Local News Monday 23rd January

Monday, 23 January 2023 06:00

South Somerset District Council is being accused of not having a long-term strategy to fill empty shops in Yeovil town centre. Double yellow lines are to be introduced on A371 outside Castle Cary railway station to stop train users from parking at the roadside. It's been confirmed that the Shindig Festival will be held on the Dillington Estate near Ilminster up to 2025. Wincanton Tennis Club has stepped in to help with the war effort in Ukraine...and more.

South Somerset District Council is being accused of not having a long-term strategy to fill empty shops in Yeovil town centre. Councillor Tareth Casey, an Independent member of Yeovil Town Council, says the district council should be offering retailers better incentives to come to Yeovil to invest in opening new shops. He claims the £24 million pounds being spent by the council on pavement improvements and an entertainment area as part of the Yeovil Refresh Project is not enough of an incentive to attract the investment needed to bring Yeovil’s High Street back to life again.

Double yellow lines are to be introduced on A371 outside Castle Cary railway station to stop train users from parking at the roadside. It follows complaints about vehicles being left all day parked half on the pavement and half on the road, forcing pedestrians to walk onto the road to get past the parked vehicles.

It's been confirmed that the Shindig Festival will be held on the Dillington Estate near Ilminster up to 2025. The festival was originally held near Bruton before relocating to Dillington last year. This year’s event is set to run from the 26th to the 28th of May

A recruitment campaign has been launched by Somerset County Council, the NHS, and Registered Care Providers Association to encourage more people to work in social care in Somerset. One-in-ten jobs in social care are currently vacant.

Wincanton Tennis Club has stepped in to help with the war effort in Ukraine. The Club has sent some old worn-out tennis nets to Ukraine for turning into camouflage nets to protect Ukrainian forces against the Russians.

A meeting’s being held tonight of the Planning Committee of Yeovil Town. Items for discussion include locating a digital advertising screen in Middle Street. The meeting, which is open to the public, takes place at the Town House in South Street and starts at 7 pm.

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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