Thursday 20th November

Thursday, 20 November 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Taunton Town Council has agreed to provide funding for five years to support the town's Brewhouse Theatre. The Environment Agency is warning that Somerset could experience a drought next spring if this winter is drier than usual. We’re being asked to look out for rough sleepers during the current cold snap...and more

Taunton Town Council has agreed to provide £105,000 in funding each year for five years to support the town's Brewhouse Theatre. The Taunton Theatre Association, which has taken on running the theatre from Somerset Council, says the bulk of the money will be used to pay for repairs to the building.

Eight out of ten people in a consultation say they’re against paying for Sunday parking at car parks run by Somerset Council. The Council says it’s assessing the economic impact of the move, but points out that in other towns where Sunday parking charges have been introduced, the local economy has not suffered. Somerset Council is due to meet next month to discuss the consultation results.

The Environment Agency is warning that Somerset could experience a drought next spring if this winter is drier than usual. It says that unless there is sustained rainfall before the end of March, drought conditions could worsen, impacting crop yields and wildlife. It's also warning of hosepipe bans.

We’re being asked to look out for rough sleepers during the current cold snap. With overnight temperatures falling below freezing, Somerset Council has activated its Severe Weather Emergency plan, which provides emergency accommodation for rough sleepers. The Council says outreach teams have been contacted to ensure no one dies on the streets and that every effort is made to engage with people who sleep rough. If you see someone sleeping rough, you can report it on the Street Link website or by calling 0300 123 22 24.

A dance group in South Somerset has won an international award. Ashill Scottish Country Dancers took first prize in the People’s Choice Award in the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society’s Virtual Festival. Their winning entry, a five-minute video entitled Dance a Rainbow, featured seven Scottish country dances, themed around a colour of the rainbow. Anyone who would like to join the group meets every Tuesday at 7.30 pm at Horton Village Hall.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more