Monday 5th February

Monday, 5 February 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Plans by Somerset Council to cut one thousand jobs have been described as a betrayal. The go-ahead has been given to build a new solar farm in West Coker. Avon and Somerset Police won't be recruiting any new Police Community Support Officers this year due to a cash shortage...and more.

The Regional Convenor of the local government union, UNISON, Neil Guild, has described Somerset Council’s plans to cut one thousand jobs as a betrayal. Lib Dem members of Somerset Council’s ruling Executive meet on Wednesday to vote on the job cuts and to cut overall spending by one hundred million pounds to avoid the Council going bust. Neil Guild said when the County Council and district councils were disbanded to form the new Somerset Council, UNISON was given no indication that the reduction in jobs would be so great.

The go-ahead has been given to build a new solar farm in West Coker, on the outskirts of Yeovil. Despite objections, planners agreed to 40 acres of farmland off Camp Road being used for the scheme. The site will supply nearly a quarter of the electricity needs of the Leonardo Helicopter factory on Lysander Road. A public right of way that runs through the site will be maintained.

Avon and Somerset Police say PCSO numbers within the force will drop by around eighty this year. This, despite its share of the Council Tax going up by an extra £13 from April. Avon and Somerset Police say the additional income will be enough to retain officer numbers at their current levels, but back-room jobs will be cut and no new PCSOs will be taken on this year.

Plans to regenerate Wincanton have been scrapped. South Somerset District Council had planned to spend £5.6 million smartening up the town centre and to bring empty shops back into use. Somerset Council, who inherited the scheme when SSDC was disbanded, says it’s no longer affordable.

Crewkerne in Bloom says it has nowhere to grow its plants and store its handing baskets this year. Up until now, plants that are publicly displayed in Crewkerne have been supplied by Lufton Nursery in Yeovil but the nursery, which is owned by Somerset Council, is at risk of closing as part of the Council cutting its spending by £100 million to avoid bankruptcy.

A new landmark is soon to be unveiled in Ilminster. It’s a large clock, located above the Retail Therapy shop in Silver Street, to commemorate the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The clock, that Ilminster Rotarians have provided, will be officially unveiled at a ceremony held at midday on Saturday, February 17th.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
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