Wednesday 11th December

Wednesday, 11 December 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

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.

An open letter signed by eight patient groups has been sent to NHS Somerset asking for a revision of the decision to close the emergency stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. NHS Somerset’s Integrated Care Board members voted to shut the unit in January, sparking a campaign of fierce opposition. Closing the Yeovil unit would mean people needing urgent treatment for a stroke being taken by ambulance to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton or the County Hospital in Dorchester.

People in Somerset, whose lives and property were impacted by Storm Darragh, could be entitled to compensation, according to Somerset's Citizen's Advice. They say those who might qualify include people who were forced into temporary accommodation
because their homes were flooded or suffered structural damage.

Somerset Council will be launching a Call for Sites in the New Year. The Call for Sites is a six-week period where landowners and developers are invited to submit land for possible development. Submissions can be for various uses including housing, economic development, gypsy and traveller pitches, and renewable energy installations.

Haselbury Mill, near Crewkerne, has a new owner. The leisure venue includes a 21-bed hotel, a Tithe Barn, a lakeside restaurant and pub, set within 13 acres, has been bought by a private individual for an undisclosed price.

People in Somerset who lost their recycling bins in the recent storms are being asked to go online to order a new bin. Somerset Council says ordering online will help to take pressure off its customer service team.

More from News

Friday 20th December

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
Thursday 19th December

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.
Wednesday 18th December

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
Tuesday 17th December

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
Monday 16th December

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.
Friday 13th December

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.
Thursday 12th December

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.
Tuesday 10th December

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