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

Friday 26th July

Somerset Olympic Rower, Helen Glover, will be carrying the Team GB flag, together with diver Tom Daley, at this evening's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Work has been completed building a new mental health ward in Yeovil. Martock Library is reducing its opening hours after losing funding from the Parish Council...and more.
Thursday 25th July

A crowdfunding appeal has been launched raising money to help find a Chard man missing for almost two weeks in Sardinia. Somerset Council is to sell off some of its buildings to help balance the books. Building work on the UK's biggest electric vehicle battery factory near Bridgwater will begin next month...and more.
Wednesday 24th July

Drivers at Buses for Somerset are involved in a second day of strike action today. Police in Yeovil confiscated a motorbike that was being ridden without insurance. This year’s Charter Fair in Crewkerne will take place over three days from the 6th to the 8th of September. The main road through the cliffs at Cheddar Gorge is closed again today for filming...and more.
Tuesday 23rd July

A sub-postmistress from Wells, falsely accused of stealing by the Post Office, is celebrating after finally being paid compensation. An amateur jockey from near Sherborne is in hospital after sustaining a serious back injury in a fall. A man who became violent towards staff at Hollywood Bowl in Yeovil has been jailed...and more.
Monday 22nd July

The RSPCA in Somerset has reported a big increase in cases of animal cruelty. The mother of a Chard man, missing for more than a week in Sardinia, has launched a desperate plea to find him. A book detailing the life of one of Stalbridge’s most famous sons, the author Douglas Adams, has been gifted to Stalbridge Town Council...and more.
Friday 19th July

Glovers Walk shopping centre in Yeovil is to be demolished. The Rock and Ribs music festival starts at Wincanton racecourse today. A mobile clinic, part of the UK’s largest-ever health research programme, is coming to Chard and Yeovil. A new community magazine has been launched in Sparkford...and more.
Thursday 18th July

Plans have been submitted to build 650 new houses in Wincanton. Farmers in Somerset have criticised Avon and Somerset Police for re-deploying four officers from the rural crime team. Glastonbury and Somerton MP, Sarah Dyke, has written to the new Transport Secretary asking for a meeting about restoring a rail link between Langport and Somerton...and more.
Wednesday 17th July

Work to upgrade the gas network on Preston Road in Yeovil begins later this month. Somerset Council has been given the go-ahead to deliver the final phase of the Yeovil Refresh project. The wet weather is being blamed for a big drop in visitor numbers to Somerset this summer...and more.