Tuesday 6th February

Tuesday, 6 February 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Chard Town Council meets tonight to vote on increasing its share of the Council Tax by 45 %. Homeowners in parts of South Somerset are to get an extra waste pick-up later this month. A new public clock has gone on display in Ilminster marking the reign of Queen Elizabeth the Second...and more.

Chard Town Council meets tonight to vote on putting up its share of the Council Tax by an average of 45%. If agreed, the Town Council precept on a typical band-D property would rise from £173 to £251. Chard Town Council says the extra income is needed to fund services it plans to take over running from Somerset Council. Charges for the cemetery and hire of the Guildhall would also rise. Tonight's meeting in the Guildhall starts at 7 pm and is open to the public.

The Environment Agency says ten years after the major flood event on the Somerset Levels it has learned lessons and changed the way it works. Following the floods of January 2014, the Somerset Rivers Authority was set up and a twenty-year flood action plan for Somerset was drawn up.

Homeowners in some parts of South Somerset will get an extra waste pick-up later this month. The additional collection days will take place on Saturday, February 17th, in Chard and Ilminster and in Hinton St George, Langport, South Petherton, Ilminster and Chard on Saturday, February 24th. Somerset Waste Partnership says the extra collection days are to ensure no household goes more than three weeks between collections when the new timetable for collections starts on February 12th.

Avon and Somerset Police are appealing for witnesses after a motorcyclist died in a collision with a van on the A361. It happened in the village of West Lyng near the junction of New Road on Sunday at around 4.30 pm. Anyone who saw what happened or has dashcam footage is asked to please call the police non-emergency number 101.

Ilminster has a new landmark. It’s a public clock located on the side of the building above Retail Therapy in Silver Street. The clock, provided by Ilminster Rotary Club to commemorate the reign of Queen Elizabeth the Second, will be officially switched on at midday on Saturday, February 17th.

Plans have been approved to build five detached houses at Ham Farm in Combe St Nicholas, near Chard. Four of the houses will be newly built with one created from an existing farm building.

More from News

Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more