Local News Thursday 29th September

    A report from the Rural Services Network has found that people living in Somerset are struggling more than people living in urban areas with the cost of living crisis. A Yeovil man has been jailed for eight months for dangerous driving. 4,000 people have now signed a petition calling for the scrapping of plans to transfer a mental health unit in Wells to Yeovil. There’s a chance to find out more about the running of Yeovil Hospital today and people in Chard are being asked to comment on plans to upgrade the play area in Henson Park.

    A report from the Rural Services Network has found that people living in Somerset are struggling more than people living in urban areas with the cost of living crisis. It found that people with homes in the countryside have been impacted to a far greater extent by rising energy bills, transport costs, and lower wages. Graham Biggs, CEO of the Rural Services Network says the government needs to invest more heavily in rural areas.

    A Yeovil man has been jailed for eight months for dangerous driving. Matthew Goodchild of Fosse Park Road was clocked travelling at 90 mph during a police chase that ended with his car crashing into a traffic bollard on Newton Road. Goodchild was further charged with driving while disqualified and without insurance, and banned from driving for 28 months.

    4,000 people have now signed a petition calling for the scrapping of plans to transfer a mental health unit in Wells to Yeovil. It was proposed in 2020 that St Andrews Mental Health Ward in Wells should move to Summerlands site on Preston Road in Yeovil but a final decision has yet to be made. Objectors plan a protest in Frome today where members of the new Integrated Care Board for Somerset are meeting.

    There’s a chance to find out more about the running of Yeovil Hospital today. The committee responsible for the management of Yeovil Hospital is holding its annual general meeting this afternoon. The AGM of Yeovil Hospital NHS Foundation Trust takes place at Monks Yard at Horton Cross near Ilminster starting at 3 pm and is open for the public to attend.

    People in Chard are being asked to comment on plans to upgrade the play area in Henson Park. The plans include providing a basket swing, rock n' bowl, surf rider, stepping logs, and five-a-side football goals for children to play on. The survey can be found on the Chard Town Council website. 

    More from News

    • Thursday 17th April

      The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.

    • Wednesday 16th April

      Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more

    • Tuesday 15th April

      A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more

    • Monday 14th April

      A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more

    • Friday 11th April

      Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man riding an e-bike was injured and later died in hospital. Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says the number of false alarm calls it receives is on the increase. A new micro-pub opens in Chard next week...and more

    • Thursday 10th April 

      Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for more targeted support for schools in Somerset. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident near Wells in which a cyclist died. Plans have been approved to convert a former care home in Yeovil into a house of multiple occupation...and more

    • Wednesday 9th April

      A man from Yeovil has been jailed for stabbing another man in a pub in the town. Work is underway to help minimize the flood risk at Chard Reservoir. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-six new homes at Sparkford. A new Town Crier is needed in Glastonbury...and more

    • Tuesday 8th April

      Work is underway to demolish the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with drink driving for a third time. Somerset Council has paid £35,000 in compensation for failing to deliver the right support to children with special educational needs. Another shop in Yeovil town centre is closing for good today...and more

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

    • Somerton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 15°C | Low: 9°C

    • Wincanton

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 15°C | Low: 8°C

    Recently Played