Community hub to open in former council office in Williton
Since Somerset Council officially took over, no in-person meetings had been held at West Somerset House – with all meetings of its planning committee west taking place in Taunton and being live-streamed.The decision to remodel the building was taken by the council in March 2024.Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, the lead member for communities, housing and culture said: "By bringing the library, customer access point and other services together under one roof, we're creating a hub where people can access vital services and get support."The ground floor of the revamped West Somerset House will comprise the library, registration service and children's centre.In addition to selling off the former library building and children's centre, the council also intended to dispose of Beckett House on Bridge Street.Interim head of property Simon Lewis said the council's ongoing financial emergency meant it was not in the public interest for these surplus assets to be retained.The council has declined to state how much it expects to raise from the sale of these three buildings, citing commercial sensitivity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
10 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Trump plays golf as supporters urge him ‘don't trust Starmer'
US President Donald Trump made an appearance at his Turnberry golf course as he teed off on Sunday morning, being welcomed by supporters who urged him 'don't trust Starmer'. The Republican leader arrived around 11am at the coastal course in Ayrshire and played golf with his son, Eric. Advertisement Police were seen patrolling the golf course as associates played earlier in the morning before a huge motorcade of golf caddies arrived around 10.40am. Dressed in a white baseball cap branded 'USA', Mr Trump waved at journalists who shouted questions at him as he teed off. Supporters of the president carrying placards stood in the dunes urging him, 'Don't trust Starmer', also shouting, 'We love you Trump'. US President Donald Trump plays golf at his Trump Turnberry golf course. Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire. Three people gathered to support the Republican leader, carrying a hand-painted placard which read: 'President Trump don't trust Starmer'. Advertisement It branded the UK prime minister an explicit term, and was jointly held by a man dressed in black, who wore an Adidas baseball cap. A woman holding the sign wore a red baseball cap reading 'Make America Great Again' with fake hair attached and appeared to laugh as she watched. Another female supporter dressed in a floral anorak, held an American flag and wore a baseball cap reading 'Make England Great Again'. She carried a smaller sign that also branded Starmer an explicit term. Advertisement US President Donald Trump steers a golf cart at his Trump Turnberry golf course (Jane Barlow/PA) A female well-wisher could be heard repeatedly shouting 'We love you Trump' and 'thank you'. Someone else shouted: 'Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump'. The sound of cheering could be heard as Mr Trump took a shot. He appeared to shout back at his supporters but his response could not be heard. Advertisement Later on Sunday, he will meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen for talks on the trading relationship between Europe and the US. These talks come ahead of discussions with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday, which are also expected to focus on trade issues. A Donald Trump supporter who travelled from Liverpool to Ayrshire in the hopes of seeing the US President at his Turnberry golf course has said he is 'chuffed' to have interacted with the President. Tom English, 37, who made the four-and-a-half hour journey with some other Trump supporters, explained: 'We rushed up here hoping to get a glimpse of him. And that's happened this morning when we've got to interact with him a little bit. Advertisement 'We couldn't really hear him because he was trying to shout to us in this wind, in the Scottish wind on the coast. 'So it was kind of hard to hear what he said. 'But he blew a kiss to the girls. Gave us a little wave. 'Trump junior gave us a little wave. And that's what it was about. 'We just wanted to see him in the flesh, and to get that interaction was an added bonus.' When asked what he and the other supporters had said to the American President, Mr English recounted: 'Just that we love him, basically. The UK loves Trump. Don't believe the mainstream media.' Police said that only one person has been arrested at any anti-Trump protests. A man was arrested at Prestwick Airport on Friday evening for allegedly carrying a placard calling Donald Trump an offensive word. The man, aged 20, was arrested next to the military airport in Ayrshire where Air Force One landed 'for abusive behaviour and refusing to stop', according to Police Scotland. The force said on Saturday that no arrests had been made, although a 50-year-old woman was issued with a recorded police warning in connection with alleged threatening behaviour at a Stop Trump Scotland protest outside the US consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'A 20-year-old man was arrested next to Prestwick Airport on Friday for abusive behaviour and refusing to stop. 'He was given a recorded police warning.'
Reuters
12 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump says US, EU have 'good chance' of reaching trade deal
TURNBERRY, Scotland, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said there is a good chance that the United States and European Union would reach a trade agreement, citing three or four main sticking points. Trump made the comment at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf property in Turnberry, on Scotland's western coast. Trump said the main sticking point was "fairness," citing barriers to U.S. exports of cars and agriculture.
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Doctors strikes will be banned under the Tories like police and prison officers, vows Kemi Badenoch
Doctors strikes will be banned under a Conservative government in the same way as police and prison officers, Kemi Badenoch has vowed. The Tory party leader today announced she would amend the law to bar the protests as she insisted the British Medical Association (BMA) is 'out of control'. It comes following 11 strikes in the past 18 months which Ms Badenoch said had resulted in patients dying. Her comments were made on GB News amid the ongoing five-day series of strikes by resident doctors in support of a pay claim. Urging Sir Keir Starmer to take similar action, Ms Badenoch said: 'The BMA has become militant, these strikes are going too far, and it is time for action. 'Doctors do incredibly important work. Medicine is a vocation – not just a job. That is why in government we offered a fair deal that supported doctors, but protected taxpayers too. 'These strikes will have a significant economic effect, but they will also mean cancelled operations, worry for families of the sick, and suffering for those who are unwell. We know that previous strike action by doctors even led to some patients losing their lives. 'That is why Conservatives are stepping in, and setting out common sense proposals to protect patients, and the public finances. And we are making an offer in the national interest – we will work with the Government to face down the BMA to help protect patients and the NHS.' Doctors hold lives in their hands. No one should lose critical healthcare because of strikes but that's what's happening now. That's why a Conservative government led by me would ban doctors' strikes, just like we do the army and police. — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 27, 2025 Police, the military and prison officers are banned from taking strike action under the 1992 Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act. The Conservatives would amend this to include doctors. Action short of a strike such as working to rule and banning overtime would still be permitted - with doctors remaining able to unionise through the BMA, like the police, which has the police federation to represent members' interests. Minimum service levels have also been proposed by the Conservatives, which would aim to ensure a basic service provision in not just healthcare but other essential sectors like education and transport. The party has argued proposed changes would bring the UK in line with other nations such as Australia and Canada who have tighter restrictions on doctors strikes, as well as European nations like Greece, Italy and Portugal that have minimum service levels laws in place across their health services. Under Australia's Fair Work Act 2009, the Fair Work Commission is required to suspend or terminate strike action that endangers the safety, health or welfare of the population. Attempts to block doctors' strike action are likely to be challenged in the courts, specifically under Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights. Police officers have been banned from taking strike action since 1919 when the Police Act made it a criminal offence and all armed forces members are bound by the King's Regulations which make unionisation illegal. The Conservatives' proposed primary legislation would restrict the ability of for doctors at all levels to engage in strike action as regulated by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. This would be done through exempting doctors from the part of the act that gives the right to strike. The Conservatives said they will also look at introducing back-to-work orders in a similar vein to other European countries. Stuart Andrew MP, Shadow Health Secretary, said: 'The Conservative Party has always respected the important work that healthcare professionals do, but enough is enough. 'The BMA has taken our NHS hostage and used this Labour Government's weakness to demand more and more – with taxpayers and patients left to suffer the consequences. 'As our health service faces yet another round of damaging strike action, the Conservatives are calling time. If Labour were serious about cutting waiting lists and delivering the health system our country deserves, rather than just kowtowing to the unions, they would back our plans.'
