Thursday 23rd January

Thursday, 23 January 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil Town Council has defended its decision to increase its share of the Council Tax by an average of £80. A man who drove an e-scooter in Yeovil while disqualified from driving has been jailed for six weeks. According to new data, the Yeovil driving test centre is the 12th easiest in the UK to pass a driving test...and more

Somerset's Town Councils have been defending big increases in their share of council tax bills. The increases, which come into force in April, range from as little as £4 in Minehead to £51 in Burnham and Highbridge, with one of the biggest hikes in Yeovil, where the Town Council is putting up its share of the Council Tax by an average of £80. Town Councils like Yeovil say the increases are necessary to pay for running services they've taken on from Somerset Council to avoid Somerset Council going bankrupt.

A man who drove an e-scooter in Yeovil while disqualified from driving has been jailed for six weeks. David Bailey, of no fixed address, appeared before local magistrates and was charged with theft from a Tesco Express. Bailey was also given six points on his licence but was let off paying for the stolen items due to his lack of means.

Somerset Council says it’ll be another two months before work starts properly demolishing buildings in Glovers Walk in Yeovil. The Council says work clearing the site is being concentrated at the moment on internal demolition, with hoarding put in place to make the area safe and access to the bus station from Middle Street closed off to the public.

There’s good news for anyone planning to take a driving test in Yeovil. According to new data, the Yeovil driving test centre is the 12th easiest in the UK to pass a test. Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for the final quarter of last year, show the average pass rate in Yeovil was 61 percent, compared to the national average pass rate of 48 percent. Dorchester Driving Test Centre was fourth on the list for having the highest pass rate.

A Somerset dental surgery has come top at the 2024 Loo of the Year Awards. Trust Dental Practice in Street won the Best Loo Award in the Healthcare sector for having the best loo nationally. Owner of Trust Dental, Doctor James Main, says the win is extra special as they are the first dental practice in the UK to win a Best Loo Award.

More from News

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
Friday 6th June

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.
Thursday 5th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.