77.3 million.

Plans to regenerate Wincanton town centre have been cut back. South Somerset District Council had allocated £5.7 million to smarten up the High Street, including taking a stake in redeveloping the White Horse pub. But since the budget was agreed, the building has been sold to a developer. As a result, the District Council has reduced the budget to regenerate Wincanton by £3.3 million, a cut of nearly 60 per cent.

Motorists are being advised that resurfacing work is taking place along Bonfire Lane at Charlton Mackrell all this week. And, that a new footway will be installed on Station Road in Castle Cary on Friday this week.

A further £800,000 is being spent to make Yeovil Crematorium fit for purpose. The extra cash is on top of the £5.7 million pounds already allocated to upgrade Yeovil Crematorium, with mourners provided with more room, and the building handling more services.

A popular local pub has been put up for sale. The Orchard Inn at Galhampton, near Castle Cary, with has features that date back more than two hundred years, is advertised with a guide price of £435,000.

Guide Dogs UK is appealing for people in Somerset to help raise puppies. You'll need to be able to attend puppy classes, familiarise your dog with different environments, and teach commands. A small interview/vetting process will also follow an application.

More from News

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more