Thursday 21st November

Thursday, 21 November 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Bus campaigners are warning that government funding to improve Somerset’s bus network could be lost if Somerset Council goes bankrupt. GPs in Somerset are calling on the government to protect them from planned National Insurance tax rises for employers. Luxury handbag maker, Mulberry, is cutting dozens of jobs, including here in our locality...and more

Bus campaigners are warning that government funding of nearly seven million pounds to improve Somerset’s bus network could be lost if Somerset Council goes bankrupt. The authority is currently managing a financial crisis, making hundreds of staff redundant and cutting services. Peter Travis the co-chair of Somerset Bus Partnership, a voluntary group which supports the county's bus network welcomes the government's funding support but is concerned about Somerset Council’s financial position.

GPs in Somerset are calling on the government to protect them from planned National Insurance tax rises for employers, warning it could hit patient services. The Wessex Local Medical Committees, which represents GP practices in Somerset, has described the NI tax increases as being a "hammer blow".

Luxury handbag maker, Mulberry, is cutting dozens of jobs, including here in Somerset. It follows a 20 percent drop in sales in the first half of the year and plans for a major restructure of the business. The move comes a month after Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group ditched plans to takeover Mulberry.

The A303 westbound between the Cartgate roundabout and Prophets Lane will be shut from 7 pm until 6 am tomorrow for white-lining. Diversions will be in operation via the A3088, A30 and A356.

A one-day advice session is being held in Yeovil for anyone who has experienced, is currently experiencing, or may have concerns about domestic abuse. Organised by Somerset Council’s domestic abuse service, to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it’s being held at Abbey Manor Business Centre on Preston Road, next Monday, November 25th.

More from News

Monday 10th February

A dog, stolen in Norfolk seven years ago, has been found 200 miles away safe and well in Somerset. A man who lives in Seavington St Michael near Ilminster has been jailed after driving a car at police officers. One hundred new affordable homes could be built near Langport...and more
Friday 7th February

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more
Thursday 6th February

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.
Wednesday 5th February

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.
Tuesday 4th February

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.
Monday 3rd February

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.
Friday 31st January

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
Thursday 30th January

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