News

Faster broadband supports our businesses to be more competitive and helps communities’ access services, saving them money, information and learning opportunities.

This is our one big opportunity to shape the future of our digital services, so it’s vital everyone gets involved to help us get connected and up to speed.

Our next step is to secure investment from the private sector to install the broadband and to do that we need your help. We need to show there is strong demand for faster broadband and show what current speeds and coverage we have in the area.

For the full story and to register your interest please visit this website.

Police are warning people who use key safes to be cautious after recent burglaries involving key safe break-ins.

Officers would like carers, relatives and neighbours to be extra vigilant as it is often older or less mobile people who use key safes to allow carers or family members access to their homes.

Superintendent Trevor Margenout, who leads Avon and Somerset's fight against doorstep crime, said: "We would like people to be extra careful when using the safes.

"Make sure that if you are going to install one it is placed in a discreet location, so that it can't be easily seen by passers by and they can't see the combination being entered."

A key safe is a secure metal box which can be secured next to your door. A single copy of your key/s are placed inside but can only be retrieved by someone who knows the correct code to open the box.

It is up to you who you give the code to and you can change the code as often as you like.

Units can be wall-mounted, have a locking shackle or be or attached to the top of a door and kept in place by closing the ...

Somerset County Council has published its preferred option for cutting subsidies to Bus Services in 2012, and has opened a consultation exercise at

http://www.somerset.gov.uk/bussurvey

The consultation is open to individuals, community groups and local businesses.

The preferred option is to remove subsidies from a number of specified routes (shown below)

The consultation period extends from NOW to 20 January 2012.

The purpose of this e-mail is to alert all local parishes to the existence of the proposal, and to encourage you to disseminate this to all bus users, and also to local community groups and businesses.

The consultation asks if local businesses would be willing to sponsor any services, and whether community groups could take over in the case of communities being deprived of bus services.

The consultation also asks if anyone has alternative ideas for dealing with the reduction in the budget.

Tony Reese

Friends of Yeovil Bus Station

18 West Coker Hill

West ...

Avon and Somerset Constabulary are appealing for information from the public following a burglary in the Florida Fields area of Castle Cary. Sometime between 1620hrs and 2020hrs on Thursday 8th December 2011 unknown offenders have accessed the rear garden to a property and then forced open a double glazed PVC window with an unknown tool or device. Once inside the property a search of the address was conducted but nothing taken. PCSO Dan Arthur commented “This incident occurred whilst the victim was away from the secured address enjoying the Castle Cary Victorian Evening in the main town. Local enquiries are ongoing to establish an offender and I would reiterate to local residents to be vigilante and ensure that their property is secure to prevent further offences, in particularly when leaving the address for any period of time. To prevent further victims of crime the police offer free crime prevention advice, please contact us if you feel you would benefit or visit our website at www.avonandsomerset.police.uk” Anybody with any information that can assist the police with their enquires is urged to contact the non-emergency contact number 101. Calls to the 101 service are ...

In severe weather, recycling and refuse crews will try to keep collecting if it is safe.

If your collection is missed, please be patient; we will try to return once conditions improve, working late and on Saturdays to catch up. Please put out recycling and refuse by 7am for the next three working days; if we have not been back by then, please take it back in and put out by 7am on your next usual collection day.

If your collection is delayed, extra amounts of regular waste will be accepted: please put rubbish in black sacks, recycling in carrier bags and food in covered buckets or in black sacks with other rubbish.

In very bad conditions, we may have to suspend collecting garden and bulky waste to give priority to the main services. If our clinical waste service is interrupted, we will get back as soon as possible.

Another tool to help keep Somerset moving has been added to the Somerset Highways arsenal for when winter weather turns to ice and snow.

Short bursts of essential information will be posted on Twitter through the @somersetgritter page when freezing conditions are likely or the county is dealing with snow.

The account is dedicated to passing on details of weather forecasts received by the highways depots, and publicising when the gritter fleet has gone into action.

Somerset County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Cllr Harvey Siggs, said: "I want us all to tackle winter together in Somerset, and on top of all the other services we provide, one way the Council can contribute to this collective effort is to pass on important information.

"The Twitter account means we can let everyone know when the main roads are being salted and share our forecasts to help residents and businesses prepare. This might be by planning journeys or safely spreading salt around where they live and work.

"The public need to be well informed about our winter maintenance service and feel like ...

Somerset County Council is considering whether or not to increase its charge for renewing or applying for a Blue Badge from £2 to £10.

Blue Badges allow people with severe mobility problems to park close to where they need to be, sometimes at no cost.

The new charge is being considered following national changes that will help reduce Blue Badge fraud and misuse, but mean extra costs for the Council.

We want to hear the views of anyone who has an interest in this subject before councillors make a decision on 1 February, 2012.

We particularly want to hear from you if you have a Blue Badge, care for someone with a Blue Badge, or represent an organisation that has a Blue Badge or members that are Blue Badge holders.

The closing date for this consultation is 15 January, 2012.

How can I have my say?

Please visit www.somerset.gov.uk/bluebadge where you will find more information and an online survey to complete or

Call 0845 345 9133.

We can give you more information about the consultation and help you take part in the survey. You can ask for information to be sent to you in accessible formats such as large ...

Ted and April Moran were honoured by the award of the Chairman of Somerset County Council’s commendation for Service to the Community at a ceremony at Taunton on 20th October 2011. This recognises the fantastic work done by both of them for all of us.

WELL DONE TED AND APRIL!

This news item details a revised bank holiday waste collection.

Please see the below PDF for further details

Somerset residents are being asked for their views on a range of issues about the future of the county’s 18 recycling sites.

The short Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) survey is asking how often people use the sites, on which days of the week they would prefer them to close, whether opening hours should change, and if people are willing to pay – and how much – to ensure recycling sites stay open for longer.

We aim to provide an excellent customer-focused learning experience using highly qualified staff and delivered in a friendly yet professional environment. We are committed to developing our learners through a wide range of training programmes, helping them to achieve their lifelong ambitions and learning goals.

In today’s climate the need for recognized qualifications has never been greater and we are dedicated to ensuring our learners receive the best training and guidance at our learning centre.

Our aim is to improve adult literacy and numeracy and therefore we offer City and Guilds qualifications from Entry level3, level 1 and up to Full level 2 (equivalent to GCSE grade A-C) in both subjects. These are free of charge to everyone. *.

If you are in receipt of a means tested benefit (i.e. Job Seekers allowance, income support), there are many other opportunities available to you after completion of your literacy and numeracy. We can offer qualifications in IT, Sage and Touch Typing, as well as vocational certificates in Food Hygiene, CSCS cards and Fork Lift Truck training. All of these are available ...

New hours and charges from 4th April 2011

Inspired by hard working Somerset householders achieving a 50% recycling rate, Somerset Waste are determined to do more.

A small extra effort in recycling could bring big results, saving millions of pounds that would otherwise go into paying for our rubbish to be put in landfill.

For example, recycling 60% would save £1.7 million a year, rising to £2.5 million in 2014 when the soaring costs of landfill reach £100 a tonne.

So Somerset Waste are launching a new campaign, Recycle For All It’s Worth, to help residents boost recycling, conserve resources and save money.

They will be sending out information and advice that everyone should find useful to waste less, recycle more, and shrink their carbon footprint.

If you are someone who is a bit keen and green they are hoping to recruit volunteer Recycling Champions to promote the idea in our community.

Please see the newsletter below for more information.

Google has increased its Steet Map service by mapping 95% of the UK including North Cadbury Parish.

From today, 360-degree pictures will be available of virtually every street from Penzance to Shetland. An extra 210,000 miles of detailed mapping will be made public.

The service has previously been restricted to major cities.It means Britain will join Spain, France, Italy and the U.S, which already have nationwide coverage.

To take a tour of the North Cadbury Parish please go to our dedicated tour page and view our beautiful parish.