Friday, 15 December 2023

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Have your say on council budget setting

Somerset Council is launching a public consultation on its budget, offering residents and businesses the chance to have their say as the authority faces a financial emergency.

The consultation is open to everyone and the results will help influence Councillors as they look to set a balanced budget in February 2024.

Make a meal of your Christmas planning

Plan ahead to save waste and save money – that is the message from Somerset Council as the festive food shopping starts in earnest.

Christmas sees Somerset’s food waste rise by as much as 11% – with an additional 238 tonnes thrown out in January 2022.

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Bus it for free and enjoy a festive family day out

Bus passengers on four routes in Somerset can take advantage of a completely free bus travel day on 19 December. Working in partnership with Somerset Council and the Somerset Bus Partnership, First Bus South, which operates Buses of Somerset is offering a free travel day on the 25, 28, 54 and 58/58A services all day on Tuesday 19 December. The initiative aims to highlight these services which are currently at risk of being dropped or reduced at the end of March 2024.

Wells’ Christmas market returns tomorrow!

Our Christmas market in Wells starts 9am tomorrow, featuring a fantastic range of seasonal traders with over 100 stalls for you to explore.

In addition to Christmas shopping, there will be live music from jazz band, The Grey Dogs, and Martin who plays the trumpet, to bring seasonal music and cheer to the city.

Surviving Winter appeal raises £125K for Somerset

Credit: Somerset Community Foundation

Just over a month after launching their Surviving Winter appeal, local charity Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has raised over £125,000 thanks to the generosity of local people. Today, around 10,000 older people in Somerset are living in fuel poverty – almost double the number last year. That means they face the stark choice between heating and eating this winter.

Not all domestic abuse is physical violence

There are many types of non-physical abuse like controlling what someone wears, who they see or where they go.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available.

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Yeovil sees buses return for busy festive period

Final works have been completed to the High St and Borough in Yeovil, which will see buses and taxis make a welcome return to the town centre on Friday, 15 December with the festive season in full swing. Surfacing of these roads completes the extensive upgrade of two of Yeovil town centre’s main streets, which reopened to pedestrians ahead of Remembrance weekend four weeks ago. New bus shelters, which have been in place for some weeks, along with new timetable cases, will also be in operation from next week.

Somerset celebrates accessible housing success

Nearly 90 wheelchair-accessible homes have been delivered in the Taunton, Wellington and West Somerset area in the past three years – with more in the pipeline. In North Taunton, five wheelchair-adapted homes are being provided and nearing completion as part of the project to regenerate defective Woolaway properties.

Somerset Libraries wins award two years in a row

Somerset Libraries has yet again been awarded the South Western Regional Library Services (SWRLS) Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Initiative Award. The libraries service accepted the award for their Thermal Imaging Camera Loaning Scheme. In 2022, the team won it for their Pop Up Library at Glastonbury Festival.

Video call Somerset Council’s customer services team through VAL

Customers can video call Somerset Council’s customer services team through VAL – Video Assistant Link. VAL is a free video calling service which can be accessed from all Council Access Points (CAPs) and Libraries – that’s over 30 places in Somerset. VAL can be used by anyone who wants to talk directly to a member of the Council’s customer services team face-to-face.