Tuesday 11th March

Tuesday, 11 March 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

The union representing workers at Somerset Council is warning of further job cuts at the council next year. Secondary school pupils in Somerset are being offered help to withstand peer pressure to vape or smoke. The bells of St George's Church in Hinton St George have been fully restored after becoming difficult to ring...and more

The union representing workers at Somerset Council is warning of further job cuts at the council next year. Somerset Council is making 550 people redundant this year, increasing its share of the Council Tax by seven-and-a-half percent and selling commercial investments, to help fill a budget gap of £103 million for the financial year 2025/26 starting in April. But speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Unison branch secretary, Micheal Duffy, said relying on receipts from selling properties to pay the day-to-day running costs is not sustainable and warns the Council will end up in the same position, making more job cuts, next year.

Secondary school pupils in Somerset are being offered help to withstand peer pressure to vape or smoke. The sessions focus on giving young people strategies to deal with situations when they feel pressured to join in.

Trains aren’t running between Yeovil Pen Mill and Castle Cary this week to allow for Network Rail to carry out repairs to the Heart of Wessex Line in the Yeovil area. Network Rail says the work is crucial to preventing the track bed from becoming flooded. A bus replacement service is running between Yeovil Pen Mill and Castle Cary to Sunday 16th March.

The six bells of St George's Church in Hinton St George have been restored after becoming difficult to ring. The bells, dating from 1628, were removed last year and overhauled with new headstocks, clappers, bearings, wheels, and ropes. A day of celebration will be held this Saturday with the bells rung formally for the first time.

An artist has painted a life-size image of a giraffe on the side of a house in a Somerset village. It's the latest in a series of animal murals commissioned by people living in Meare, near Glastonbury.

An exhibition of artwork with a difference has opened in Langport. The display called ‘Thinking Inside the Box’, in which artists are challenged to create a piece of work to fit within a metre-squared suspended cube, is on at the Undercroft in Bow St in Langport to the end of the month.

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Wednesday 11th February

Somerset Council has been told it can’t raise council tax by more than 5 percent. Businesses in Somerset are being warned to watch out for fake £20 notes. A Martock man has successfully completed a parachute-ski jump off the top of Mount Snowdon.
Tuesday 10th February

Eye operations in Somerset have been cancelled, due to a private company running out of NHS funding to provide the surgery. A local MP is calling for the permanent installation of pumps on the Somerset Levels to reduce the flood risk. A £3 million pound project has begun to refurbish the grand organ at Wells Cathedral... and more
Monday 9th February

Multiple flood alerts and warnings remain in place across South Somerset following the weekend’s heavy rainfall. Work starts today repairing a sinkhole on Station Road in Castle Cary. A business in Crewkerne is closing after 50-years trading in the town... and more
Friday 6th September

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