Wednesday 7th February

Wednesday, 7 February 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Government has told Somerset Council that it can't put up its share of the Council Tax by 10%. Dozens of jobs have been safeguarded at Thales UK in Templecombe following the award of a major government contract. Plans have been passed to build a block of flats at Grimsby Corner on Wyndham Street in Yeovil...and more.

The Government has turned down a request by Somerset Council to increase its share of the Council Tax by 10 percent. The Council, which has to cut spending by £100 million to avoid going bust, wanted to impose the 10 percent increase without a referendum. Somerset Council’s share of the Council Tax will now rise by the maximum allowed of 5 percent.

Dozens of jobs have been safeguarded at Thales UK in Templecombe following the award of a major government contract. The order worth £1.85 billion is to supply the Royal Navy with sonar, periscopes, and electronic warfare equipment and will also protect jobs at Thales UK in Plymouth and Bristol. It’s thought up to 20 new jobs could be created in Templecombe, with around 100 jobs created at businesses that supply Thales.

The go-ahead’s been given to build 100 new homes in the village of Coat near Martock. The scheme will be on land opposite the recently completed Coat Grove estate of 120 properties. The developer is providing one million pounds for local school places, including £154,000 for the early years provision at Martock Primary School, £546,000 for the primary school's main provision and £348,000 to Stanchester Academy in the neighbouring village of Stoke-sub-Hamdon.

Police are trying to trace a man who visits Martock and Yeovil in connection with an enquiry into harassment. Luke Hansford, who’s 40, is described as white, 5ft 8 tall, of medium build with brown eyes and short brown hair. Anyone who sees him is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

Plans have been passed to build a block of flats at Grimsby Corner on Wyndham Street in Yeovil. Numbers 18 to 21 Wyndham Street will be demolished and replaced with a six-storey block, comprising of forty-two one-bedroom and six two-bedroom flats. Vehicular access to the complex will be via Earle Street, with five parking spaces and 54 cycle spaces provided within the site.

An event is being held in Chard to give residents and business owners a say in shaping the town’s future. The ‘Your Town, Your Community, Your Choice’ event takes place over two days on Monday, February 26, and Tuesday, February 27 at Chard Guildhall from 5.30 pm to 7 pm.

More from News

Wednesday 8th April

A Yeovil school teacher has been banned from teaching for sharing inappropriate details about her private life with pupils. A Stoke-sub-Hamdon woman has been given a 17-month driving ban. A Yeovil woman who survived bone cancer is raising is running the London Marathon... and more
Tuesday 7th April

Somerset Council has set aside three hundred and seventy thousand pounds to keep open five leisure centres in the Mendip area. Watercombe Lane in Yeovil is set to close for thirty-one days for gas mains replacement works. It’s been announced that Martock will stage a Pride event in June...and more
Thursday 2nd April

The joint master of a hunt in Somerset has criticised the decision to hold a public consultation on banning trail hunting. Images of two men police want to speak to in connection with an arson attack on a barber’s shop in Wincanton have been released. The company that runs four leisure centres in the Mendip area has gone into administration... and more
Wednesday 1st April

No money has been committed to major new road projects in Somerset. A road linking Chard and Clayhanger has been closed after it collapsed due to badgers burrowing under the surface. The Bishop of Bath and Wells is on day-2 of his pilgrimage across Somerset to mark the holy week of Easter... and more
Tuesday 31st March

Somerset Council says it doesn’t have the money to install solar panels on the roof of the Octagon Theatre. Three men have been charged in connection with an investigation into a hunt in Somerset. Changes have been announced to the times of waste collections in Somerset over the Easter holidays... and more
Monday 30th March

Avon and Somerset Police say its armed officers attended 2,700 incidents in Somerset last year. Plans have been submitted to build 40 new homes in Curry Rivel. South Western Ambulance is offering free CPR and defibrillator training to help improve cardiac arrest survival rates...and more
Friday 27 March

There's been a big improvement in ambulance response times in Somerset. Three local people have been charged with offences linked to the theft and supply of prescription-only drugs. A fragment of a jawbone found in a cave in Cheddar Gorge appears to show that humans kept dogs as pets as far back as 5,000 years ago... and more
Thursday 26th March

Somerset Council is offering food vouchers during the school easter holidays to families whose children receive free school meals. A local man has been charged in connection with an incident involving a firearm in Yeovil. The Environment Agency says it could take up to 10 years to protect homes at Holway House Park and Home Farm Park in Ilminster from flooding...and more.