Local News Monday 10th July

Monday, 10 July 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Bin collectors in Somerset are set to go on strike from Wednesday this week in a dispute over pay. Funding has been secured to write a business case to reopen Chard Junction railway station. The A3088 Cartgate Link Road in Yeovil is shut to traffic at night all this week. Voters in Somerton and Frome have until Wednesday to apply for a free photo ID...and more.

Bin collectors in Somerset are set to go on strike this week in a dispute over pay. Members of the Unite union will stop work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and on the same days every week for the next four weeks. Suez UK, the company contracted by Somerset Council to collect the waste, has offered staff an eight per cent pay rise that has been rejected. Householders whose waste is not collected on Wednesday are asked to put it out again next Monday. Those whose waste is not collected on Thursday should put it out again next Tuesday. And, those whose waste is not collected on Friday should put it out again the following Friday. SWP says recycling centres are not affected by the stoppage and will open as normal.

Funding has been secured to prepare a business case to reopen Chard Junction railway station. The Chard Active Travel and Transport Group has raised twenty-three thousand pounds to write an outline business proposition that will be submitted to the Department of Transport. The campaign group wants Chard Junction station, which closed in 1966, re-opened as Chard Parkway station, providing hourly services to Exeter and London.

The A3088 Cartgate Link Road in Yeovil is shut to traffic at night all this week. Somerset Council says from today the road will close at 7 pm and re-open at 7 am tomorrow for the drainage system to be cleaned.

A care home in Yeovil is closing. Somerset Care says Sunningdale Lodge care home on Sunningdale Road is no longer fit for purpose and will shut in October. Residents are being supported to find alternative care provision.

A new convenience store could soon be opening in Wincanton. Plans have been submitted to locate a ‘One Stop’ shop on the site of Bridge Motors at The Batch. The application is to change the use of a motor vehicle workshop to a retail outlet.

Voters in Somerton and Frome have until Wednesday to apply for a free photo ID. The upcoming by-election in Somerton and Frome will be the first time that voters will have to produce a photo ID to vote. Anyone who doesn't have a passport, driver’s licence or another photo ID and wants to vote in the Somerton and Frome by-election on Thursday, 20th July, should apply for a voter authority certificate through the Somerset Council website.

More from News

Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more
Friday 17th July

Plans have been submitted to build 30 new homes in Ashill. As the heatwave continues, a Somerset air conditioning business says demand for its services has never been higher. Morrisons has confirmed it will close its Glenthorne Avenue store in Yeovil on August 1st... and more
Thursday 16th July

Plans to build up to one hundred new homes on Yeovil's former cattle market have moved a step closer. It’s being made easier for parents in Somerset to register children for free school meals. Wessex Water says it has no plans for a hosepipe ban at the moment but is keeping a close eye on supplies as demand increases... and more
Wednesday 15th July

Bus passengers in Yeovil have been provided with easier access to the town's bus station. Firefighters are warning of an increased risk of wildfires because of the hot weather. Aldi is asking for public comments on plans to build a new food store in Chard... and more
Tuesday 14th July

A Martock machinery business has been bought out of administration saving the jobs of 15 employees. A Somerton man has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving after a car crashed into a house in Martock. Drivers are being reminded that the A303 between South Petherton and Ilminster will be closed in both directions overnight from tonight... and more
Monday 13th July

Somerset Council says it's lost £91 million on commercial property investments. The former Clay Pigeon Karting Track near Yeovil is to be turned into a holiday park. The fire service is warning the dry conditions continue to pose a risk of grass fires... and more