Wednesday 12th March

Wednesday, 12 March 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

A charity in Somerset is appealing for support after one of its sites was vandalised. The Leader of Somerset Council has been to Westminster to put the case for central government to provide councils with more money. A new primary school is to built-in Chard...and more

A charity in Somerset is appealing for support after one of its sites was vandalised. Brainwave says its Therapy Assessment Centre in Bridgwater was targeted with paint last weekend. A car also had its windows smashed.

The Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, joined other local government leaders at Westminster yesterday to put the case for central government to provide local councils with better funding. Cllr Revans told the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee that funding from central government to Somerset Council had almost halved in recent years – down by 40 per cent – and that it was not realistic to expect Council Tax income to pay for essential services such as social care for adults and children.

Somerset Council is planning to spend 2 million pounds extending Herne View Church of England Primary School in Ilminster. The school is being enlarged to provide spaces for children living on the new Canal Way housing development. Once extended, Herne View will have accommodation for 600 children with the cost of the work recouped from local housing developments, including Canal Way. Meanwhile, a new primary school is due to open in Chard by late 2027. The new school is planned as part of the Chard Eastern Development Area that lies between the A358 Tatworth Road and the A30 Crewkerne Road where up to 2,700 new homes could be built. But Somerset Council says a site within the CEDA has yet to be allocated, and that an alternative site may have to be found.

A path that runs alongside the Canal in Ilminster will stay shut again today. Ilminster Town Council says the path, next to the Archie Gooch Pavilion, will stay closed until late Thursday for the removal of three Ash trees that are showing signs of Ash dieback.

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Friday 17th July

Plans have been submitted to build 30 new homes in Ashill. As the heatwave continues, a Somerset air conditioning business says demand for its services has never been higher. Morrisons has confirmed it will close its Glenthorne Avenue store in Yeovil on August 1st... and more
Thursday 16th July

Plans to build up to one hundred new homes on Yeovil's former cattle market have moved a step closer. It’s being made easier for parents in Somerset to register children for free school meals. Wessex Water says it has no plans for a hosepipe ban at the moment but is keeping a close eye on supplies as demand increases... and more
Wednesday 15th July

Bus passengers in Yeovil have been provided with easier access to the town's bus station. Firefighters are warning of an increased risk of wildfires because of the hot weather. Aldi is asking for public comments on plans to build a new food store in Chard... and more
Tuesday 14th July

A Martock machinery business has been bought out of administration saving the jobs of 15 employees. A Somerton man has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving after a car crashed into a house in Martock. Drivers are being reminded that the A303 between South Petherton and Ilminster will be closed in both directions overnight from tonight... and more
Monday 13th July

Somerset Council says it's lost £91 million on commercial property investments. The former Clay Pigeon Karting Track near Yeovil is to be turned into a holiday park. The fire service is warning the dry conditions continue to pose a risk of grass fires... and more
Friday 10th July

The inquest into the death of a sex offender has returned an open conclusion. A driver has been arrested after a pursuit across the county. Ilminster Arts Centre has held its 2026 Open Exhibition Prize Giving Event... and more
Thursday 9th July

A father who shook his baby to death has been convicted of murder. Local people at high risk of having oesophageal cancer can take part in a new NHS test. Cheddar Reservoir will be closed to the public until next Monday morning because of the extreme heat... and more
Wednesday 8th July

NHS Somerset is warning us to take care as a new amber heat-health alert comes into place. A Yeovil encampment of campervans could soon be evicted. Chard’s former Oscar Mayer site could become home to a new Aldi... and more