Croft Parish Council

21/04/2026

Our Community Grants are back! We are now open again for applications to our grants scheme that helps local charities, community groups and sports clubs to improve their facilities and deliver activities for residents. We offer:

🌱Capital Green Grants up to £5,000
👷‍♀️Large Capital Grants up to £5,000
💻Small Capital Grants up to £500
🫶Revenue Grants up to £500
⛹️‍♂️Everyone Active Grants up to £500

To read more about each of the different grants and the eligibility criteria, visit the link in the first comment. First deadline for applications is Friday 5 June at 5pm!

03/04/2026

The Easter hunt is underway , don’t forget to pick up your prize from the post office

27/03/2026

12/03/2026

New grant scheme will boost small businesses

A new grant scheme to help District micro enterprises grow is launching in April.

The Blaby Business Grant Scheme was approved by Blaby District Council’s Cabinet Executive as a one-year pilot project with a £25,000 grant pot.

Micro businesses, employing one to 10 people, make up some 90% of local companies in the District.

These small companies often struggle to access funding grants because they are unaware of relevant schemes, lack the expertise to apply, or want amounts too small to fit the criteria.

Continued work between the Council and local firms, who are members of the new Blaby District Business Board, has found that there is a local need for small companies to have access to simple, practical help to grow.

The Blaby Business Grant Scheme will meet this need, providing small sums to help ventures to develop.

The money could be used for a range of improvements including increasing productivity, developing digital tools, expanding premises, actions on decarbonisation, reducing running costs and sprucing up shopfronts.

Two grants will be available for businesses meeting the criteria:

Shop Front Improvements Grant

A total pot of £5,000. To improve the appearance, accessibility and safety of local business premises.

• Decarbonisation and Business Growth Grant

A total amount of £20,000, granting up to £3,000 per business (with a requirement for 50% to be match-funded), to help cut carbon emissions, or support a business to improve products, services or ways of working.

If successful the pilot could be extended to offer extra support to micro business owners.

Marc Greenwood, Blaby District Council Executive Director for Place, said: “We are proud of our work in helping firms to access external loans and grants. However, this funding tends to be targeted at medium to large operations, leaving few options for smaller businesses.

“We hope our new Blaby Business Grant Scheme will help fill this gap and provide valuable extra funds to make real change for micro enterprises. These are tough times for businesses in every sector, so we hope this new initiative will make a positive difference.”

Further details about the scheme will be made available soon. If you have any queries about what Blaby District Council can do to support your business, click Support and Advice for Businesses – Blaby District Council (www.blaby.gov.uk/business-licensing-and-investment/business-support/support-and-advice-for-businesses) or email: [email protected]

27/02/2026

Final chance to apply for a Blaby District Council community grant!

There is only one week to apply for a share of this year’s community grants pot as the deadline for applications to the 2025-26 scheme is 5pm on Friday 6 March.

If your community group or sports club needs funds to improve facilities, install green technology, purchase equipment or to simply help with activity costs, we may be able to help with one of our grants:

• Capital Green Grants – up to £5,000 (20% match funding required)
• Large Capital Grants – up to £5,000 (50% match funding required)
• Revenue Grants – up to £500
• Everyone Active Grants – up to £500
• Small Capital Grants – up to £500

For full details about each of our grants, the eligibility criteria and to apply online visit

Financial assistance for the voluntary and community sector in Blaby District

05/02/2026

HAVE YOUR SAY

This consultation is different from the previous consultations led by the North, City, South group of councils. It is run directly by Government, and Government will make the final decision on which proposal goes forward.
This seven week consultation provides an important opportunity for residents, organisations, partners, and businesses to share their views. Your organisation’s insight and experience would be particularly valuable in helping Government understand the potential impacts of each proposal.

Local context for Blaby District
As part of the consultation, Leicester City Council’s preferred proposal includes an expansion of the existing city boundary into several neighbouring areas. This would have a direct impact on a number of communities within Blaby District.
Areas for inclusion within an expanded Leicester boundary include:

• Blaby • Kirby Muxloe
• Braunstone • Leicester Forest East
• Cosby • Leicester Forest West
• Countesthorpe • Littlethorpe
• Enderby • Lubbesthorpe
• Glen Parva • Narborough
• Glenfield • Thurlaston
• Huncote • Whetstone
• Kilby

A wider set of areas is also proposed for inclusion, covering parishes from Charnwood and Harborough, the entire Oadby & Wigston Borough, and several part parishes. Full details of these areas are outlined on pages 53 and 54 of Leicester City Council’s Final Proposal Appendices

No decision has been made by Government, and all proposals remain subject to consultation.

The three proposals under consultation (map attached of the three proposals)

The Government is inviting feedback on the following options:

1. Two councils, with Leicester City Council’s preferred proposal involving an expanded Leicester city boundary and a single council covering the rest of Leicestershire and Rutland (submitted by Leicester City Council)

2. Two councils, with one for Leicester on its existing boundary and one for Leicestershire and Rutland (submitted by Leicestershire County Council)

3. Three councils, with a council for North Leicestershire and Rutland, a council for South Leicestershire and one for the city on its existing boundary. It is known as the North, City, South proposal has been submitted by the seven district and borough councils together with Rutland County Council.

About the North, City, South proposal
As you know, we were one of the group of councils that submitted the proposal to Government. This proposal outlines several potential benefits in the submission, including:
• Maintaining strong local connections to the communities they serve with proportionately sized councils representing similar numbers of residents.
• Retaining Leicester’s current city boundary – expanding it would be expensive, complex and unnecessary.
• Delivering more prevention-focused services designed to improve outcomes and reduce long term demand. We propose creating Neighbourhood Partnerships to pull agencies and partners together to get help to people sooner and reduce demand.
• Saving an estimated £44 million a year – money which can be used for frontline services.
• Creating three financially sustainable councils – our 10 year financial strategy aims to turn the council’s collective £100 million budget gap into a surplus.
• Supporting opportunities for devolution and helping accelerate economic growth across the region

Further detail is available at www.northcitysouth.co.uk

How to take part
You can share your views directly through the Government’s consultation website:
Local government reorganisation in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland - GOV.UK

The deadline for responses is 11.59pm on 26 March 2026

Following the consultation period, Government is expected to decide on a final proposal by the summer, with any new arrangements anticipated to take effect from April 2028.

28/01/2026

Blaby District Council are now in receipt of the reserved matters application for the er****on of 95 dwellings including details of appearance, layout, scale and
landscaping (in relation to outline planning permission 24/0559/OUT) for the land at Croft Lodge Farm, Broughton Road.

Please take the time to have a look and any comments should be sent electronically to [email protected]

Application number: 26/0028/RM

You can view all of our planning applications online

08/01/2026

The Environment Agency has issued a flood alert for our area. Areas most at risk
- Braunstone Brook
- Lubbesthorpe Brook
- Upper Soar catchment (including Sharnford, Croft and Littlethorpe) .

Check the latest flood alerts by clicking the link in the description