Local News Friday 17th February

    A dental practice in Chard is to close. Council taxpayers in Somerset will be paying more to run the fire service from April. A Yeovil business says low labour costs are one reason why it’s stayed loyal to Yeovil for more than 50 years. Yeovil Hospital is piloting a scheme to help speed up the discharge of patients. Young people with special educational needs are helping to run a new café in Ilminster...and more.

    A dental practice in Chard is to close at the end of March. Mydentist in Fore Street says it’s due to a lack of staff. The closure comes soon after the Springmead GP Surgery in Chard announced that it would be closing on the 24th of February. Mydentist patients are being offered appointments at Ariel Healthcare in Chard. Patients with appointments up to 31st March should attend as usual. 

    A Yeovil business says low labour costs are one reason why it’s stayed loyal to Yeovil for more than 50 years. Talon on the Lynx Trading Estate make parts for motorbikes and competes for orders against producers in China. Owner, Rod McDonaugh, says with labour costs relatively low in Yeovil, he’s able to remain competitive with his prices on world markets.

    Council taxpayers in Somerset will be paying more to run the fire service from April. A 5-percent increase in the fire service percept has been approved by councillors. Devon and Somerset Fire Service says without the increase it would have been short by three million pounds over the next 12-months.

    Yeovil Hospital is piloting a scheme to help speed up the discharge of patients. A ‘Ready to Go’ unit has been set up to check patients’ physical and mental fitness for being allowed to return home. Similar units are now being introduced in local community hospitals with the aim of freeing up much-needed hospital beds. 

    Young people with special educational needs are helping to run a new café in Ilminster. The Gamesmaster Café serves food and drinks and offers customers the chance to play board games.

    More from News

    • Wednesday 5th February

      The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.

    • Tuesday 4th February 

      Somerset has been permitted to increase its Council Tax share by 7.5 percent. An Ilminster man, forced out of his house by last week's floods, says he doesn't know when he will be able to return home. Ilminster Literary Festival has launched its annual children’s writing competition, designed to encourage local children to write creative literature...and more.

    • Monday 3rd February

      Five men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Yeovil. A 16-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with a stabbing in Yeovil. Yeovil’s new outdoor entertainment space in Lower Middle Street has been officially opened by the town’s MP... and more.

    • Friday 31st January

      A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more

    • Thursday 30th January

      Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more

    • Wednesday 29th January

      New mums in Somerset could soon be offered a cervical screening test six weeks after giving birth. Police are asking for help in finding a Yeovil man wanted on recall to prison. The government has given half a million pounds towards planting more trees in Somerset, including 100 new trees in Yeovil...and more

    • Tuesday 28th January

      Work continues to clean up from the floods in Chard, Ilminster, Somerton, South Petherton, and parts of Yeovil. A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. A competition that gives new musicians the chance to play at this year's Glastonbury festival has opened for entries...and more

    • Monday 27th January

      A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 10°C | Low: -1°C

    • Chard

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 9°C | Low: -1°C

    • Crewkerne

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 9°C | Low: -1°C

    • Somerton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 9°C | Low: -1°C

    • Wincanton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: -1°C

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