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.

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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.