Thursday 6th March

Thursday, 6 March 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council has approved a seven-and-a-half percent increase in council tax. People are being asked to return boxes of paracetamol bought from Boots Chemists in Somerset. It’s been revealed that five members of staff at Somerset Council are being allowed to work from home outside the UK...and more

Somerset Council has approved a seven-and-a-half percent increase in council tax. This means a typical Band D property will pay an extra £129 a year in council tax from next month. The decision was taken at a full council meeting yesterday and follows the government permitting Somerset to break the five percent limit on council tax increases, introduced by the previous conservative government. Speaking at yesterday’s meeting, Lib Dem Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, said the system of local government finance was "broken" but opposition Conservative leader, Councillor Mandy Chilcott claimed the council's budget for 2025/26 was "littered with red flags".

People are being asked to return boxes of paracetamol bought from Boots Chemists in Somerset. It's after a packaging mix up with the batch number 24-10-05. Boots says the tablets are paracetamol but the packaging is incorrectly labelled.

It’s been revealed that five members of staff at Somerset Council are being allowed to work from home outside the UK. Two are employed in the Council’s Legal Department, two in the adult social care department, and one is an Engineer in the Highways Department. A block on accessing Council’s computers from outside the UK has been lifted to allow the five staff members to work from overseas.

A heritage railway in Somerset is looking for new volunteers. The East Somerset Railway, near Shepton Mallet, is holding an open day this weekend in the hope of signing up new recruits.

Ilminster and District Men's Skittles League has presented a cheque for £555 to the Beacon Cancer Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital. Last year, the league donated over £2,000 to the Beacon Centre and Cancer Research UK.

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More than 4,500 people have expressed interest in joining a new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne. Somerset Council says a long-term solution is needed to make Hendford Hill in Yeovil fully safe for motorists. A Somerset man has won first prize at the World Marmalade Awards... and more
Wednesday 29th April

Somerset Council says Hendford Hill in Yeovil should be fully reopened to traffic by the end of May. Plans have been approved to build 40 new homes in Crewkerne. A huge pile of illegally dumped rubbish in Glastonbury has been cleared... and more
Tuesday 28th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision at Rimpton. A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in South Petherton. Former Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has been retained as first-team manager of Taunton Town for next season... and more
Monday 27th April

A former school in Sherborne has been badly damaged by fire. A care home in Yeovil has been rated outstanding. ublic spaces in West Coker owned by Somerset Council are being handed over to the parish council. Mendip Golf Club has presented a cheque for £12,000 to Mind in Somerset... and more
Friday 24th April

Plans have been submitted to turn a property on Preston Road in Yeovil into a House in Multiple Occupation. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has been recalled to the England Red Roses starting line-up for tomorrow’s Women’s Six Nations game against Wales. Three sisters from Yeovil will be running the London Marathon this weekend in support of Guide Dogs UK... and more
Thursday 23rd April

Helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton have completed six weeks of sorties, protecting Cyprus from attacks by Iran. People in Somerset who use domestic heating oil are calling on the government to regulate the oil supply industry. Patients are being invited to register at a new NHS dentist in Crewkerne... and more
Wednesday 22nd April

Expectant mothers are using Yeovil Hospital once again to give birth following the reopening of the maternity unit. A Yeovil man has been jailed for four years for committing sexual offences against two young girls. Plans have been approved to convert a pub in Milborne Port into housing... and more
Tuesday 21st April

NHS Somerset has delayed closing the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. A former Avon and Somerset Police officer has been jailed for making indecent images of children. A Somerset man has been fined after pleading guilty to hunting a wild animal with dogs... and more