Local News Wednesday 15th December

Wednesday, 15 December 2021 06:00

Trudi Grant, Director of Public Health at Somerset County Council

Somerset’s Director of Public Health is urging people to do Covid tests before meeting with other people and to meet up in well-ventilated spaces. South Somerset District Council has confirmed that two senior members of staff have left the organisation after an investigation into multiple potential breaches of their code of conduct. A teaching union is calling for a staggered start to the return to school in January and for additional on-site testing facilities to help deal with the spread of Omicron...and more.

Somerset’s Director of Public Health is urging people to do Covid tests before meeting with other people and to meet up in well-ventilated spaces. Trudi Grant says it's only a matter of time before the Omicron becomes the dominant Covid variant in Somerset.

South Somerset District Council has confirmed that two senior members of staff have left the organisation after an investigation into multiple potential breaches of their code of conduct. Earlier this year the council says it was made aware of allegations against two senior team members. The investigation was kept confidential to ensure that the appropriate evidence was gathered and any disciplinary proceedings resulting from the investigations were fair and legal. The names of those involved and the exact reasons for their departure have not been made public

A teaching union is calling for a staggered start to the return to school in January and for additional on-site testing facilities to help deal with the spread of Omicron. The NASUWT in Somerset says in some schools up to half of the teaching workforce is not at work due to Covid related illnesses.

Chard’s Emily Greenway has taken the bronze medal at the European Powerlifting Championships in Sweden. Her final score in the three categories was 190kg squat; 92.5kg bench and a 200kg deadlift that was a new personal best. Next for Emily is the British Championships in March, where she will compete for a place in Team GB, but before that and perhaps more importantly for Emily, she will be getting married early in the New Year.

Another artist has been announced for Live in Somerset in Taunton next year. Rag and Bone Man will perform at Vivary Park on Saturday 27th August. Ollie Murs and Simply Red have already been confirmed for the late Bank holiday weekend live event.

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