Thursday 8th February

Thursday, 8 February 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Bus users have started a campaign to stop the closure of four major bus routes in Somerset. Plans to upgrade the Yeovil Crematorium have been put on hold indefinitely. Police in Chard have confiscated a car found abandoned at the roadside with cloned number plates, no insurance and no road tax...and more.

Bus users in Somerset have started a campaign to stop the closure of four major bus routes. One of the routes is the number 58A which runs from Yeovil to Wincanton through Sherborne, Milborne Port, and Henstridge. Somerset Council, which subsidises the routes say they can no longer afford the subsidise them, due to making savings of £100 million to avoid the Council going bust.

Plans to upgrade the Yeovil Crematorium on Bunford Lane have been put on hold indefinitely. South Somerset District Council had allocated £5.9 million for the upgrade but Somerset Council, who took over running Yeovil crematorium when SSDC was disbanded, say the scheme is no longer affordable. Somerset Council which needs to cut spending by £100 million to avoid bankruptcy says the project has been removed from Council’s capital programme, removing the need for £3.6 million of external borrowing.

A new Enterprise Centre has opened in Chard. Provided by Somerset Council at a cost of £4.2 million and based on Beeching Close, the Centre offers flexible office and light industrial workspaces to support small and medium enterprises.

Vans will be used to provide mobile dental surgeries across Somerset. It is part of the Government's new dental recovery plan, which ministers say will deliver one and a half million extra appointments to help ease a shortage of NHS care.

Police are appealing for witnesses or dashcam footage of an accident in Yeovil. It happened on Monday at the top of Hendford Hill by the Quicksilver roundabout when a black Jeep collided with two signposts. The driver was treated at the scene and taken to hospital where he later died. If you can help the police then please call the non-emergency number 101

Police in Chard have confiscated a car, found abandoned at the roadside with cloned number plates, no insurance and no road tax.

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Leonardo has announced a major deal to build helicopters in India. Campaigners trying to set up a new bus link to Castle Cary railway station from Glastonbury say they need 150 thousand pounds of council money. A community event is being held in Chard for charities and service providers to showcase their activities.... and more
Thursday 5th February

The NHS in Somerset is the first in the country to trial an online self-referral service for breast cancer. The MET office has confirmed that January was the wettest in Somerset since 2014. The MET office has confirmed that January was the wettest in Somerset since 2014... and more
Wednesday 4th February

Somerset Council is asking the government for extra funds to pay for the damage caused by Storm Chandra. There’s been a setback to the campaign to reopen Chinnock Hollow. The Telegraph newspaper has named the Barrington Boar at Barrington in a list of the top 50 best pubs in the UK... and more
Tuesday 3rd February

Five flood warnings remain in place in Somerset covering the rivers Parrett, Yeo, Northmoor and Saltmoor. Somerset Council says it has no plans to demolish a derelict listed building near Chard Leisure Centre. A Yeovil farm shop has been honoured at a national awards ceremony... and more
Monday 2nd February

The Met Office has issued a warning of more heavy rain for Somerset. A survey by Somerset Council shows nearly two-thirds of households would be happy to pay more in council tax. Yeovil Town Council is offering free allotment spaces to support people’s wellbeing... and more
Friday 30th January

Data from the weather centre at RNAS Yeovilton shows rainfall in Somerset was almost double the average for January. A disabled man is taking Somerset Council to the High Court, claiming its council tax reduction scheme is discriminatory. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard is seeking urgent support to replenish its stocks of hay... and more
Thursday 29th January

Somerset Council has warned that more homes are likely to flood with further heavy rain forecast to end the week. Discount retailer, The Original Factory Shop, which has an outlet in Crewkerne, has gone into administration. A Barista at Costa Coffee in Ilminster has won a place in the finals of a national competition...and more
Wednesday 28th January

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has announced plans to develop a new operational base on the Leonardo airfield in Yeovil. Several people have been rescued from their homes in Ilminster due to flooding. An £800,000 project is underway to restore two staircases at Montecute House...and more