Thursday 30th November

Thursday, 30 November 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Libraries, leisure centres, theatres and recycling centres could all face cuts as Somerset Council tries to save tens of millions of pounds. The people who run Shepton Mallet Prison say the building is closing as a visitor attraction. A licence has been granted to hold an eight-day long Christmas Festival at Yeovil Showground in December...and more

Libraries, leisure centres, theatres, and recycling centres could all face cuts as Somerset Council tries to save tens of millions of pounds. The authority needs to cut £87m from next year's budget. Rising adult and children social care costs are putting particular pressure on council spending. The Lib Dem Council Leader, Bill Revans, says everything the council does is being looked at with a view to making savings.

The people who run Shepton Mallet Prison say the building will be closing as a venue in early January due to problems they are having with the building’s owners. The former jail that holds the record for having England’s highest prison perimeter wall has been used for events and tours but the company running it says they can no longer continue working with the landlords.

The go-ahead has been given to hold an eight-day long Christmas Festival at Yeovil Showground this year. Somerset Council has granted the event a licence after Avon and Somerset Police withdrew their objections to it being held. The festival also called the Yeovil Christmas Extravaganza will feature Santa's Grotto, an ice rink, live music, fairground rides, and a Christmas shopping village. It is due to take place at Yeovil Showground from Friday 15th to Friday 22nd of December, with a firework display on Saturday, December 16th at 8 pm.

Increasing numbers of families in Somerset are having their complaints about special educational needs services upheld. The number of complaints upheld by the Ombudsman service has gone from three, five years ago, to 22 upheld last year. Somerset Council says it’s consulting on how it can change the system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Work has been completed refreshing the look of the Co-op food store in Martock. The store on North Street that supports 18 local jobs re-opens today after being closed for 6-weeks while the refurbishment was carried out.

More from News

Friday 7th March

The Leader of Somerset Council has repeated his call for a reform of the way that councils are funded. Crimestoppers is stepping up efforts to help tackle violent crime in Somerset. A new radar satellite is playing a crucial role in collecting data about flooding in Somerset...and more
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.