Local News Tuesday 14th September

Tuesday, 14 September 2021 06:00

The first families to be resettled in Somerset from Afghanistan are due to arrive in the County in about a month from now. he date of Monday, September 20th has been given for work to start on part-pedestrianising Westminster Street in Yeovil town centre. Garden waste collections have resumed across Somerset. Applications for secondary school places in Somerset for 2022 have opened. Families of young people with learning disabilities in Somerset are being invited to apply for funding...and more.

The first families to be resettled in Somerset from Afghanistan are due to arrive in the County in about a month from now, according to the County Council. This phase of the government’s ‘Warm Welcome’ programme is aimed at helping translators and others who assisted the UK military during the Afghanistan War. However Somerset County Council says, that currently, they don’t know how many Afghan families will come to live in the County.

The date of Monday, September 20th has been given for work to start on part-pedestrianising Westminster Street in Yeovil town centre. The improvements, that are part of Yeovil Refresh, include wider pavement areas, new street furniture, and improved street lighting. The scheme in Westminster Street, which is a year behind schedule, is expected to take nine months to complete.

Garden waste collections have resumed across Somerset. Somerset Waste Partnership suspended the service for 6 weeks due to staff shortages caused by Covid. Collections will be made on the usual day.

A Chard motorist has been fined £226 for driving at 96 mph in a 70 mph zone on the A303 near Wincanton. Wayne Thomas Lewis of Crowshute in Chard pleaded guilty to the charge and also had four penalty points put on his licence.

Applications for secondary school places in Somerset for 2022 have opened. Parents and carers ar being urged to apply for primary and secondary school places online through the County Council website. Applications for Secondary schools close on the 31st of October and primary schools close on the 15th of January.

Families of young people with learning disabilities in Somerset are being invited to apply for funding to take part in therapy sessions with horses. The grants are being offered through the Somerset Community Foundation. Its Chief Executive, Justin Sargeant, says animal therapy can make a real difference.

More from News

Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more
Tuesday 3rd March

A woman from Ilminster has been jointly charged with another woman after a man’s body was found inside a car in Cornwall. Somerset businesses, involved in the supply chain for Leonardo, have welcomed the news that the Leonardo factory in Yeovil is to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-two homes in Milborne Port... and more
Monday 2nd March

The Leonardo factory in Yeovil has won a multi-million pound contract to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. A doctor, who previously worked at Yeovil Hospital, has appeared in court charged with illegally accessing NHS computers. A new Construction Innovation Centre has opened at Yeovil College... and more
Friday 27th February

The CEO of Leonardo has suggested the UK government could make an announcement immindently about ordering new medium lift helicopters to be built in Yeovil. A family run hardware business in Yeovil has gone into administration. The Lord Lieutenant of Somerset has been named the new patron of Somerset Chamber of Commerce... and more
Thursday 26th February

Workers at Leonardo in Yeovil have been to Downing Street to hand-in a petition calling on the government to back British jobs. The decision to grant planning permission to upgrade Yeovil's Octagon Theatre has been enthusiastically welcomed by staff who work there. The search is on to find a defibrillator that has gone missing in Chard... and more