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.

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Friday 22nd August

Six hundred parking spaces could be lost in Yeovil town centre if plans to build new homes on public car parks go ahead. The Environment Agency is to stop maintaining some rivers and streams in Somerset to save money. People in Somerset are being warned about a scam involving fake communications from the tax authorities...and more
Thursday 21st August

Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, says families and hospital staff should be given more information about re-opening maternity services at Yeovil Hospital. Yeovil’s renal unit on the Lynx West Trading Estate has been told it must improve on safety. Organisers of a Live Aid concert held in Yeovil 40 years ago are trying to contact the bands that played at the event for a reunion...and more.
Wednesday 20th August

The NHS says twenty-six thousand people in the South West signed up to stop smoking in the past twelve months. A teenager from Yeovil has raised more than four thousand pounds for a new dialysis machine at Bristol Children's Hospital. Yeovil Town take on Brackley Town in a National League fixture this evening, kick off at Huish Park is 7.45...and more
Tuesday 19th August

Families struggling to pay for their children to have breakfast over the summer holidays are being offered free breakfast bags at a church in Chard. Police are appealing for information after a sentimental gold pocket watch was stolen in North Petherton. A Bridgwater man sets off today on a 200-mile cycle ride to Barnstaple and Exeter, raising money for Kidney Research UK...and more.
Monday 18th August

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack in Yeovil. Women in Street and Glastonbury are being encouraged to take part in a scheme to highlight unsafe areas to walk alone. A Nottinghamshire man, on a pub-crawl around Britain to help boost the pub trade, is currently visiting pubs in Somerset...and more.
Friday 15th August

Services and acts of remembrance are taking place across Yeovil & South Somerset for VJ Day. An Ilminster café has unveiled a new defibrillator in the town. A room, named in honour of a member of Somerset Council’s Public Health team, has been opened at Yeovil Library...and more.
Thursday 14th August

Yeovil residents are being asked whether they would pay for part of the Octagon Theatre refurbishment. Spending on buses in Somerset is the lowest per head in the region, according to the county's bus partnership. A Yeovil fraudster has been jailed for almost three years...and more.
Wednesday 13th August

A coroner has raised concerns after the death of a newborn baby at Yeovil District Hospital. Revised plans for the construction of up to 360 homes in Ilminster will be put forward in the autumn. Somerset’s Local Community Networks are marking the start of their third year in the county...and more.