Local News Friday 28th January

Friday, 28 January 2022 06:00

Police have stepped up patrols around the car park at Ham Hill. From Monday, restrictions on the number of people who can visit a care home are being relaxed. It could soon get a lot easier to walk and cycle around Yeovil. Rising food prices are being felt across Somerset and registrations open in just under two months to stand for election to the new unitary council for Somerset.

Police have stepped up patrols around the car park at Ham Hill on the outskirts of Yeovil. It follows further reports of anti-social behaviour in the area. Police say foot patrols are being conducted to reassure the public and deter potential offenders

From Monday, restrictions on the number of people who can visit a care home are being relaxed. The government says they’ve been able to do this due to the success of the booster programme. But Christina Westlake, Manager of Hummingbird Care Home on the Blackdowns in South Somerset, disagrees. She believes it's too soon to relax the restrictions.

It could soon get a lot easier to walk and cycle around Yeovil. It follows the publication by Somerset County Council of a new local walking and cycling infrastructure plan for the town. The plan envisages the creation of new, safe walking and cycling routes, aimed at encouraging people to use more sustainable forms of transport for travelling around the town. Included in the plan is the completion of the Lyde Road cycleway, and up-grading the cycling links through Yeovil Country Park.

Rising food prices are being felt across Somerset. Shoppers say they're trying different supermarkets and not buying their usual brands to save money. UK inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index, jumped to 5.4% in the 12 months to December 2021, its highest level in 30 years.

Registration opens in just under two months to stand for election to the new unitary council for Somerset. A total of 110 seats will up for grabs on the new one council when the local elections that take place on Thursday, May 5th. If you’re thinking of running to become a councillor, you have between March 22nd and April 5th to submit your nomination papers.

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Monday 10th February

A dog, stolen in Norfolk seven years ago, has been found 200 miles away safe and well in Somerset. A man who lives in Seavington St Michael near Ilminster has been jailed after driving a car at police officers. One hundred new affordable homes could be built near Langport...and more
Friday 7th February

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more
Thursday 6th February

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.
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