Thursday 2nd November

Thursday, 2 November 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

There's major disruption across Somerset this morning caused by Storm Ciaran with schools closed, and roads and train lines flooded. Somerset Council says it will shortly publish details of how it plans to control spending to prevent the authority going bankrupt. An auction of the fixtures and fittings at Dillington House near Ilminster held on Monday earlier this week raised more than £100,000...and more.

There's major disruption across Somerset this morning caused by Storm Ciaran with schools closed, and roads and train lines flooded. Rail operators including GW, Cross Country, and South Western Railway are all reporting cancellations. The Environment Agency has issued seven warnings and eight alerts for local flooding.

Somerset Council says it will shortly publish details of how it plans to control spending to prevent the authority from going bankrupt. Auditors have warned of a potential £130 million overspend in the next two years, with the Council facing a budget gap of £80 million in the 2024-25 financial year, and another £50 million in 2025-26. The Council says a doubling in the cost of providing adult and child social care is largely to blame for its financial problems.

A public inquiry is to be held into plans to build one hundred new homes in South Chard. An application to build the homes on land between Perry Street and Factory Lane in December 2021 was refused. Now, the developers, The Crossman Group, have lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate in a bid to overturn this decision, with a public inquiry expected to be held early in the New Year.

The number of councillors on Somerset Council could be cut by the time of the next local elections. The Council currently has 110 members which is the third highest of any upper tier or unitary authority in England. Now, the Local Government Boundary Commission is to hold a review and has indicated the number of seats on Somerset Council could reduce to between 70 and 90 by the time the next local elections in May 2027. The review will also look into the boundaries of the existing council divisions and may rename some divisions to reflect their local character.

An auction of the fixtures and fittings at Dillington House near Ilminster held on Monday earlier this week raised more than £100,000. Dillington House which had been a conference and wedding venue run by Somerset Council closed in September. Of the 500 lots sold, a Waterford Crystal chandelier fetched the highest price at £3,700.

Volunteers and community groups in Chard are working together to collect Christmas presents for families in need. The Forefront Community Centre, Lord’s Larder Foodbank, Chard Community Hub, and South Chard Church are asking for new, unwrapped toys and gifts for children, who might not otherwise receive a Christmas present. Items can be dropped off at Forefront Community Centre, Chard Community Hub, and South Chard Church, up to Friday, November 29th.

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.