More than three-hundred-and-sixty-thousand people in Somerset have now received their first Covid vaccine, according to new figures from NHS England. The result of a public poll on the shake-up of local government in Somerset is due to be announced today. Avon and Somerset Police are providing officers for the policing operation at the G7 summit in Cornwall later this week. South Somerset District Council has given a grant of £400,000 towards new emergency accommodation for homeless people in Yeovil...and more.
More than three-hundred-and-sixty-thousand people in Somerset have now received their first Covid vaccine, according to new figures from NHS England. They also say that in the latest age group to be given the jab, 30 to 34-year-olds, around a third of people have already been vaccinated.
The result of a public poll on the shake-up of local government in Somerset is due to be announced today. Polling closed on Friday on the plan to scrap Somerset’s existing five councils and replace them with one council to run all services in Somerset or two councils, one based on the eastern side of the county the other on the western side. The government says it won’t be influenced in making its decision by the outcome. The poll’s been funded by Somerset’s four district councils and described by Somerset County Council as a ‘waste of public money’.
Avon and Somerset Police are providing officers for the policing operation at the G7 summit in Cornwall later this week. It’s not been confirmed how many offers are being deployed but Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, Mark Shelford, says helping at the G7 won’t affect policing levels in Somerset.
South Somerset District Council has given a grant of £400,000 towards new emergency accommodation for homeless people in Yeovil. The Pathways facility on Newton Road in Yeovil, which houses up to 30 people, is no longer considered fit for purpose. The new facility, on the outskirts of Yeovil, will have 39 en-suite rooms with kitchenettes, and communal space for group work and leisure activities.
Work starts this week on major repairs to the David Hall in South Petherton. The arts venue has been given grants totalling thirty-five thousand pounds to make the building safe, including blocking a leaking roof.
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.