Wednesday 9th October

Wednesday, 9 October 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A decision on building 46 new homes at the southern edge of Castle Cary has been delayed. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with using racially aggravated abuse towards a police officer. A teacher in Chard has been awarded a top prize at the National Special Educational Needs awards... and more.

A decision on building 46 new homes at the southern edge of Castle Cary has been delayed to clarify the potential impact of the development on the local landscape and the town's conservation area. Somerset Council’s Planning Committee South voted to defer an application by Castle Cary LLP to build the houses on land between Cockhill Elm Lane and the cemetery until later in the year to allow further information to be gathered by planning officers.

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with using racially aggravated abuse towards a police officer. Sam Burden of Marl Close also faced a charge of possessing cocaine when he appeared at Yeovil Magistrates Court. Burden was fined £80 for the drugs offence and £80 for the racially aggravated offence along with a £72 victim surcharge and £40 costs.

A hospice offering end-of-life care in Somerset says it now raises more money through its charity shops than it receives from the government. Dorothy House Hospice Care says it's facing the worst funding crisis in 20 years. It's one of more than 200 charitable hospices in the UK calling on the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to provide help for the sector in this month’s Budget.

Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, Clare Moody, is holding a public forum in Yeovil this evening. It’s your chance to influence the future of policing and meet with members of the Yeovil Neighbourhood Policing Team. The forum is being held in the Alex Stock Lounge at Yeovil Town Football Club’s ground, Huish Park, starting at 6 pm and is open to everyone to attend.

A lack of planning officers and getting rid of phosphates are behind the huge backlog of planning applications, according to Somerset Council. Developers say they are unable to meet the government house building targets because of the long delays in getting planning applications approved. Lib Dem Lead Member for Planning on Somerset Council, Mike Rigby, says they're working hard to resolve the impasse, but the situation is complicated.

A Somerset teacher has been awarded a Teacher of the Year prize at the National Association for Special Educational Needs awards. Clare Brun, a special educational needs coordinator at Holyrood Academy in Chard, was nominated for her "incredible skills" as a teacher and the way in which she has supported other staff to better understand students with additional learning needs.

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.