Thursday 14th August

Thursday, 14 August 2025 at 06:00

Yeovil residents are being asked whether they would pay for part of the Octagon Theatre refurbishment. Spending on buses in Somerset is the lowest per head in the region, according to the county's bus partnership. A Yeovil fraudster has been jailed for almost three years...and more.

Yeovil residents are being asked whether they would be willing to pay part of the bill for the refurbishment of the Octagon Theatre. It's been closed for two years while plans are made for the theatre, but the town council wants to raise its council tax precept by more than three per cent to cover a £3,000,000 loan. Leader of the council, Andy Soughton, says if residents reject the plans, it’s back to the drawing board.

Spending on buses in Somerset is the lowest per head in the region, according to the county's bus partnership. It comes after a major parliamentary report into services around England, which suggests a number of improvements to support rural communities. The Somerset Bus Partnership submitted evidence to the Transport Select Committee's report.

A Yeovil fraudster who stole thousands of pounds in so-called romance scams has been jailed for almost three years. Ben Millin fabricated stories of dying relatives, health conditions and job interviews to defraud four women out of an estimated £30,000 to £40,000. A proportion of the money helped fund his gambling habits.

Somerset Council say that around £1,000,000 could be saved if residents recycled all of their food waste, instead of binning it. Following the authority’s collaboration with SUEZ’s food waste recycling service, they say that the process is a cheaper and greener way to dispose of food waste compared to the process used with general waste bins. Whilst 7 out of 10 households in the county regularly put their food waste out for recycling, it is estimated that 16,000 tonnes a year is still going into the rubbish bin – that’s three meals a week, per household. Residents who need a new or replacement kitchen caddy or food waste bin can request it online at www.somerset.gov.uk/order-bins

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Monday 26th October

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Wednesday 21st October

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