Local fish and chip shop owners say they're struggling to stay open because of the rising cost of ingredients, and customers cutting back on eating out. A campaign’s been launched to stop the closure of the ticket office at Crewkerne railway station. A Somerton mother has set up a Facebook group for buying and selling school uniforms and a Somerset father says he’s concerned about his son losing his teeth because he can’t find an NHS dentist to look after him.
Local fish and chip shop owners say they're struggling to stay open because of the rising cost of ingredients, and customers cutting back on eating out. The price of cod has almost doubled over the past twelve months, and sunflower oil prices have soared since the invasion of Ukraine. The National Federation of Fish Fryers says 60 percent of chip shops have reduced their opening hours to keep energy costs down.
A campaign’s been launched to stop the closure of the ticket office at Crewkerne railway station. Local train users held a protest outside the station earlier this week holding-up signs saying “Cut profits, not ticket offices.” The protest follows reports that up to one thousand ticket offices at train stations across Britain could be closed and replaced with ticket machines.
A Somerton mother has set up a Facebook group for buying and selling school uniforms. Nikki Allen says the site has been extra busy with families swapping and buying uniforms from each other, with visits to the site higher than usual due to the cost-of-living crisis.
A Somerset father says he’s concerned about his son losing his teeth because he can’t find an NHS dentist to look after him. Ezekiel was born with a cleft palate and needs regular check-ups. His dad, Simon Pickard, says at the moment his only option to get treatment is to go private, which he can’t afford.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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