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.

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Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more