Tuesday 19th February

Tuesday, 20 February 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council meets today to agree on spending cuts of £100 million to prevent the Council from going bankrupt. A Martock man has been charged in connection with an incident at a pro-Palestine demonstration in central London. Ilminster Town Council is holding an auction of furniture at its former offices in North Street...and more

Members of Somerset Council meet today to agree on spending cuts of £100 million to prevent the Council from going bust. Meanwhile, the Leader of Somerset Council has been defending the pay of the authority's senior leadership team. Lib Dem Councillor Bill Revans says that salaries of between £100,000 and £195,000 paid to each of the thirty-strong senior leadership team are in line with what other local councils pay their top people.

A Martock man has been charged in connection with a pro-Palestine demonstration in central London. Martin Prady of Birch Road in Martock was arrested during last Saturday’s pro-Palestine demonstration held in the capital, accused of obstructing a police officer. Mr Prady is due to attend Highbury Magistrates’ Court on March 4th.

"No police officer will ever ask people to hand over money or valuables or to divulge sensitive banking details" That's the message Avon and Somerset Police want people to share with friends and family following a spate of incidents in which fraudsters, claiming to be police officers, have called people asking for bank information.

Ilminster Town Council is holding an auction of furniture at its former offices in North Street. The Council is due to vacate the North Street premises at the end of March and will be selling furniture from the council chamber and other items by sealed bids. The items can be viewed at the council offices in North Street between 4 pm and 7 pm on Monday, March 18th.

A primary school teacher in Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been on a visit to Parliament to help grow pupils’ interest in politics. Frances Abbott, of Castle Primary School, was one of seventy teachers invited to take part in the UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador programme, sitting in on debates in the Commons and Lords, and learning about the role of select committees.

Chard Rugby Club Ladies have raised nearly £1,500 ahead of their Three Peaks challenge. Members of the team plan to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon in 24 hours in September to raise funds for grassroots rugby. Their next fundraising event will be an Easter Bingo at Chard Rugby Club on Friday, March 22nd.

More from News

Monday 24th March

Numatic International Ltd in Chard has been given planning permission to build a giant solar farm off the A30 Crewkerne Road. The RSPCA says incidents of dropped litter impacting the lives of animals in Somerset is a growing problem. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is marking 25 years of saving lives across the two counties...and more
Friday 21st March

Leonardo in Yeovil is developing a new type of self-flying helicopter. A report into the creation of Somerset Council has found the case for it to be 'weak' and marked by 'poor decision making'. The village of Montecute has been told that it may have one of the country's oldest working clocks...and more.
Thursday 20th March

There has been a further delay to reopening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in Wincanton in which a motorcyclist was killed. A debt advice charity in Somerset is recruiting more volunteers to help with an expected increase in people going into debt...and more.
Wednesday 19th March

A new report says survival rates from ovarian cancer in Somerset are among the best in England. Farmers say it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed due to criminal gangs using farmland for illegal hare coursing. A Victorian chemist shop, originally situated on the High Street in South Petherton, is being moved to a theme park in County Durham...and more
Tuesday 18th March

Police are appealing for witnesses to a ‘hit and run’ in Henstridge in which an 8-year-old boy was knocked off his scooter. People in Somerset wanting to hold street parties to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day won't have to pay for a road closure. Plans have been submitted to open a new farm shop in Sherborne...and more
Monday 17th March

A Yeovil woman, whose disappearance three weeks ago sparked a big police search, has been found safe and well. A new 3.2 million pound programme of flood risk reduction works has been approved by the Somerset Rivers Authority. Sexey’s School in Bruton has been voted Somerset’s happiest secondary school...and more
Friday 14th March

Four Somerset businesses, including one in Yeovil, have been handed a total of £170,000 in civil penalties for employing illegal workers. National garage chain ATS Euromaster has closed its branch in Wincanton. A farmer in Wincanton is being hailed as a hero after rescuing his pigs from a burning barn...and more
Thursday 13th March

A new campaign has been launched to persuade people in Somerset to stop smoking. Four people have been arrested in Chard in connection with the supply of Class A drugs. A dog from Yeovil has won the title of ‘best in breed’ at Crufts...and more.