Thursday 13th February

Thursday, 13 February 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Councillors have voted to cut 555 jobs at Somerset Council. Farmers in Somerset are reporting a big increase in thefts of trucks, trailers and machinery. NHS Somerset has confirmed that a doctor’s surgery in Yeovil is to expand. The Forget Me Not Pre-School in Yeovil has been rated 'Good' across all areas by Ofsted...and more

Councillors have voted to cut 555 jobs at Somerset Council. The authority is undergoing a major restructuring following the merger of five district councils in April 2023 and trying to plug a £66 million gap in its budget for the new financial year starting in April. Chair of Somerset UNISON, Neil Guild, says the cuts will impact greatly on service levels at Somerset Council.

Farmers in Somerset are reporting a big increase in thefts of trucks, trailers and machinery. Figures from insurers NFU Mutual show that in 2023 there was a 42 per cent increase in farm thefts in Somerset.

NHS Somerset has confirmed that a doctor’s surgery in Yeovil is to expand. The Ryalls Park Medical Centre on Marsh Lane is close to several planned housing developments with people moving into the new homes wanting to register with the surgery.

The South West has been given £23.1 million of government funding for new walking and cycling projects, and Somerset Council will receive £2.7 million. The money will provide cycle tracks and footpaths, as well as safer crossings and road junctions.

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with two drink and drug driving offences. Owen Zubel of Hillside Terrace was found to be over the drink and drug drive limit after the car he was driving was involved in a four-vehicle crash at Pen Hill in Wincanton. Magistrates in Yeovil sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 120 hours unpaid work. He was also disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Ofsted has rated the Forget Me Not Pre-School in Yeovil has 'Good' across all areas. The nursery in Linden Road was praised for its strong leadership, high-quality education, and nurturing environment for children aged two to four following the inspection in November.

Local suppliers of wheelchair-accessible products, Koller Engineering, on Garrett Road in Yeovil, has made St Margaret’s Hospice Care its Charity of the Year. The business says it will donate £1 from every wheelchair restraint it sells in 2025 to support the hospice’s work in Somerset..

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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