Thursday 2nd May

Thursday, 2 May 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Voting is taking place today to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. NHS Somerset says the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital will stay open until a new replacement unit is built in Dorchester. A supermarket worker has retired after spending 52 years working at the same store in Ilminster...and more.

Voting is taking place today to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. Polling stations opened at 7 am and will close at 10 pm.
The candidates standing are:

Benet Allen, Liberal Democrats
Katy Grant, Green Party
Clare Moody, Labour and Co-operative Party
Mark Shelford, Conservative Candidate – More Police, Safer Streets

The Police and Crime Commissioner is responsible for producing a police and crime plan, deciding how the police budget will be spent, and holding the Chief Constable and Avon and Somerset force to account on the public’s behalf.

NHS Somerset says the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital will stay open until a new replacement unit is built in Dorchester. It follows concerns raised by the West Dorset MP Chris Loder that the new Dorchester unit will not be ready before the planned closure of the Yeovil unit. NHS Somerset says none of Yeovil's existing stroke services will close until the new Dorchester unit is ready to take patients, adding that it will take around 18 months to implement the proposals. Meanwhile, Lib-Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Yeovil, Adam Dance, has called on the Health Secretary, to intervene in the decision to close Yeovil’s hyper-acute stroke unit.

A playgroup in Yeovil has been declared 'good' by Ofsted. East Coker Playgroup was rated 'good' in all five aspects that Ofsted uses to measure a school's success. Currently, East Coker Playgroup cares for twenty-four children, aged between two and four.

A supermarket worker has retired after spending 52 years working at the same store in Ilminster. Julie Hutchings clocked up 52 years, nine months, and three days working at the Co-op in Ilminster after starting out there at the age of fifteen.

Somerset County Cricket Club have confirmed they've appointed the England Women's CaptainHeather Knight to join the club's board as an advisor

More than eighty thousand pounds has been granted to the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury. The community society which looks after the building say the money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will go towards its Industry and community projects.

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Thursday 6th March

Somerset Council has approved a seven-and-a-half percent increase in council tax. People are being asked to return boxes of paracetamol bought from Boots Chemists in Somerset. It’s been revealed that five members of staff at Somerset Council are being allowed to work from home outside the UK...and more
Wednesday 5th March

Somerset Council has been told that hundreds of millions of pounds in loans taken out by former district councils, including South Somerset, have to be paid back. A Somerset charity says it needs more volunteers to help with research into new treatments for dementia. A local shop owner has welcomed Somerset Council’s decision to scrap plans to charge for parking after 6 pm...and more.
Tuesday 4th March

The population of Somerset has reached record levels with nearly one in ten born outside the UK. Stanchester School in Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been rated as ‘requiring improvement’. Experts have been called in to appraise a 15th-century piece of artwork in Sherborne...and more.
Monday 3rd March

A woman from Crewkerne has been fined £280 for assaulting two emergency workers. Plans have been announced to open new NHS dental surgeries in Chard and Crewkerne. A Yeovil man has been thanked for raising £10,000 for the cardiac charity Heartbeat...and more
Friday 28th February

A local man has been charged after allegedly driving a tractor while under the influence of alcohol. One hundred bikes, collected with household waste in Somerset, have been donated to charity. The junction of the A37 Ilchester Road and Stiby Road in Yeovil will again shut this evening for resurfacing...and more.
Thursday 27th February

Fourteen hundred people have added their names to a petition against Somerset Council's plans to scrap free car parks. St Margaret’s Hospice has won a share of £25 million of government funding. A man from Charlton Adam is preparing to visit Ukraine as an Aid Worker for a tenth time...and more
Wednesday 26th February

A local man has been charged with possessing an air weapon following an incident in Yeovil town centre. The Labour government has removed funding to the Amulet Theatre in Shepton Mallet that the previous Conservative government had allocated. Entries are now open for this year’s Minster Miles 10K fun run with organisers aiming to exceed last year’s number of runners...and more.