Groups representing bus, coach, and rail companies have said that face coverings will not be compulsory for passengers when the covid restrictions are relaxed. A man has died in a road traffic accident in Langport. More than a fifth of patients in Somerset avoided making a GP appointment in the past year. The Scouts say they need an extra five thousand volunteers for groups across the country, including here in Somerset...and more.
Groups representing bus, coach, and rail companies have said that face coverings will not be compulsory for passengers in England, when the covid restrictions are relaxed in six days' time. However, in line with government guidance, people will be expected to wear masks if services are busy. Latest data shows Covid cases are up by 726 in the Somerset County Council area.
A man has died in a road traffic accident in Langport. It’s understood the man was struck by a vehicle in the Portway at around 8.30 am yesterday morning.
More than a fifth of patients in Somerset avoided making a GP appointment in the past year. Between January and March, 6,280 patients in the NHS Somerset area who had needed GP appointments were asked if they had avoided booking them, and the reasons why. Of these, 1,330 (21%) said they were put off seeing a GP because they did not want to place a burden on the NHS. 16% said they did not make an appointment as they were worried about the risk of catching Covid-19. The figures come from the 2021 GP Patient Survey, which provides an overview of patients’ experiences with primary care services.
The Scouts say they need an extra five thousand volunteers for groups across the country, including here in Somerset. There are currently fifty-thousand young people on a waiting list to join the Scouts who can't join because there aren't enough adults to act as Leaders.
Two beekeepers in Somerset are celebrating after achieving a top award. Lynne Ingram and Richard Bache are part of a select group of just ninety-four beekeepers nationally to be presented with a National Diploma in Beekeeping.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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