Tuesday 17th September

Tuesday, 17 September 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

£400 million is being invested in research and development projects at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil. £29 million in council tax was left uncollected in Somerset in the last 3 years. A teenager from Yeovil is calling for more awareness of kidney failure. A new procedure for treating varicose veins has made it possible for patients to leave hospital earlier... and more.

An investment of £400 million in the Leonardo factory in Yeovil has been announced by Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, during his visit to Italy. Sir Keir gave no other details except to say the money would be spent on research and development.

£29 million in council tax was left uncollected in Somerset in the last 3 years, with the former South Somerset District Council owed £9.1 million in uncollected council tax. A Freedom of Information request by Accident Claims Advice found that Somerset's five former local authorities wrote off £7 million of debts deemed impossible to collect in the financial year 2021/22. A total of £28,978,000 in council tax remained uncollected across all five former councils between the 2021/22 and 2023 /24 financial years. £7 million was written off as unviable or impossible to collect in the financial year 2021/22.

A teenager from Yeovil is calling for more awareness of kidney failure in young people after she was struck with the condition over the summer. Lilly Canterbury, who’s 14, was placed in a coma after becoming seriously ill in June following flu-like symptoms. She now has dialysis three times a week and will need a kidney transplant. Lilly says she’s gone public with her story to raise awareness of kidney failure.

Babies, re-admitted to Yeovil Hospital with jaundice are being given a diagnosis within just two to three minutes of arriving, thanks to a new way of testing for jaundice. Senior sister Beth Hawken and nurse Eleonora Forbes worked on developing the new test, a procedure that previously had been taking up to seven hours to complete. Yeovil Hospital says it has made the care of neonatal babies more efficient meaning they’re not jaundiced for long and are less likely to experience complications.

Parents and carers of children in Somerset due to start school or move on to their next school in September 2025 are being urged to apply for a place online. Applications can be made via the Somerset Council website until January 15th.

Patients in Somerset having varicose veins treatment are now able to go home within a few hours of a procedure. A new treatment room at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton is allowing patients to be treated under local anaesthetic in an outpatient setting with them leaving hospital earlier and not taking up any theatre time.

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Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more