Thursday 1st February

Thursday, 1 February 2024 06:30

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh says the government is not to blame for the financial crisis at Somerset Council. Dog walkers in Somerset are being reminded to keep their animals under control after multiple reports of livestock worrying. A girl in Queen Camel, who's been running a mile every morning before school, has raised nearly eleven thousand pounds for charity...and more.

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh says the government isn’t to blame for the financial crisis at Somerset Council. The Council wants to cut spending by £100 million and increase the council tax by ten per cent to avoid going bust. Speaking in Parliament, Marcus Fysh accused the Liberal Democrat run authority of missing an opportunity to save tens of millions of pounds when Somerset Council was formed to replace the county council and district councils. Last week, the Treasury pledged an extra £600m for councils in England, after more than forty MPs including two from Somerset warned that local councils were not getting enough funding from the government.

Dog walkers in Somerset are being reminded to keep their animals under control after multiple reports of livestock worrying. Avon and Somerset Police received numerous complaints of sheep worrying earlier this month, which resulted in some animals dying and others being seriously injured.

The funeral takes place in Somerton today of Councillor Dean Ruddle. Councillor Ruddle who has died aged 59, represented Somerton on Somerset Council and was Chairman of Somerton Council. Following a private funeral service this morning, a public memorial service will be held in Edgar Hall starting at 2 pm. Those attending are asked to wear something bright and colourful to reflect Dean’s outstanding personality.

Nearly a third of women aged between twenty-five and forty-nine in Somerset are not attending their cervical screening appointments, according to new figures. The findings come from a study of women offered a screening, six weeks after giving birth.

A girl in Queen Camel, who has been running a mile every morning before school, has raised more than ten thousand pounds for charity. Mia, who’s 11, has been running in memory of a family friend who died of cancer for the charity Sarcoma UK. She completed her final run yesterday and says the whole thing had been very tiring.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more