Seventy-seven homes on the outskirts of Yeovil remain without electricity this morning. Yeovil MP Adam Dance wants schools in Yeovil and South Somerset to receive a fair share of new special educational needs funding. A Somerset business has been talking about its involvement with the hit film Wicked...and more
Seventy-seven homes on the outskirts of Yeovil remain without electricity this morning. 994 properties in Hardington and East and West Coker lost their power early yesterday, with 717 having it restored by lunchtime. The 77 homes still without power have been told it should be back on by lunchtime today.
Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling on the government to ensure schools in Yeovil and South Somerset receive a fair share of new special educational needs funding. The £740 million package is intended to enhance SEND provision in mainstream schools and increase capacity for students with special needs and disabilities. The government has yet to say how the money will be distributed.
Charities in Somerset are concerned about plans to change the level of Council Tax discount given to people in Somerset on low incomes. It could mean twelve thousand people paying an extra £415 in Council Tax from next April. Somerset Council says it needs the money to pay for statutory services, like adult social care and providing for the homeless.
A brother and sister beekeeping couple in Ilchester have created a floating pontoon to keep their hives safe from flooding. Luigi and Cherie Capozzoli lost almost all their bees during a flash flood event last year.
A Somerset business has been talking about its involvement with the hit film Wicked, which is currently showing in cinemas. Coates English Willow has made a balloon basket for the movie.
Yeovil Town are back in action tonight, playing their re-arranged FA Trophy third-round tie against Weymouth. Kick-off at Huish Park is 7.45 pm.
Somerset Council is pursuing a less ambitious plan for redeveloping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he hasn’t given up on trying to keep open the town’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space in the Triangle in Lower Middle Street will open for public use early in the New Year...and more
A Somerset pensioner has criticised the government for refusing to compensate women who claim they were not given adequate warning about changes to the start date for receiving the state pension. Parents are being asked to check their children have been vaccinated against measles following a rise in cases. The use of energy-saving light bulbs is greater in the South West than in any other region in England.
The Unite union says it is becoming ‘increasingly anxious’ about a delay in awarding Leonardo in Yeovil a multi-million-pound contract to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the RAF. The government has set Somerset a target to build 3,700 new homes next year. A boxing glove once worn by Muhammad Ali is being auctioned in Chard today...and more
Emergency teams are still working across Somerset to remove trees damaged in last week’s Storm Darragh. Crewkerne Town Council has been asked to ban the Seavington Hunt from gathering in the town centre on Boxing Day. The London Standard newspaper has named the Lord Poulett Arms in Hinton St George as its "Country Pub of the Week"...and more
The government says it won’t intervene in the decision to close the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Police are asking for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man suffered a broken leg. Shepton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School has been rated as good by Ofsted...and more.
Somerset-based social housing provider, Stonewater, is urging caution over plans by the government to relax the planning rules. The Samaritans in Yeovil are gearing up for their busiest time of the year. The curtain goes up today on this year’s Yeovil panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, at the Westlands Entertainment venue...and more.
Farmers from Somerset were amongst the hundreds of others from across the UK who gathered in London yesterday. Avon and Somerset Police is trialling a new way to find people with dementia when they are reported missing. A cake designer from Yeovil has been crowned Best Cake Designer in the South West...and more.
An open letter has been sent to NHS Somerset asking for a revision of the decision to close the emergency stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset residents, whose lives and property were impacted by Storm Darragh, could be entitled to compensation. Haselbury Mill, near Crewkerne, has been sold for an undisclosed price...and more.