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.

More from News

Wednesday 18th June

Motorists in Chard are facing weeks of further travel disruption due to a delay in repairing a gas main. A teenager has been arrested in Ilminster on suspicion of possessing a knife. A fire that destroyed a tractor at Galhampton is being treated as accidental...and more.
Tuesday 17th June

People across Somerset are being encouraged to record local wildlife as part of 'The Big Count' project, monitoring changes in the diversity and abundance of wildlife in the County. A further £1 million is being spent improving flood defences in Somerset. A Yeovil care worker has been honoured for her work at a ceremony in London...and more
Monday 16th June

The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Friday 13th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Thursday 12th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
Wednesday 11th June

People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 10th June

A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Monday 9th June

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more