Tuesday 3rd October

Tuesday, 3 October 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil Town Council meets tonight to vote on giving financial support to the £29 million project to upgrade the Octagon Theatre. Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was punched in the face in Chard. Yeovil Library is taking part in Libraries Week on the theme of ‘Green Libraries’ encouraging communities to become more sustainable...and more.

Yeovil Town Council meets tonight to consider giving financial support to upgrade Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. The project costing £29M would see the Octagon virtually rebuilt with three hundred extra seats, a bigger stage, two boutique cinemas and a new restaurant. It has been put at risk due to increased building costs and higher interest rates. At tonight’s meeting, starting at 7 pm in the Town House and which is open to the public, councillors will hear arguments for and against, before voting to commit Yeovil Town Council to financially support the project. Separately, the Executive at Somerset Council, which owns and manages the Octagon, meet tomorrow to make a decision about the Octagon.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was punched in the face in Chard. It happened in Boden Street on Sunday 17th September between 1 and 2 am when a car stopped, a man got out and attacked the man who was walking on the footpath with his wife. The attacker is described as white, in his early 20’s with dark, wavy hair. Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

Royal Mail says it is committed to restoring service levels after complaints about long delays delivering the post in Yeovil. Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver letters six days a week and parcels five days a week. Regional Secretary of the Communication Workers Union, Kevin Beazer, says the problem is due to staff shortages at the Yeovil sorting office and wage levels that aren’t high enough to attract new staff.

NHS Somerset is warning of disruption to hospital appointments this week with junior doctors and consultants on strike for higher pay. Today, members of the Society for Radiographers have joined the stoppage for 24 hours, affecting Minor Injury Units.

Yeovil Library is taking part in Libraries Week on the theme of ‘Green Libraries’ encouraging communities to become more sustainable. The activities at Yeovil Library are based on supporting life-long learning, together with the causes of climate change.

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.