Wednesday 28th May

Wednesday, 28 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council is to spend £3m on employment consultants as it seeks to bring its four thousand staff onto the same terms and conditions. Film and TV production companies spent an estimated £4m making films in Somerset last year. The Wurzels have released a new single written by artificial intelligence in the hope it will take them to the top of the charts...and more

Somerset Council is to spend £3m on employment consultants as it seeks to bring its four thousand staff onto the same terms and conditions. The council was formed in 2023 after it merged five local authorities, inheriting several different sets of terms and conditions for staff.

Film and TV production companies spent an estimated £4m in Somerset last year. The figure comes in the week The Salt Path, filmed in Somerset, is released. Somerset Council says that, in addition to production companies spending money locally, tourism also benefits from places and landscapes in Somerset being showcased on the Big Screen.

Chard-based professional boxer Paul Roberts is to challenge for the British flyweight and Commonwealth flyweight titles. He's scheduled to fight Harvey Horn for the titles and the coveted Lonsdale belt at the Skate Central Arena in Sheffield on June 14th.

A man from Forton, near Chard, is taking part in a 200km challenge to raise money for Brain Tumour Research. Jonathan Ingram, who is living with a brain tumour, says by the end of May, he will have walked, run, and cycled to reach the 200km target.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has developed a new online self-referral form for bowel cancer. The Trust says data shows younger people are being diagnosed with late-stage bowel cancer in Somerset, with the highest proportion in Bridgwater. The new service is open to people aged 40-49 who are registered with a general practitioner (GP) in Somerset.

The Wurzels have released a new single written by artificial intelligence called 'Wurzel Me Up'. The band, best known for hits like Combine Harvester and I Am A Cider Drinker, say they've used Ai in the hope it will give them a new Number One.

More from News

Tuesday 15th September

Police investigating an attack on a shop worker in Yeovil have released CCTV images of a man and woman they want to speak to. Farmers in Somerset are being warned to expect more cases of bluetongue. Ilminster Carnival Committee has announced the cancellation of this year's Children's Carnival due to a lack of entries... and more
Monday 14th September

Two new mobile NHS breast screening units have taken to the road in Somerset. More than 700 new homes are to be built alongside the M5 in Bridgwater. Dawes Twineworks in West Coker is one of several venues open to the public for free this month... and more
Friday 11th September

It’s going to cost more to park in Chard. Police have issued an image of a man they want to speak to in connection with two burglaries in Yeovil. Somerset Cricket Club is planning to stage performances by some of the world's biggest artistes at their Taunton ground... and more
Thursday 10th September

Work has begun building a new multi-million-pound David Lloyd leisure centre in Yeovil. NHS Somerset says a new system to handle emergency stroke care will lead to "better outcomes" for patients. Tickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival will go on sale in October...and more
Wednesday 9th September

Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to following an assault in Yeovil. Businesses in Taunton say they're worried that planned changes to parking rules could put people off visiting the town. The Red Arrows will take to the skies near the Somerset border in a one-off display later this week... and more
Tuesday 8th September

Police in Avon and Somerset say they’re dealing with a big increase in reports of cloned vehicle fraud. A new video system designed to speed up stroke care has been launched in Somerset. Pilgrims are walking through Somerset this week to mark eight hundred years since the death of Saint Francis of Assisi... and more
Monday 7th September

Avon and Somerset Police are warning about a new scam involving criminals posing as police officers. Flu vaccinations are now available on the NHS ahead of the winter. Liverpool comedian John Bishop has cancelled his show in Taunton later this week after breaking his ankle... and more
Friday 4th September

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a vehicle near Shepton Mallet. New taxi charges come into force in Somerset later this month. The fire service is treating as accidental a blaze at a flat in Yeovil town centre... and more