People in South Somerset are to get a vote on the planned shake-up of local government in the County. Meanwhile, Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has come out against holding the poll. A man who lives in High Ham has appeared in court charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. Somerset's Director of Public Health has been made a professor. Trudi Grant has led the county council's response to the covid-19 pandemic...and more.
People in South Somerset are to get a vote on the planned shake-up of local government in the County. Voting will take place both online and by post between now and early June. All interested parties are now agreed that Somerset’s system of local government with four district councils and a county council has to change. The issue is what that change should be; should it be one council to run all services across Somerset or two councils, one based on the Western side of the County, the other on the Eastern side. The poll will not be legally binding with the outcome being sent to the Local Government Minister, Robert Jenrick, before the government announces a final decision, expected sometime in July.
Meanwhile, Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has come out against holding the poll. He’s called it a waste of public money and suggested that South Somerset District Council should spend the money earmarked for the poll on smartening up Yeovil town centre.
A man who lives in High Ham has appeared in court charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. Elliott Ash of Orchard Bank at High Ham pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined £333 and ordered to pay compensation of £225.
Somerset's Director of Public Health has been made a professor. Trudi Grant has led the county council's response to the covid-19 pandemic. She's now been made a Visiting Professor of health at University of the West of England but will also remain working for the county council.
Aspiring young actors in South Somerset can audition to take part in a musical being put on at Glastonbury Abbey this summer. Acclaimed Director Andrew Wright is behind the production of Joseph of the Technicolour Dreamcoat and is recruiting locally for cast members.
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.
A woman from Crewkerne has been fined £280 for assaulting two emergency workers. Plans have been announced to open new NHS dental surgeries in Chard and Crewkerne. A Yeovil man has been thanked for raising £10,000 for the cardiac charity Heartbeat...and more
A local man has been charged after allegedly driving a tractor while under the influence of alcohol. One hundred bikes, collected with household waste in Somerset, have been donated to charity. The junction of the A37 Ilchester Road and Stiby Road in Yeovil will again shut this evening for resurfacing...and more.
Fourteen hundred people have added their names to a petition against Somerset Council's plans to scrap free car parks. St Margaret’s Hospice has won a share of £25 million of government funding. A man from Charlton Adam is preparing to visit Ukraine as an Aid Worker for a tenth time...and more
A local man has been charged with possessing an air weapon following an incident in Yeovil town centre. The Labour government has removed funding to the Amulet Theatre in Shepton Mallet that the previous Conservative government had allocated. Entries are now open for this year’s Minster Miles 10K fun run with organisers aiming to exceed last year’s number of runners...and more.