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News
roundup
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Leader of Somerset Council, Cllr Bill Revans
The Leader of Somerset Council has cautiously welcomed news at the potential for more funding for local government, but says further action is required to fix a fundamentally broken system.
Cllr Bill Revans made the comments following Wednesday’s Autumn Budget statement.
On-location filming at Cheddar Gorge
Film and television production spent nearly £3m in Somerset in the last year, the latest Screen Somerset estimates have revealed.
A series of high-end TV shows and feature films have chosen to set key scenes in the county, supported by Somerset Council’s film office, with major shoots in Cheddar Gorge, Street, Shepton Mallet, Minehead and Norton St Philip.
 Somerset Council has been given the green-light to roll out the collection of plastic bags and wrapping to more than 25,000 households.
The county has been part of the national FPF FlexCollect trial since May 2023 with around 3,500 residents in Frome having plastic bags and wrapping added to their weekly recycling collection.
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Residents in the Yeovil area are being advised that Yeovil Recycling Site will be closed for the day on Friday, 8 November. Somerset Council’s contractor, Biffa will be carrying out resurfacing work.
The maintenance is only expected to take one day and the site will reopen on Saturday, 9 November.
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A grant, jointly funded by Somerset Council and its collections contractor SUEZ recycling and recovery, has helped three Somerset community groups thrive.
The Best Before Food Store in Wellington, Prodigal Bikes of Crewkerne and Victoria Park Community Centre in Bridgwater have all benefitted from the Waste Not Somerset Fund.
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International repair day returned last week and this year a new Somerset repair group in Minehead joined the celebration.
Based at Sacred Heart Church, Minehead, Minehead Repair Café opened its doors for the first time on Saturday, joining the thriving network of more than 20 volunteer-run repair groups in Somerset.
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Somerset Council is pleased to expand its coat exchange to 12 of Somerset’s libraries.
Now in its second year, the scheme is open to everyone and designed to support the community by providing access to warm coats to everyone, and especially those in need.
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Somerset homeowners are encouraged to take steps towards more energy-efficient homes and lower energy bills with a Somerset Council-backed Lendology loan.
With energy prices rising this winter, Lendology CIC, a Social Enterprise lender and Somerset Council, are reminding residents about their council-backed, fixed rate loans that help homeowners and landlords with repairs, energy efficiency improvements, and renewable energy upgrades like insulation, windows, solar panels, and air source heat pumps.
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A major Somerset Council project to remodel a busy junction and help prevent serious collisions has been completed on time and on budget.
This week the team along with local Council Members marked the official opening of the new Miner’s Arms junction near Priddy – representing an important investment in road safety.
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Somerset Council recently welcomed three new members to its Natural Environment Team.
A grant from the Government Department of Culture’s Levelling Up Programme has allowed the Council to create these new roles to help enhance and manage green spaces in the Taunton and Bridgwater area.
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Somerset Council and its new winter service partner Kier Transportation Ltd are working together to keep roads safe this winter with the gritter fleet ready to head out when freezing temperatures or snow are forecast.
Road users need to be ready too for adverse conditions. As the winter season approaches, it is vital that you travel according to the conditions and your vehicle is suitably maintained.
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A decision by Government to drop a major scheme to dual one of Somerset’s key transport arteries is a ‘big disappointment’ for the county but ‘not the end of the road’.
Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Digital, Councillor Richard Wilkins said a decision to shelve a £328 million National Highways upgrade of the A358 between Ilminster and Junction 25 of the M5 at Taunton was “deeply disappointing”, but welcomed the “much-needed clarity”.
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