Local News Friday 22nd April

Friday, 22 April 2022 06:00

Work has resumed on up-dating Yeovil town centre. The latest figures show that five people in South Somerset who had Covid-19 died between last Thursday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 20. The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the waiting times endured by some of its patients. A computer glitch is being blamed for the poorest families in Somerset missing out on cash to buy fresh fruit and veg and ‘Beat The Street’ is coming back to Yeovil on the 4th of May.

Work has resumed on up-dating Yeovil town centre but South Somerset District Council says it can’t give a date for when the whole of the Yeovil Refresh scheme will be completed. Work on the first part of the project in Westminster Street suffered a setback when Midas Construction went into administration in February. The Council says that the contract has been re-let and work on the south side of Westminster Street, from outside the NatWest bank to Clarence Street, should be completed by the end of May. A date for work to start at The Triangle in Lower Middle Street, where a new amphitheatre and fountain will be built, has yet to be confirmed. The Council says contracts to up-grade upper Middle Street should be signed next month, with work beginning later in the year.

The latest figures show that five people in South Somerset who had Covid-19 died between last Thursday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 20. Over the same period, 594 people in the district confirmed they had tested positive for the coronavirus. The number of people in South Somerset given a first dose of the Covid vaccination by Monday, April 18th was 141,833, 136,093 had received a second dose and 114,471 a booster or third dose.

The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the waiting times endured by some of its patients. It follows the publication of data showing the longest period an NHS patient in Somerset had to wait to be seen to start treatment after being referred was 152 weeks. The figures also showed no patients waited for more than three years (156 weeks) or for more than four years (208 weeks) at the trust.

A computer glitch is being blamed for the poorest families in Somerset missing out on cash to buy fresh fruit and veg. The food poverty campaign group, Sustain, says that since the NHS Healthy Start voucher system was digitised in October last year, many eligible families applying for vouchers have been rejected. The Department of Health says the software issue is now working.

‘Beat The Street’ is coming back to Yeovil on the 4th of May. The game involves walking, cycling or rolling between ‘Beat Boxes’ across the town centre to earn as many points as possible for you and your team.

More from News

Thursday 17th April

The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.
Wednesday 16th April

Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more
Tuesday 15th April

A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more
Monday 14th April

A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more
Friday 11th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man riding an e-bike was injured and later died in hospital. Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says the number of false alarm calls it receives is on the increase. A new micro-pub opens in Chard next week...and more
Thursday 10th April

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for more targeted support for schools in Somerset. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident near Wells in which a cyclist died. Plans have been approved to convert a former care home in Yeovil into a house of multiple occupation...and more
Wednesday 9th April

A man from Yeovil has been jailed for stabbing another man in a pub in the town. Work is underway to help minimize the flood risk at Chard Reservoir. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-six new homes at Sparkford. A new Town Crier is needed in Glastonbury...and more
Tuesday 8th April

Work is underway to demolish the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with drink driving for a third time. Somerset Council has paid £35,000 in compensation for failing to deliver the right support to children with special educational needs. Another shop in Yeovil town centre is closing for good today...and more