New figures show that from the start of the year, black people were six times more likely than white people to be the target of a stop and search by Avon and Somerset Police. A housing developer is taking legal action against Somerset Council. A Somerset teenager hopes to break records when he sets off on a journey around the UK coastline in an electric boat...and more.
New figures show that from the start of the year, black people were six times more likely than white people to be the target of a stop and search by Avon and Somerset Police. It’s a small decrease from last year when black people were seven times more likely to be subjected to stop and search, and after the force was described as ‘institutionally racist’.
A housing developer is taking legal action against Somerset Council in a bid to prevent further delays to building 130 new homes on the Somerset-Dorset border. The Planning Inspectorate granted outline permission to Gladman Developments in 2018 to build up to 130 homes on Woodhayes Way in Henstridge. But Somerset Council has twice turned down the developer's proposals to improve the A357 that links with the development. The developer has now lodged a further appeal with the Planning Inspectorate in a bid to get the central government to sign off on its road improvements and allow building work to begin before the outline planning permission expires.
The ruling executive at Somerset Council meets next Monday to decide whether to pay waste contractor Suez an extra 47 million pounds. Suez says the pandemic, the roll-out of new services and inflation mean the cost of delivering services has far exceeded projections. A report to the council has looked at alternatives but concludes that paying Suez the extra money appears to be the least bad option.
A Somerset teenager hopes to break records when he sets off on a journey around the UK coastline in an electric boat. Harry Bleasley, who is 18, will start his charity fundraising challenge in the summer. Harry says using an electric boat, rather than one that is conventionally powered, will be challenging.
Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. A school in Chard has been named the best-run primary school in Somerset. Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303...and more
Public Health at Somerset Council is blaming a rise in measles cases on a drop in the number of children getting the MMR vaccination. Police have produced an online gallery to try and find the owners of hundreds of stolen items. The sale of a boxing glove in Chard claimed to have been worn by Cassius Clay, has been halted after new evidence about its authenticity came to light...and more
Somerset Council is pursuing a less ambitious plan for redeveloping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he hasn’t given up on trying to keep open the town’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space in the Triangle in Lower Middle Street will open for public use early in the New Year...and more
A Somerset pensioner has criticised the government for refusing to compensate women who claim they were not given adequate warning about changes to the start date for receiving the state pension. Parents are being asked to check their children have been vaccinated against measles following a rise in cases. The use of energy-saving light bulbs is greater in the South West than in any other region in England.
The Unite union says it is becoming ‘increasingly anxious’ about a delay in awarding Leonardo in Yeovil a multi-million-pound contract to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the RAF. The government has set Somerset a target to build 3,700 new homes next year. A boxing glove once worn by Muhammad Ali is being auctioned in Chard today...and more
Emergency teams are still working across Somerset to remove trees damaged in last week’s Storm Darragh. Crewkerne Town Council has been asked to ban the Seavington Hunt from gathering in the town centre on Boxing Day. The London Standard newspaper has named the Lord Poulett Arms in Hinton St George as its "Country Pub of the Week"...and more
The government says it won’t intervene in the decision to close the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Police are asking for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man suffered a broken leg. Shepton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School has been rated as good by Ofsted...and more.
Somerset-based social housing provider, Stonewater, is urging caution over plans by the government to relax the planning rules. The Samaritans in Yeovil are gearing up for their busiest time of the year. The curtain goes up today on this year’s Yeovil panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, at the Westlands Entertainment venue...and more.
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