Thursday 6th August

Thursday, 6 August 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has defended her party's decision to allow a former neo-Nazi to stand as a candidate in next year's local elections for Somerset Council. A charity that runs children's homes in Somerset is terminating its contract early following a critical report by Ofsted. A new playground and sports area is being built at Manor Court Primary School in Chard during the summer break...and more

The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has defended her party's decision to allow a former neo-Nazi to stand as a candidate in next year's local elections in Crewkerne South for a seat on Somerset Council. Mrs Badenoch said Joshua Bonehill-Paine had been rehabilitated and now worked to tackle racism and antisemitism. He was sent to prison after a campaign of abuse targeting, among other people, at the Jewish Labour MP, Luciana Berger, who is now Baroness Berger. She's called on Kemi Badenoch to drop Mr Bonehill-Paine as a candidate.

Resurfacing work is to be carried out on the A30 between East Chinnock and Haselbury Plucknett to make it safer for motorists. The road was resurfaced in May this year when the temperatures were above 30 celsius, causing the bitumen binder to melt and increase the skid risk for drivers. Somerset Council says the contractor, Kiely Brothers, has agreed to pay for the repair works, which will take place in early September.

People in Somerset have been given more time to comment on plans that will shape the county until 2045. The consultation on the draft Somerset Local Plan, which sets out a vision for housing, jobs, and infrastructure in the County over the next 20 years, has been extended to August 9th.

A Crewkerne man has been jailed for 10-years for multiple sexual offences. Richard Bennett, aged 66, of Bowhayes, in Crewkerne, was convicted of sexual activity with a child under-16 and the sexual assault of a woman when he appeared at Taunton Crown Court. Bennett was also put on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

A charity that runs children's homes in Somerset is terminating its contract following a critical report by Ofsted which led to one of its homes closing. Somerset Council signed a 10-year contract with Homes2Inspire, run by the Shaw Trust in 2022, but the contract will now end in 2027.

A new playground and sports area is being built at Manor Court Primary School in Chard during the summer break. An early-years learning centre at the rear of the school has been demolished to make way for the new playground and sports area.

More from News

Wednesday 5th August

Avon and Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner is backing the wider use of police drones in towns like Yeovil to help tackle crime. Visitor numbers at Somerset's tourist attractions are down by around sixty per cent so far this year. A gardening expert says it'll take much more than the occasional shower to revive Somerset's parched lawns, parks and open spaces...and more
Tuesday 4th August

A Somerset doctor is calling for better community eye care. People in Glastonbury and Street are benefiting from a new bus service to Castle Cary railway station. A sailor from South Petherton is celebrating after sailing around the world... and more
Monday 3rd August

A yellow Heat Health Alert is in force across Somerset today. The swimming and leisure centre in Street remains closed following last Thursday's flooding in the plant room. Plans for a new primary school in Chard have been delayed until at least 2030... and more
Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more