Monday 17th June

Monday, 17 June 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A man has been jailed for five years and eight months after pleading guilty to a series of burglaries across Somerset and Devon, including in Chard. Glenville Road Post Office in Yeovil could be converted into a house. If you’re not registered to vote in the General Election, you only have until midnight tomorrow in which to do so...and more.

A man’s been jailed for five years and eight months after pleading guilty to a series of burglaries across Somerset and Devon, including in Chard. Tyler Brown, aged 20, of no fixed abode, admitted to carrying out three burglaries on Brutton Way, Glynswood and Lower Touches in Chard. Exeter Crown Court was told that Brown had broken into 26 properties in total, mostly while people were asleep, to steal vehicles and other possessions.

Glenville Road Post Office in Yeovil could be converted into a house if plans are approved by Somerset Council. The site traded as a post office until 2023 which the owners say was only a small part of what is already a house.

Somerset Council's Executive has refused to make changes to the County’s nutrient neutrality policy, which could potentially have allowed for work to start building thousands of new homes. Plans to build around 18,000 new homes are currently at a standstill as a result of the phosphates crisis, with developers needing to secure additional mitigation to prevent any net increase of phosphates on the Somerset Levels and Moors. The Council's climate and place scrutiny committee held a special meeting on water quality in April, making several recommendations aimed at resolving the ongoing phosphate issue. But the Executive, on the advice of its planning team, refused to take the changes forward, citing a risk of legal action, inadequate evidence and a lack of staff resources.

A mother in Chard has set up a Somerset-wide parents group called Mums and Munchkins. Annie Tombs has five hundred parents taking part on Facebook, offering advice and support to one another.

Plans have been submitted to build a new arts hub in Ilminster. The proposal would involve converting 39 East Street into a studio space, gallery, workshop and office. The applicants say the building is unsuitable for modern usage other than storage but has the potential to provide an active use for the arts.

If you’re not registered to vote in the General Election, you only have until midnight tomorrow in which to do so. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is Wednesday, June 26th. Applications can be made through the Somerset Council website.

More from News

Monday 13th April

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for better support for survivors of domestic abuse living in rural communities. The RSPB in Somerset is urging people to stop feeding birds to prevent the spread of disease. Yeovil Town Football Club says an issue that had threatened it with removal from the register at Companies House has been resolved... and more
Friday 10th April

Maternity services at Yeovil Hospital will reopen on Tuesday April 21st. A Somerset woman, who relies on a wheelchair for mobility, has criticised changes to the Motor Motability scheme. Somerset Freemasons have presented a cheque for forty-three thousand pounds to Young Somerset, a charity that supports young people in the county... and more
Thursday 9th April

Yeovil Town Football Club has received a warning that it could be struck off the register at Companies House. Somerset Council has been given £22 million to provide assistance to people facing cost of living pressures. Members of 1st Ilminster Scout Group have spent a night sleeping outdoors to experience the challenges faced by homeless military veterans... and more
Wednesday 8th April

A Yeovil school teacher has been banned from teaching for sharing inappropriate details about her private life with pupils. A Stoke-sub-Hamdon woman has been given a 17-month driving ban. A Yeovil woman who survived bone cancer is raising is running the London Marathon... and more
Tuesday 7th April

Somerset Council has set aside three hundred and seventy thousand pounds to keep open five leisure centres in the Mendip area. Watercombe Lane in Yeovil is set to close for thirty-one days for gas mains replacement works. It’s been announced that Martock will stage a Pride event in June...and more
Thursday 2nd April

The joint master of a hunt in Somerset has criticised the decision to hold a public consultation on banning trail hunting. Images of two men police want to speak to in connection with an arson attack on a barber’s shop in Wincanton have been released. The company that runs four leisure centres in the Mendip area has gone into administration... and more
Wednesday 1st April

No money has been committed to major new road projects in Somerset. A road linking Chard and Clayhanger has been closed after it collapsed due to badgers burrowing under the surface. The Bishop of Bath and Wells is on day-2 of his pilgrimage across Somerset to mark the holy week of Easter... and more
Tuesday 31st March

Somerset Council says it doesn’t have the money to install solar panels on the roof of the Octagon Theatre. Three men have been charged in connection with an investigation into a hunt in Somerset. Changes have been announced to the times of waste collections in Somerset over the Easter holidays... and more