Thursday 19th December

Thursday, 19 December 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A Somerset pensioner has criticised the government for refusing to compensate women who claim they were not given adequate warning about changes to the start date for receiving the state pension. Parents are being asked to check their children have been vaccinated against measles following a rise in cases. The use of energy-saving light bulbs is greater in the South West than in any other region in England.

A Somerset pensioner has criticised the government after it said there won't be any compensation for women born in the 1950s who say they didn't get an adequate warning about changes to the age they could claim the state pension. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman had recommended the women be given a payout but Sir Keir Starmer says any compensation would impose an unfair burden on taxpayers.

A food bank in Chard has blamed the cost of living and inflation for a drop in donations to the food bank. To meet demand, the Lord's Larder in Chard has been forced into using its cash reserves to buy food to give to those in the greatest need.

Several roads on the Somerset Levels, closed by recent flooding, have been re-opened to traffic. Somerset Council says the emergency closure gates, put in place to block access to the A361 New Road, Langport Road, and Cutts Road, on the Somerset Levels have been removed.

Parents are being asked to check that their children have been vaccinated against measles following figures showing a rise in cases in the South West, including here in Somerset. The NHS says forty-six confirmed measles cases were recorded in the South West during 2024. This is the highest number since 2012. Symptoms of measles to look for in children are a fever, runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, or a rash starting on the face and spreading. Parents are advised that the best way to protect children is for them to be given the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine, known as the MMR vaccine.

The use of energy-saving light bulbs is greater in the South West than in any other region in England. New research shows that three-quarters of people in the region use energy-saving light bulbs, with half of those questioned also using smart meters to track their energy usage.

The Hub in Yeovil has been presented with a cheque for £4,000 by Somerset Freemason. The Hub, on the Pen Mill trading estate, says the money will be used to provide new experiences and activities to the 70 adults with autism and learning disabilities in its care.

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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.