Monday 28th October

Monday, 28 October 2024 05:00

By Steve Haigh

A date has been set for the trial of five men in connection with the death of Yeovil man, Michael Wheeler. Somerset Council has announced a further 450 job cuts. Final approval has been given for 765 new homes to be built at Up Mudford on the outskirts of Yeovil...and more

A date has been set for the trial of five men in connection with the death of Yeovil man, Michael Wheeler. His body was found at Yarlington more than a month after he was reported missing.

Somerset Council has announced a further 450 job cuts as part of efforts to avoid the authority going bankrupt. Council Leader, Bill Revans, says the cuts will impact services and has repeated his call for the government to step-in with a rescue plan, not just for Somerset Council, but local government as a whole.

Final approval has been given for 765 new homes to be built at Up Mudford on the outskirts of Yeovil. Following years of negotiations and delays, the Abbey Manor Group was given the green light for the development between Mudford Hill and Wyndham Park at a recent Somerset Council’s Planning South Committee meeting. In addition to the new homes, a community hall, 65-bed care home, medical centre, retail outlets, and industrial units will also be built on the site, with an extension to the nearby Primrose Lane Primary School.

New jobs could be created at Sparkford after plans for new employment units were approved. The units will be arranged in eight blocks next to the former Haynes publishing site.

Somerset Council says it won’t be taking up the opportunity of a road closure to carry out improvements to a zebra crossing in Chard. Currently, Furnham Road is shut for repairs to a gas pipe. Local residents had hoped Somerset Council would re-paint the crossing at the junction with Beeching Close while Furnham Road was closed but Somerset Council say the work is not scheduled in its current maintenance programme.

Six thousand pounds has been raised at the Cross Keys Inn at Lydford-on-Fosse for two good causes. At a charity presentation evening, the money was divided equally between Cancer Research UK and the Alzheimers Society.

Local artists have the chance to apply for two bursaries of £400 each with Halstock Community Arts. They’re available to support groups and individuals to develop creative projects. Those applying have to live or work within a 20-mile radius of Halstock. The closing date for applications is December 31st.

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Wednesday 25th March

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has presented a petition in the House of Commons raising concerns about the planned closure of Yeovil Hospital’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Police in Yeovil are appealing for information after a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. A 13-year-old terrier named Mole has been rescued after becoming trapped underground in Pensel Wood near Wincanton... and more
Tuesday 24th March

Yeovil College has received a glowing report following an Ofsted inspection. The main road between Chard and Ilminster is to be better protected from flooding. A six-thousand-year-old wooden walkway has been uncovered on the Somerset Levels... and more
Monday 23rd March

A wildcat helicopter belonging 815 Squadron based at RNAS Yeovilton has been in action tracking two Russian ships in the English Channel. People living in Somerset will have to pay to use Dorset’s household waste recycling centres from today. A road in Ilminster has closed to traffic today and will stay shut for the next ten days... and more
Friday 20th March

Police are appealing for witnesses to a three-vehicle crash in Sherborne. The jobs of housing maintenance staff at Somerset Council could be outsourced to a private contractor. A pie throwing event is taking place in Chard today for Red Nose Day ... and more
Thursday 19th March

Farmers in Somerset say they're struggling after a doubling in the price of red diesel. Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised Donald Trump over his comments about people with learning disabilities. A Somerset woman whose father was killed in a crash on the M5 is running the London Marathon to raise money for South West Ambulance...and more
Wednesday 18th March

The murder of a two-week-old baby by his father at Yeovil Hospital could not have been predicted, according to a new report. A road in Ilminster is to close to traffic for eleven days later this month. A new Post Office counter is to open in Somerton... and more
Tuesday 17th March

The government is being asked to help fund Somerset's carnivals. Bridgwater Town Council wants more trains to stop at the town’s railway station. A fund raising pie throwing event is taking place for Red Nose Day in Chard... and more
Monday 16th March

Drivers are being told that it could take several more weeks yet before Hendford Hill in Yeovil reopens to traffic. A new bus service between Glastonbury and Castle Cary railway station is to start on a trial basis. Children in Chard are being given free reading books as part of a scheme founded by Dolly Parton... and more