A move to permanently close the road through Chinnock Hollow near Yeovil has been thrown out. Further work is to be carried out to strengthen flood defences around Chard Reservoir. Somerset Council is buying thirty properties to provide safe homes for refugees....and more.
A move by Somerset Council to permanently close the road through Chinnock Hollow near Yeovil has been voted down. The route, connecting the A30 in East Chinnock with Odcombe, was closed three years ago following a landslide. The decision to oppose the closure has put pressure on Somerset Council, who are seeking to make cuts of £100 million, to find the money to get Chinnock Hollow re-opened.
Somerset Council is buying 30 properties to provide safe homes for refugees. The homes are being bought with money from the government's local authority housing fund, allowing councils to purchase accommodation for refugees coming to the UK. The council says the homes will be in urban areas to ensure refugees can easily access local services but has not confirmed where in Somerset the homes will be.
More than 1,000 people in Somerset have now completed training to become Orange Button holders. It means they've had training in suicide prevention and mental health and are able to offer support to those in need.
Further work is to be carried out to strengthen flood defences around Chard Reservoir. It will involve installing an additional structure along Chaffcombe Lane, with the work due to start in the late summer. Somerset Council had originally allocated £99,000 for the improvements but due to their precarious finances, only £21,000 will now be spent.
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 Cruffs....and more.
A charity in Somerset is appealing for support after one of its sites was vandalised. The Leader of Somerset Council has been to Westminster to put the case for central government to provide councils with more money. A new primary school is to built in Chard.... and more
The union representing workers at Somerset Council is warning of further job cuts at the council next year. Secondary school pupils in Somerset are being offered help to withstand peer pressure to vape or smoke. The bells of St George's Church in Hinton St George have been fully restored after becoming difficult to ring ... and more
A property in Raglan Terrace in Yeovil has been closed down by a court order after it was linked to anti-social behaviour. NHS Somerset says investing in nurse apprenticeships has helped to boost recruitment. A new community garden has opened in Chard.... and more
The Leader of Somerset Council has repeated his call for a reform of the way that councils are funded. Crimestoppers is stepping up efforts to help tackle violent crime in Somerset. A new radar satellite is playing a crucial role in collecting data about flooding in Somerset...and more
Somerset Council has approved a seven-and-a-half percent increase in council tax. People are being asked to return boxes of paracetamol bought from Boots Chemists in Somerset. It’s been revealed that five members of staff at Somerset Council are being allowed to work from home outside the UK...and more
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.
The population of Somerset has reached record levels with nearly one in ten born outside the UK. Stanchester School in Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been rated as ‘requiring improvement’. Experts have been called in to appraise a 15th-century piece of artwork in Sherborne...and more.
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