Charlie Taylor

Feb 14, 2025 | bbc.com | Charlie Taylor |Michelle Ruminski

£47m cuts will impact on services - council leaderCharlie Taylor & Michelle RuminskiBBCBill Revans, leader of Somerset Council, said the government needed to fix what he called a "broken" local government funding modelThe leader of Somerset Council has said the authority will try to maintain a high quality service with fewer resources. The council plans to make cuts of £47m in the year ahead to avoid effectively going bankrupt, and still has a £66m hole in its budget to fill.

Feb 12, 2025 | bbc.com | Charlie Taylor |Chris Lockyer

The family-run village shop trading for 130 yearsCharlie Taylor & Chris LockyerBBCDaphne Creed has run her family's shop since 1991Daphne Creed is the third generation of her family to run the village shop in Hardington Mandeville, near Yeovil. She took it on from her mother in 1991, who had managed it from 1936, who in turn had taken over from Ms Creed's grandmother, who had run it since the 1890s.

Feb 2, 2025 | ca.news.yahoo.com | Clara Bullock |Charlie Taylor

Bode the bobcat is recovering well, the zoo said [BBC]A zoo said it had saved "a beautiful" bobcat in need of a home from being put down. Bode, a north American bobcat, needed a new home after his owner was convicted of animal welfare offences at St Albans Crown Court in May 2024. Tropiquaria Zoo, near Watchet, stepped in to help and said Bode was doing well. "He is re-establishing his weight as he should be," said Chris Moiser, the zoo's director. "He's becoming a fit and beautiful young cat.

Nov 22, 2024 | ca.news.yahoo.com | Charlie Taylor |Michelle Ruminski

Yeovil MP tells government to 'wake up' on housingYeovil MP Adam Dance made the comments during a hotseat interview on BBC Radio Somerset [BBC]Yeovil MP Adam Dance said the government needs to 'wake up' on housing - not just tackling a skills shortage, but getting planning applications processed. Labour has vowed to build 1.5m more homes in the next five years and has unveiled an overhaul of England's planning rules.

Jun 14, 2024 | ca.news.yahoo.com | Charlie Taylor |Clara Bullock

A tick has to be attached to a person for a while before it can give the lyme bacteria [Getty Images]An increase in ticks has made the South West a "hotspot" for lyme disease, experts have said. The UK has been experiencing warmer winters, which has led to a rise in tick population. A small number of the insects carry lyme disease, which can trigger years of aches and fatigue. Ecologist Nathan Orr said warmer, wetter winters are not killing off as many of the ticks as in the past.