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.

More from News

Wednesday 7th October

Somerset Council says it's started talks about what do with the Brewhouse theatre in Taunton after it closes at the end of the month. A Chard man has been sentenced for keeping multiple different dogs despite being banned from doing so. NHS van drivers based in Bridgwater who supply hospitals in Somerset with essential medical equipment will walk out on strike next week... and more
Tuesday 6th October

Prince William is visiting Ilminster today, where he will launch ‘Ready Together’, a new initiative helping communities prepare for emergencies. Barwick and Stoford Primary School near Yeovil says it's confident of emerging stronger after being placed in special measures by Ofsted. Vapes and weight-loss jabs are putting workers at recycling centres in Somerset at risk after being wrongly thrown away...and more
Monday 5th October

Ilminster is gearing up for a Royal visit by Prince William tomorrow. Plans have been approved to convert the former Battens Solicitors building on Princes Street in Yeovil into 21 flats. A 'Just Giving' page has opened for making donations towards Ilminster Carnival which, on Saturday, had to be cancelled midway through due to a gas leak...and more
Friday 2nd October

An investigation's underway after two people died in a collision near Taunton. A Somerset-based charity has warned of the risks of fuel poverty this winter. A Somerset healthcare service has been recognised with a national award.... and more.
Thursday 1st October

765 new homes have been given planning permission on the edge of Yeovil. Somerset Council’s Executive will meet to consider new parking charges. Four of the county’s best military cadets have been appointed as Lord-Lieutenant cadets... and more.
Wednesday 30th September

Police are appealing for a missing 17 year old from Castle Cary. A registered sex offender has been sentenced to 9 years in prison. A former Chard student who is one of six writers in the running to win this year's Booker Prize has paid tribute to his childhood teachers... and more.
Tuesday 29th September

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service say this summer saw record-breaking levels of demand. The charity that runs the Brewhouse Theatre has confirmed that it will definitely close. A Chard charity has launched a minibus service to improve community transport... and more.
Monday 28th September

Somerset Community Foundation says it has awarded more than £40 million in grants across the county. The family of a Somerset girl say they used AI to help diagnose her genetic condition. A property in Monks Dale, Yeovil is subject to a three month Closure Order... and more.