BBC Somerset

PA MediaMargaret Thatcher became the first female prime minister in BritainDocuments that led to Britain getting its first ever female Prime Minister are expected to fetch £100,000 at auction.The nomination paper signed by Margaret Thatcher that led to her becoming leader of the Conservative Party was found in cardboard box in a Somerset garage.It was among historic material belonging to Sir Edward du Cann, who became MP for Taunton in 1956 and went on to be chairman of…

A new primary school and nursery will be built in the grounds of a secondary school, in a growing Somerset town.Somerset Council has confirmed it is going ahead with a £7.75m project to build a 210-place primary school and 40-place nursery at Holyrood Academy in Chard.The council said hundreds of new homes being built in the south Somerset town meant an extra 300 primary places would be needed in the next 10 years, more than the town's current…

BBCThe pharmacy building has sat empty ever since Jhoots' evictionA community centre says it can no longer afford to run an apprenticeship scheme for residents as it is owed thousands of pounds by pharmacy chain Jhoots. Victoria Park Community Centre in Bridgwater, Somerset, rented one of its buildings to Jhoots last year, but evicted the company after it failed to pay several months' rent.It comes with Jhoots already facing allegations of not paying staff at some pharmacies and…

AlamyA major legal claim has been filed in the UK against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, accusing the firm of knowingly selling baby powder contaminated with asbestos.The claim involves 3,000 people and focuses on internal memos and scientific reports, which have been seen by the BBC. The lawsuit - brought by KP Law - alleges that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was aware as early as the 1960s that its mineral-based talcum powder contained fibrous forms of talc, as…

Paul BarltropWest of England political editorBBCNorth Somerset Council leader Mike Bell said council tax rates could increaseCouncil tax could rise by as much as 20% as North Somerset Council juggles the increasing cost of social services.The authority currently has one of the region's lowest council tax rates, but officials warned its spending could go £25m over budget next year due to the fact its two biggest areas of spending are looking after elderly and disabled adults and children's…

A secondary school plans to become a phone-free space after pupils were able to view disturbing videos online.Will Penny, head teacher of Backwell School in Somerset, said he was considering spending £20,000 on magnetic locking pouches so that pupils are not tempted to use their phone during the day.The move comes as a study by the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol found up to 25 per cent of pupils surveyed had a wide range…

Eben Morrish-CroadSomersetAndraz CorelAndrew Feather from Bath was the only rider out of 1,189 cyclists to beat PogačarA 40-year-old cyclist has beaten the four-time Tour de France winner and current world champion in an uphill charity race.Andrew Feather from Bath was the only rider out of 1,189 to beat Tadej Pogačar in a 15km climb in his home country of Slovenia.All the amateur riders were given a six-minute head start by Pogačar, who some commentators believe is the greatest…