News in Radstock

We struggle on ….

Let me start by wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. I hope that the holiday, such as it was, proved relaxing and reviving and that this month will see an upturn in our fortunes.

Local law firm Thatcher + Hallam, based at Island House in Midsomer Norton, continued their tradition of delivering food to a local animal charity this Christmas. The team collects food donations for several weeks in the lead up to Christmas and this year the collection was donated to their Charity of the Year, Dogs Friends.

Organiser Julia Williams works in the Private Client team at the firm and said, "It's safe to say we are a team of animal lovers here and so every Christmas we like to try and do what we can to support a local animal charity. This is the fifth year we have done this and it's enormously rewarding to be able to deliver a car boot full of food and treats, especially so this year when charities have faced a really challenging year for fundraising."

Peasedown St John's Community Library has launched a recruitment campaign to sign-up more volunteers.

The library, which recently re-opened following an extended closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, is part of B&NES Council's network of community services.

A tree for every chimney they sweep - that's the pledge from the local sweeping company.

In their New Year's resolution this local company will be making a positive change and making a real commitment with their tree pledge.

Communities in the Radstock area have benefitted from hundreds of thousands of pounds in funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 agreements over the past year.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is now publishing an Infrastructure Funding Statement to set out how the money has been spent including expanding schools, flood defences, improving leisure facilities and supporting efforts to tackle the climate and ecological emergency.

Bath is a city steeped in history but it doesn't stand still, and 2021 is set to be another bumper year for developments that could change it for years to come.

The clean air zone will be the first outside London when it is switched on in March to bring nitrogen dioxide emissions within the legal limit.

While the year has been marked by divisions and disagreements at international and national level - what everyone can agree is that 2020 has been quite a year.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant a huge change in how we live our lives, not just in Radstock but across a wider Somerset.

Residents across Bath and North East Somerset are being warned to beware of a coronavirus text message scam.

Bath & North East Somerset Council's Trading Standards Team have received complaints of fraudsters taking advantage of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout by sending convincing text messages to scam people out of financial information.

Radstock along with the rest of B&NES is moving into Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions.

The Health Secretary made the announcement today (December 30) with the new restrictions coming into force at one minute past midnight December 31.

In planning news in and around Radstock this week:

In Radstock, Ryman Engineering Services, which is on the Frome Road, (under application 20/04840/FUL) has applied to build an industrial unit following demolition of existing industrial unit. The application includes a detailed heritage report because the site is located on the former siding area of Ludlows Colliery, sunk in 1782 and closed in 1954. This formed part of a wider group of coal mining pits around the Radstock area primarily owned by the Waldegrave family.