Book a Room at Cosby Village Hall Tel: 0116 284 9244
St Michael & All Angels
Cosby Parish Council provides YOUR local services. We endeavour to make Cosby a better place to live, work and visit. Our website includes a wealth of information about how we conduct business and what we do. Find local groups and businesses in our community directory. Use the search or browse the site to find whatever you are looking for. If you can't find what you want or would like to recommend any improvements to our website then please contact us.
Latest News
New business support service launched in Blaby District
Businesses across Blaby District now have access to a new, funded, business support programme, the Leicestershire Business Advice Service.
The free support, from expert consultants Exemplas, will include everything from start-up workshops to accelerator programmes. One-to-one advice and more will be available to help businesses at all stages of their journey.
Blaby District businesses will be able to access face-to-face appointments with advisors as well as a range of training workshops across Leicestershire. For more details visit: Leicestershire Business Advice Service (exemplas.com) More »
The service is a partnership between the seven District Councils in Leicestershire: Blaby District Council, Harborough District Council, North West Leicestershire District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, Melton Borough Council and Charnwood Borough Council.
Each authority has funded the project through their allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Funding. This project has received £83,478 from Blaby District Council.
Councillor Terry Richardson, Leader of Blaby District Council, said: "We are well aware that businesses of all sizes continue to face challenges, so this new, extra support for firms in our District is most welcome. The provision of more local-based support will give people the information, skills and connections to start-up, protect and grow their enterprises. Thriving local businesses are essential to the continued growth and prosperity of our District."
Service provider Exemplas are experienced in delivering business support programmes that help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop. The wider benefits encourage communities to thrive and local economies grow.
Martin Coats, Operations and Commercial Development Director at Exemplas, said: "We are pleased to bring our expertise and proven experience in economic support and development to deliver this much-needed service. We're excited to introduce a team of advisers who not only have experience in starting and running successful businesses but also know the county well and will help businesses flourish."
This support replaces previous EU funded programmes which have now ended. The Leicestershire Business Advice Service will run until March 2025.
Notes to editors:
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government's Levelling Up agenda. It will provide £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. It will invest in communities and place, supporting local business and people and skills. For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus
29 September 2023 » Less
Posted: Mon, 02 Oct 2023 11:50 by Les Phillimore
Householders save with Solar Together scheme
Householders across Leicestershire have saved thousands of pounds on solar panels thanks to the latest round of a group-buying initiative.
The Solar Together 22 Scheme saw 460 total installations across the county. The price achieved for a typical 14-panel system was a huge 27% discount on typical market costs.
These new installations will deliver an estimated 7,385 tonnes of carbon reduction over the next 25 years. More »
Some 71% of participants across the scheme opted to add a battery to their solar panel installation following the survey. Also, of the 460 installations 29 of these were retrofit batteries.
This shows a high appetite for battery storage and an increasing resident focus on self-consumption.
Solar Together sees Leicestershire Councils work together as part of the Green Living Leicestershire Partnership.
The scheme is run through group buying experts iChoosr. Authorities involved include Blaby District Council, Charnwood Borough Council, Harborough District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Leicestershire County Council, Melton Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council.
Residents sign up for free on their own Council's website and are entered into an auction. Solar PV suppliers compete by offering the lowest rate for solar panel installation. The more people who are registered, the lower the price can be.
A free, no-obligation offer is made from the successful energy supplier with a personal recommendation sent out to households. This includes information on the winning solar panel installer, the proposed system, costs and savings.
As part of the process iChoosr carries out stringent checks on any installer, looking at financial stability, customer satisfaction results, certificates and insurances, product specifications and ability to deliver.
It removes the burden of research from any householder looking to install solar panels and battery systems.
It also helps homeowners feel confident they are paying the right price for a high-quality installation from pre-approved installers, making the transition to clean energy as cost effective and hassle-free as possible.
iChoosr's group-buying offer covers solar panels with optional battery storage and EV charge points, as well as retrofit battery storage. This means residents who have already invested in solar panels can still benefit, getting more from the renewable energy they generate, as well as increasing their independence from the grid.
Solar Together 22 has contributed an additional 1.6MW of renewable energy in Leicestershire.
Over the two years of the scheme some £4.3 million has been invested in renewable energy across Leicestershire.
Councillor Les Phillimore, Blaby District Council Portfolio Holder for Housing, Community and Environmental Services said: "This project is a great example of how Blaby District Council is working together with our neighbouring Councils, businesses and our community to bring about even greater carbon reductions and take action on climate change and meet the challenge of reaching net zero by 2050.
"Many people may be attracted to the idea of installing solar panels but in practice it can be a daunting process. By joining Solar Together all the hard work is taken away. Householders can take advantage of expert knowledge and reduced rate installations from vetted suppliers.
"It's fantastic to see householders achieve such a significant discount with Solar Together 22. With energy costs remaining high this is great news. Of course it also plays an important role in the move to more environmentally friendly energy and real reductions in carbon emissions."
A second phase of Solar Together Leicestershire is already underway with expected additional investment in solar PV and battery storage over the coming year. » Less
Posted: Thu, 28 Sep 2023 18:00 by Les Phillimore
Solar panel plan for Council depot
Blaby District Council is investing more than £1million into green technology at its Whetstone depot.
The money will be spent on installing solar panels and the long-term introduction of electric charging points for the District's bin lorries.
Some 318 panels, a total of 135.15kw, will be installed on the roof space of the three depot buildings, the offices, workshop and storage area.
The panels will bring a carbon reduction of 23.11 tonnes per year with an estimated annual electricity saving of £32,890 in year one alone. More »
It is expected the solar panels will have paid for themselves within eight and a half years.
The plan to install more than 50 EV charging points will be delivered in stages as the Council prepares to switch its heavy fleet fully from diesel to electric.
Currently all Council heavy vehicles (bin lorries) use hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, a greener type of diesel which produces less carbon emissions.
The use of HVO has helped hugely to reduce the Council's fleet emissions. Going electric is seen as an even more sustainable solution which will reduce emissions further.
The charging points will be installed as and when the electric refuse vehicles are purchased so the most appropriate technology is used.
The overall infrastructure to enable this will be delivered during 2024.
Blaby District Councillors approved the project proposals at the full council meeting on Tuesday 26 September.
Councillor Les Phillimore, Blaby District Council Portfolio Holder for Housing, Community and Environmental Services, said: "As a progressive Council one of our priorities is to continually reduce our carbon footprint with the aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. I'm delighted we are forging ahead with this project which will enable us to make significant CO2 savings as well as cutting our energy bills."
Fellow Councillor Nigel Grundy, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services and Assets, added: "Our use of HVO is already paying dividends in bringing down emissions but we must look to the future and using electric vehicles is the most sustainable option. We need to ensure we have the infrastructure in place to allow us to make the move towards electrifying our fleet of bin lorries." » Less
Posted: Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:09 by Les Phillimore