BBC Somerset

Ross CraneWest of EnglandBBCThe social enterprise group had been given "exclusivity status" to buy the Saxonvale site A council has confirmed it will vote to decide whether a derelict site earmarked for redevelopment by a social enterprise will be put back on the market. Somerset Council agreed to sell the Saxonvale brownfield site in Frome to the Mayday Saxonvale group in January, with the hope it would deliver low-cost homes, commercial space and leisure facilities. The plans are…

Ruth Bradley andMichelle RuminskiSomerset politics reporters, TauntonBBCParents and children gathered outside County Hall in TauntonDozens of families gathered outside a council's headquarters to protest against special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision.More than 50 parents and children gathered outside County Hall in Taunton, Somerset, angry about the authority's Send service which they said was failing their children,and leaving parents "exhausted".Organiser Tatjana from Somerset Send Army said: "We are barely standing. I'm just about keeping my job. I'm mentally…

Daniel MumbyLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceJuliet EardleyMore than 100 residents in Crewkerne have objected to the plansResidents in a countryside market town have said local services and infrastructure are already at "breaking point" amid plans for more than 300 new homes.Proposals to build 325 homes on the A356 Station Road in Crewkerne, opposite the railway station, were submitted in September. The application also includes a 'mobility hub' and additional station parking.More than 100 residents have objected to the plans,…

A man has been arrested after a woman was raped in a park, police have confirmed.The woman was found in a distressed state in Victoria Park, Taunton, by members of the public at about 05:00 BST on Saturday, Avon and Somerset Police said.The arrest was made at an address in the town at about 18:30 on Sunday."Although an arrest has now been made, our investigation is really just beginning," said Det Sgt Wendy Fellowes."It's important now that people…

Michelle RuminskiSomerset political reporter, Taunton andBea SwallowWest of EnglandBBCMum-of-three Hayley says trying to secure special educational need provisions for her children has been "exhausting"Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) say statutory deadlines are being missed by the system designed to support them.Only 6.5% of education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which are legally binding documents which set out the specific Send support individuals should get, were issued by Somerset Council within the statutory 20-week…