Monday 10th June

Monday, 10 June 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Nominations have closed for candidates standing in the general election in the Yeovil parliamentary constituency. A new rural bus hub is being developed in Somerton at a cost of half a million pounds. Organisers of the Shindig Festival are trying to find the owner of a car that's been left behind, two weeks after the event at Dillington House ended...and more.

Nominations have closed for candidates standing in the general election in the Yeovil parliamentary constituency on Thursday, July 4th. The five candidates standing in Yeovil are:

Laura Bailhache, Reform UK
Adam Dance, Liberal Democrat
Marcus Fysh, Conservative
Rebecca Montacute, Labour
Serena Wootton, Green

In the new Glastonbury and Somerton parliamentary constituency the candidates standing are:

Tom Carter, Reform UK
Jon Cousins, Green Party
Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrat
Hal Hooberman, Labour
Faye Purbrick, Conservative

The deadline to register to vote in the general election is 5 pm on Tuesday, June 18th. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5 pm on Wednesday, June 19th. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5 pm on Wednesday, June 26th.

More than half a million pounds has been allocated to build a rural Somerton bus hub. The funding comes from the government's 'bus back better' initiative and aims to improve bus services in the Somerton area and rural parts of Yeovil. The investment follows the success of a trial in which travellers could book bus journeys online.

Government funding is being provided to improve access for disabled passengers travelling by train, with Yeovil Junction one of the stations getting some of the cash. A feasibility study into how the project will proceed is now underway at Yeovil Junction station.

Bridgwater Town Council is facing a budget overspend of nearly half a million pounds this financial year which it blames on a computer error. It comes after the Town Council agreed to take on services from Somerset Council. Bridgwater Town Council says it'll be using reserves to balance the books after having already fixed its share of council tax for the coming financial year.

Organisers of the Shindig Festival in Ilminster are trying to find the owner a car that's been left behind, two weeks after the event at Dillington House ended. Police say it's not stolen but they'll tow the red Audi if nobody comes forward. The beginning of the car's registration is OE57.

A Somerset woman who took part in a charity wing walk has thanked everyone for their generous donations. Esther Hussey, who’s 81, took on the challenge at Henstridge Airfield and had planned to raise £200 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, but ended up raising more than £1000.

More from News

Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more
Tuesday 3rd March

A woman from Ilminster has been jointly charged with another woman after a man’s body was found inside a car in Cornwall. Somerset businesses, involved in the supply chain for Leonardo, have welcomed the news that the Leonardo factory in Yeovil is to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-two homes in Milborne Port... and more
Monday 2nd March

The Leonardo factory in Yeovil has won a multi-million pound contract to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. A doctor, who previously worked at Yeovil Hospital, has appeared in court charged with illegally accessing NHS computers. A new Construction Innovation Centre has opened at Yeovil College... and more