Thursday 10th October

Thursday, 10 October 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Work demolishing the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil will start before the end of the month. Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for a ban on executive bonuses at Wessex Water. Somerset Council has issued an urgent appeal for more foster carers to come forward.. and more.

Somerset Council has appointed a contractor to demolish the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil with work starting before the end of the month. It follows the Council’s purchase of the Glovers Walk site for £2.7 million with plans for new residential and commercial buildings on the land. Contractors, Walters UK, are being paid £1 million to clear the site and complete the work by early springs next year. Yeovil bus station will stay open throughout the period.

A local man who pushed a parish councillor, causing him to fall and fracture his skull, has been given an 18-month suspended prison sentence. Taunton Crown Court was told that Ian Barnes, aged 60, attacked Iain Hall, the Chairman of Merriot Parish Council, during a meeting. The Court heard that Barnes had been in dispute with the parish council and became aggressive towards Mr Hall before pushing him to the ground. Apart from the 18-month suspended prison sentence, Barnes was also subjected to a 5-year restraining order and told to pay Mr Hall £500 in compensation.

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for a ban on executive bonuses at Wessex Water. His comments follow the announcement that Wessex Water has to pay back £5.3 million for poor performance and data showing that last year 2,667 sewage spills were reported in South Somerset. Mr Dance wants to see bonus payments to water bosses banned until leaks are fixed and sewage spills end. Wessex Water says for the second year running, no bonuses, relating to environmental performance, have been paid to directors.

Somerset Council has issued an appeal for more foster carers to come forward to provide stable homes for local children. The Council says it’s dealing with a growing number of children coming into the care of the council who need a foster family. Council Leader, Bill Revans says finding a stable foster home with a nurturing family provides the best environment for children in care, ensuring they remain in their local community, surrounded by the faces and places they know.

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.