Wednesday 5th February

Wednesday, 5 February 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

The Lib Dem Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans

The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.

The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. The Council is only meant to raise the Council Tax by 5 percent. But to help fill a gap of 66 million pounds in its budget, the government has given Somerset Council permission to increase the Council Tax by seven-and-a-half per cent, beginning from April.

Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing of two people in Yeovil. The teenagers, one aged 15 and the other 16, were arrested following the incident in Raglan Terrace in Yeovil last Wednesday, in which a teenager and a man in his 50s sustained stab wounds. Police say the 15-year-old was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent and affray, while the 16-year-old was arrested on suspicion of affray and being in possession of a bladed article in a public place. Both have been released on conditional bail. Police are asking that anyone who witnessed the incident or has door-cam footage to please call the non-emergency number 101.

More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee. The recipients of the money, raised at last year’s Chard Carnival and the Christmas Parade, include Chard Museum, Ilminster Majorettes, and Crewkerne Scouts.

Police are appealing for witnesses to an assault near Street. It happened on Friday, January 17th at around 5.20 pm in Meadow Lane in Walton when a vehicle was stopped by Police. A male passenger in the vehicle got out and made off on foot, chased by a police officer. After catching up with the man in Broughton Close, the officer was struck in the face by the man. Two other men in the vehicle were arrested on suspicion of being concerned with the supply of class-A drugs. If you witnessed the incident or have dash-cam footage you’re asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

Windmill Hill Lane in Ashill near Ilminster is closed to traffic today for Wessex Internet to carry out fibre cabling work.

More from News

Monday 16th June

The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Friday 13th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Thursday 12th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
Wednesday 11th June

People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 10th June

A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Monday 9th June

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more
Friday 6th June

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.
Thursday 5th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.