Next week marks the start of National HIV testing week (6-12 February), and Somerset Council are encouraging anyone who may have put themselves at risk of getting the virus to get tested. National HIV Testing Week takes place every year…

People in Somerset are being encouraged to get their Covid-19 boosters before the scheme ends on Sunday 12 February. This affects the Autumn booster and the third primary jab booster. After this date there will still be a reduced ‘evergreen’…

Somerset residents are being invited to have their say on the new Somerset Council’s approach to planning matters. Somerset Council are consulting the public on a draft ‘Statement of Community Involvement’ (SCI) – a single approach to planning which will…

Essential drainage and repair works are being undertaken next month on the A361 between Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet. The scheme near Havyatt, just outside Glastonbury, will include repairs to the existing drainage system and installation of some additional gullies, raised…

Somerset Council’s domestic abuse service has supported a record number of young people seeking support during 2022/23. Somerset Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (SIDAS) helpline took 301 calls from people between the age of 16 – 20-year-olds since April last year,…

Smoking in pregnancy is a sensitive issue which needs to be treated as an addiction and not a lifestyle choice, according to health care professionals in Somerset. Recent statistics suggest that 10% of babies delivered in the county are born…

Diseased and dying trees along the A3088 near Yeovil are being removed by Somerset Council for the safety of road users and the public. The council’s Highways Team needs to carry out essential works to remove a large number of…

People across Somerset with no transport of their own need help to get to important medical appointments. From routine checks to cardiology and cancer-related care, these Somerset residents benefit enormously from reliable volunteer drivers to get them there. The team…

Last month, planning permission was granted for the new primary school at the Orchard Grove development in Taunton. The school will serve the new community, with capacity for 420 pupils and 52 nursery places, and room to expand to accommodate…

An ambitious mentoring programme is being launched to make the expertise of the county’s most knowledgeable business-people available to businesses across Somerset. Twenty mentors are being recruited to join the programme in its initial stage, where they will receive free…

The A361 across the Somerset Levels has now reopened after a successful clear-up operation following recent flooding. A significant stretch of the road had been flooded since last week with emergency road closure gates at Burrowbridge and East Lyng locked…

The ‘My Time to Care’ campaign was shot entirely in Somerset and stars local carers in six new videos being launched today (Monday, January 16). Somerset Council has joined forces with the NHS and Registered Care Providers Association for the new campaign,…

Evening bus services on some key routes in Somerset begin running from next week (30 January 2023). Somerset Council is subsidising evening services from Monday to Saturday connecting Taunton with the towns of Minehead, Bridgwater, Wellington and Chard after 8pm…

If you are using sandbags/gel flood bags to protect your home from flooding, please dispose of them appropriately. Where possible, sandbags and gel bags should be dried out for reuse. The best way to do this is to raise them…

Saying “so long” to an old sofa? Somerset’s recycling sites now have a separate skip for the disposal of upholstered home furniture. New government regulations mean that recycling sites across the UK have to handle ‘upholstered household seating’ separately from…