Wednesday 22nd January

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council is to pay for fifty-bed spaces in nursing homes so that patients can be discharged from hospital quicker. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, is calling for improved disabled access at Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction railway stations. Crewkerne could soon get a new farm shop...and more.

Somerset Council is to pay for fifty-bed spaces in nursing homes so that patients can be discharged from hospital quicker. NHS Somerset says two-thirds of patients in local hospitals who are medically fit for discharge are not being discharged because of a bed shortage. Somerset Council plans to spend £2 million a year on so-called ‘block beds’ in nursing homes to ease the shortage.

Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, is calling for improved disabled access at Yeovil’s two railway stations. Access for disabled people to the platforms at Yeovil Junction station is only available when a staff member is present to assist. At Pen Mill station, no accessible toilets are provided. Mr Dance has tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament asking for the Access for All programme to be implemented at both stations.

Somerset cider maker, Thatchers, says it's thrilled to have won a Court of Appeal trademark battle against Aldi. Thatcher's lost a legal challenge against the supermarket chain last year after it said it had copied the labelling on its cloudy lemon cider. Now Judges at the Court of Appeal say Aldi has infringed Thatcher's trademark.

Councillors in Glastonbury have backed proposals to link the town with a new community bus service to Castle Cary. The initiative, led by the Somerset Bus Partnership, aims to make travel between the two towns easier, with improved access for rail passengers travelling to Castle Cary train station.

A public inquiry is to be held to decide the future of a Somerset shopping centre. Churchill Retirement Living wants to demolish the Crispin Shopping Centre in Street and build a retirement complex on the land. But Somerset Council is against the proposal. The refusal to grant planning permission will be the subject of an appeal hearing, starting on April 23rd.

Crewkerne could soon get a new farm shop. Plans have been submitted to open a farm shop and café at Lower Farm in Roundham, run by the A H Warren Trust. In their application, the Trust says the shop will specialise in selling locally grown and sourced goods, including meats from the farm's own livestock.

More from News

Tuesday 18th November

Somerset Council has set up a task force to help identify land for a permanent traveller’s site in the county. Police are appealing for information after a charity shop in Martock was targeted by burglars. A Somerset woman is seeking individuals with a connection to the armed forces to join a new amateur rowing club...and more.
Monday 17th November

Workers belonging to the Unite union at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil are threatening further strike action. Dunelm says its Yeovil store in the Quedam will reopen on Tuesday, December 16th. A nurse working at Yeovil Hospital has won a place in the final of Miss England...and more.
Friday 14th November

Yeovil Hospital has introduced a new system for handling patients at its A&E department aimed at cutting waiting times. It’s claimed that an Iron Age settlement preserved under Somerset's wetlands for 2,000 years is facing erosion due to climate change. Montacute Road in Tintinhull will be closed for five days next week for repairs to a gas main.
Thursday 13th November

Workers at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil are taking part in a second day of strike action in their dispute over pay. Lloyds Bank has closed its branch in Chard permanently. A week-long programme of tree planting will be held at Ham Hill later this month to mark National Tree Week...and more
Wednesday 12th November

Workers belonging to the Unite union at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil begin a two-day strike today. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, has been speaking in a parliamentary debate on improving dyslexia support in schools. South Western Ambulance Service is inviting applications for positions on its governing council...and more
Tuesday 11th November

Somerset residents are being urged to get a flu jab as cases of flu continue to rise. Seven horse saddles have been stolen in a break-in at a riding school in Queen Camel. Donations of children’s toys are needed for this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal...and more
Monday 10th November

It’s claimed Somerset Council has lost nearly £5 million selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. A car has been set on fire in a suspected arson attack in Shepton Mallet. A Crewkerne man says night-time noise from the town's Waitrose store is causing him and his family "sleep disturbance" ... and more.
Friday 7th November

A man from Yeovil has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of three counts of rape. Smoking rates in Somerset remain higher than in many other parts of the UK. Students at three schools in Yeovil have created a new shoe design for Clarks.