Wednesday 18th September

Tuesday, 17 September 2024 21:09

By Steve Haigh

BT is reassuring customers in Somerset who are worried about the upcoming digital switchover for landline phones. Somerset Council could lose 13 percent of its elected members as part of an upcoming boundary review. Castle Cary has been named as the best place to live in the UK in an online poll...and more.

BT is reassuring customers in Somerset who are worried about the upcoming digital switchover for landline phones. Copper phone lines are being decommissioned and all landlines will connect through the internet and electricity sockets. BT senior engagement manager, Vicky Hicks say the change to digital is needed to improve the way phones work.

Somerset Council could lose 13 percent of its elected members as part of an upcoming boundary review. The council has 110 elected members, two for each of the 55 divisions on boundaries inherited from Somerset County Council. However, this number could go down to 96 as part of a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission ahead of the next local elections in Somerset in May 2027. The commission is expected to hold two rounds of public consultation on the proposals before the summer of 2025.

Chard Town FC celebrated 100 years of playing at Zembard Lane last night. The milestone was marked with a Somerset Senior League fixture against Worle FC. Chard Town first played at Zembard Lane on September 17th, 1924, after being formed in March 1921, and initially playing at Bonfire Close.

Somerset Council has launched a new consultation asking people for their views on where they live and the services the council provides. The Council says it will use the results of the 2024 Resident Survey to measure progress against Somerset’s priorities and shape future council services. The survey is open now on the Somerset County Council website and closes on Monday, October 21st.

A sign that hung in the reception area of the Pittards factory in Yeovil is being auctioned off. Anyone who visited the Pittard's on Sherborne Road will have seen the carved wood emblem reading 'Established 1840'. The sign is being auctioned by Charterhouse in Sherborne on September 25th with a guide price of £2,500.

Castle Cary has been named as the best place to live in the UK in an online survey. In a poll of readers of the Muddy Stilettos’ website, Castle Cary came top of a list of the best villages, towns and cities to live in the UK.

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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