Local News Monday 9th January

Monday, 9 January 2023 06:00

South Somerset District Council is insisting that plans to regenerate Yeovil town centre will attract more shoppers. Plans have been submitted to change an empty office building in Yeovil town centre for residential use. The owner of a group of pharmacies in Somerset says they can't be expected to treat all the patients that are referred to them by GPs. People in Somerset are being urged to recycle their Christmas trees...and more.

South Somerset District Council is insisting that plans to regenerate Yeovil town centre will attract more shoppers. The Council has increased spending on smartening up the town centre by two million pounds, taking the budget for the Yeovil Refresh Project, which is already four million pounds over budget and two years behind schedule, to more than twenty-four million pounds. Business owners say they want the Council to adopt a change of approach and introduce incentives to attract new retailers into the town centre.

Plans have been submitted to change an empty office building in Yeovil town centre for residential use. The owners of the property in Market Street, opposite the Pall Tavern pub, want to convert it into flats and a two-bed house.

The owner of a group of pharmacies in Somerset says they can't be expected to treat all the patients that are referred to them by GPs. Under a new scheme, family doctors can direct people to chemists for a fee. Dr Tim Norbury, says it’s putting pharmacy staff under too much pressure.

People in Somerset are being urged to recycle their Christmas trees. Managing Director of the Somerset Waste Partnership Mickey Green says if people have a garden waste subscription with SWP, their tree will be taken away at no charge.

Plans have been submitted to convert the former Domestic Appliances shop at Old Town in Chard into a general convenience store. If approved, the new store would sell a range of goods including, food, publications and alcohol.

Community groups in Somerset are being invited to apply to the Thatcher’s Cider Apple Tree Project. As in previous years, the cider maker is giving away five-hundred trees to local community and voluntary groups to plant around the County.

The Dean of Wells, the Very Reverand Doctor John Davies is retiring. He started his tenure at Wells Cathedral in 2016. The Dean’s final service will be the Feast of Candlemas on the 2nd of February.

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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
Wednesday 29th January

New mums in Somerset could soon be offered a cervical screening test six weeks after giving birth. Police are asking for help in finding a Yeovil man wanted on recall to prison. The government has given half a million pounds towards planting more trees in Somerset, including 100 new trees in Yeovil...and more
Tuesday 28th January

Work continues to clean up from the floods in Chard, Ilminster, Somerton, South Petherton, and parts of Yeovil. A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. A competition that gives new musicians the chance to play at this year's Glastonbury festival has opened for entries...and more
Monday 27th January

A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more