Somerset Council has scrapped offering free parking at its car parks this Christmas. An announcement about the future of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre is expected early in the New Year. Yeovil residents claim it is taking up to two weeks for their post to be delivered with important letters like hospital appointments arriving too late...and more.
Somerset Council has scrapped offering free parking at its car parks this Christmas. Previously, on certain days in December in the run-up to Christmas, council-owned car parks have been free to encourage shoppers into the town centre. This year, Somerset Council says the scheme, costing around £50,000 in lost revenues, is no longer affordable. Meanwhile, Somerset Council has launched a consultation asking people for suggestions on how it could cut tens of millions of pounds from its spending. It follows the Council announcing a financial emergency and needing to cut 87 million pounds from next year’s budget or risk bankruptcy.
People in Yeovil claim it’s taking up to two weeks for their post to be delivered with important letters like hospital appointments arriving too late. Some have started collecting their mail from the main sorting office in Huish. Royal Mail says it's working hard to ensure a reliable service in the run-up to Christmas, but the union representing Somerset's Royal Mail workers is blaming staff shortages for the delays.
An announcement about the future of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre is expected early in the New Year. Plans to re-build the Octagon at a cost of 32 million pounds have been delayed due to Somerset Council needing to make big savings next year. The Council’s opposition Conservative Leader, David Fothergill, has suggested that money raised through the Council selling a battery storage business could be used to fund the Octagon project.
Ilminster Arts Centre has announced the winners of its annual Children's Christmas Card Competition. The winners’ names can be viewed on the Ilminster Arts Centre website, with copies of their cards now on sale at the Arts Centre.
A dog, stolen in Norfolk seven years ago, has been found 200 miles away safe and well in Somerset. A man who lives in Seavington St Michael near Ilminster has been jailed after driving a car at police officers. One hundred new affordable homes could be built near Langport...and more
A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more
A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.
The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.
Somerset has been permitted to increase its Council Tax share by 7.5 percent. An Ilminster man, forced out of his house by last week's floods, says he doesn't know when he will be able to return home. Ilminster Literary Festival has launched its annual children’s writing competition, designed to encourage local children to write creative literature...and more.
Five men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Yeovil. A 16-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with a stabbing in Yeovil. Yeovil’s new outdoor entertainment space in Lower Middle Street has been officially opened by the town’s MP... and more.
A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more
Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more
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