Wednesday 5th March

Wednesday, 5 March 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council has been told that hundreds of millions of pounds in loans taken out by former district councils, including South Somerset, have to be paid back. A Somerset charity says it needs more volunteers to help with research into new treatments for dementia. A local shop owner has welcomed Somerset Council’s decision to scrap plans to charge for parking after 6 pm...and more.

Somerset Council has been told that hundreds of millions of pounds in loans taken out to buy investment properties by former district councils, including South Somerset, have to be paid back. The government has given Somerset Council permission to sell properties it owns and use the money to fund services like adult social care but says the original loans, totalling £300 million, have to be paid back, with interest.

A local shop owner has welcomed Somerset Council’s decision to scrap plans to charge for parking after 6 pm at council-run car parks across Somerset. Apart from not charging for overnight parking, the Council has also decided to continue providing free on-street parking in town centres. Shop owner, Susie Thomas, who along with thousands of others signed a petition opposing the charges, says it's good that the Council has listened.

A Somerset-based charity says it needs volunteers to help it with the search for new treatments for dementia. ReMind UK is running clinical trials and academic studies. It says it needs people, with or without dementia, to sign up to trials.

No trains will be running between Yeovil Pen Mill and Castle Cary next week. This will allow Network Rail to complete improvements to the Heart of Wessex Line, including repairs to signalling at Yeovil Pen Mill station and removing diseased trees along the line. A rail replacement bus service will be operating between Yeovil Pen Mill and Castle Cary, Monday to Friday next week, during the shutdown.

In cricket, Somerset all-rounder, Ben Green will join Leicestershire on loan for their opening seven County Championship matches. The 27-year-old will return to Somerset in time for the Vitality Blast clash against Surrey on May 30th.

More from News

Monday 24th March

Numatic International Ltd in Chard has been given planning permission to build a giant solar farm off the A30 Crewkerne Road. The RSPCA says incidents of dropped litter impacting the lives of animals in Somerset is a growing problem. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is marking 25 years of saving lives across the two counties...and more
Friday 21st March

Leonardo in Yeovil is developing a new type of self-flying helicopter. A report into the creation of Somerset Council has found the case for it to be 'weak' and marked by 'poor decision making'. The village of Montecute has been told that it may have one of the country's oldest working clocks...and more.
Thursday 20th March

There has been a further delay to reopening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in Wincanton in which a motorcyclist was killed. A debt advice charity in Somerset is recruiting more volunteers to help with an expected increase in people going into debt...and more.
Wednesday 19th March

A new report says survival rates from ovarian cancer in Somerset are among the best in England. Farmers say it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed due to criminal gangs using farmland for illegal hare coursing. A Victorian chemist shop, originally situated on the High Street in South Petherton, is being moved to a theme park in County Durham...and more
Tuesday 18th March

Police are appealing for witnesses to a ‘hit and run’ in Henstridge in which an 8-year-old boy was knocked off his scooter. People in Somerset wanting to hold street parties to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day won't have to pay for a road closure. Plans have been submitted to open a new farm shop in Sherborne...and more
Monday 17th March

A Yeovil woman, whose disappearance three weeks ago sparked a big police search, has been found safe and well. A new 3.2 million pound programme of flood risk reduction works has been approved by the Somerset Rivers Authority. Sexey’s School in Bruton has been voted Somerset’s happiest secondary school...and more
Friday 14th March

Four Somerset businesses, including one in Yeovil, have been handed a total of £170,000 in civil penalties for employing illegal workers. National garage chain ATS Euromaster has closed its branch in Wincanton. A farmer in Wincanton is being hailed as a hero after rescuing his pigs from a burning barn...and more
Thursday 13th March

A new campaign has been launched to persuade people in Somerset to stop smoking. Four people have been arrested in Chard in connection with the supply of Class A drugs. A dog from Yeovil has won the title of ‘best in breed’ at Crufts...and more.