Wednesday 3rd September

Wednesday, 3 September 2025 06:00

Yeovil’s MP, Adam Dance, will introduce his first Bill to Parliament next week, proposing dyslexia screening. The 2025 Ilminster Neighbourhood Plan referendum has won a massive majority in the town. Chard residents are being encouraged to report crime and antisocial behaviour...and more.

Yeovil’s MP, Adam Dance, will introduce his first Bill to Parliament next week, proposing dyslexia screening in schools. Mr Dance grew up with the condition and says the Bill would ensure no child in South Somerset, or countrywide, would be left behind. Currently, the only standardised check in primary schools is the phonics test, and campaigners argue it can overlook dyslexia, ADHD and other neurodivergent traits. The Bill will be presented on Wednesday, 10th September, after Prime Minister’s Questions.

The 2025 Ilminster Neighbourhood Plan referendum has won a massive majority in the town, with 82.9% of votes giving it the go-ahead. The plan is community-led and land-based and will seek guidance on future development, regeneration and conservation in the area. The development and funding of housing will be addressed over the next two years, alongside employment, across an area that includes the former Horlicks factory to the east of the town.

Police and community groups in Chard say they want more people to report low-level crime and antisocial behaviour. The Community Hub, Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service, local Village Agents and Citizens Advice have all been taking part in an event to try and engage more with the local community. Jeannie McManus is from Young Somerset and says they really want to improve the relationship.

Pregnant women and children in Somerset are being urged to get a flu jab this autumn. One thousand seven hundred eighty people were hospitalised in Somerset between September 2023 and March 2025 as a result of Flu or COVID-19. Vaccinations are now open to children aged between 2 and 3, school-aged children, and children with long-term health conditions to help them stay well during the winter months.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more