Local News Thursday 17th February

Thursday, 17 February 2022 06:00

Dozens of highly skilled new jobs could soon be coming to Yeovil. A campaign’s been launched to change the name of the new unitary council for Somerset. The owner of a garden centre at Castle Cary says a ban on the import of seed potatoes from Europe is costing his business thousands of pounds in lost trade. A bucket collection at the Octagon Theatre has raised £9,000 for two local charities...and more.

Dozens of highly skilled new jobs could soon be coming to Yeovil. It follows a decision by the District Council to give the go-ahead to a new warehouse and freight hub on Seafire Park on Bunford Lane. The warehouse will provide 7,700 square meters of floor space, with lorries entering the site through Watercombe Lane.

A campaign’s been launched to change the name of the new unitary council for Somerset. The new, one council, takes over running all council services from May next year and has been called Somerset Council. Nevertheless, Somerset Guardians, a non-political pressure group, want that changed to South and West Somerset Council. They say the new unitary will cover only part of historic Somerset and that like North Somerset Council in the north and Bath and North East Somerset Council in the northeast of the County, the name of the new council should change to South and West Somerset Council to reflect more accurately the area it will serve.

The owner of a garden centre at Castle Cary says a ban on the import of seed potatoes from Europe is costing his business thousands of pounds in lost trade. After Brexit, the EU banned seed potato imports into Europe from Britain. Then in June last year, Britain reciprocated by banning European potatoes from entering the UK. Chris Smith of Pennard Plants says it’s time the government and EU settled their differences.

A bucket collection at the Octagon Theatre has raised £9,000 for two local charities. The money, donated by the public during the run of the Christmas panto, Mother Goose, has been divided equally between The Foyer Club and the Breast Cancer Unit Appeal at Yeovil Hospital

People in Kingstone near Ilminster are campaigning for a 30 mph speed limit through the parish. Kingstone Parish Meeting has set up a petition to introduce traffic calming measures through the whole of Kingstone, and neighbouring parts of Moolham Lane and Mill Lane last May.

More from News

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