Cosgrove village

Welcome to our village website, where you'll find information about Cosgrove and the community.
Cosgrove village is a rural community located in South Northamptonshire and is served by West Northamptonshire Council.

Use the menu and dropdowns above to find information, news and points of interest for our village, where to eat, drink & stay, local businesses and our country walks. The Events calendar screen has details of what's on in the village for this and coming months, when and where each is held and which waste bins need to be put out for emptying each Wednesday morning. 
Spend some time to meander through our gallery of village views, both present and yesteryear. To help provide more interesting information and photographs, we have our News roundup and Village Events pages. Please take a look and see what's made the news.

For an email notification of important news, select the News tab, where you can add your email address. You will receive an email informing you, whenever items of news are added to the website.

Information for Development and Planning in the Parish is available by clicking the link or selecting from the dropdown menu above. 

If you can't find what you're looking for, please let us know by selecting Contact from the options above.

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Recent updates
Click the blue hyperlink to be directed to the page on the website containing the information. 
29th July 2025 - Home: FREE CarKraft driving course. West Northamptonshire Council: New consultations added. Events calendar: updated
5th July 2025 - Parish Council Meeting Minutes 2025: Draft Minutes of the July Meeting and approved Minutes for June added.
1st July 2025 - Home: Food waste provides an opportunity to win prizes. Information on how to have your say on Cosgrove Housing Needs Survey 2025.
5th June 2025 - Finance - Cosgrove Parish Council: Annual Audit Documents and Notices for 2024/2025. Documents - Cosgrove Parish Council: Additional documents added.
24th May 2025 - Neighbourhood Watch: Action Fraud Alert: rise of extortion phishing email reports. What to do if you become a victim.
11th May 2025 - Home: Cosgrove Parish Council vacancies.

Cosgrove Parish Council

With only six members of the community standing for re-election to Cosgrove Parish Council, there are three vacant positions that can now be filled by co-option. If you have thoughts about maintaining or improving Cosgrove, like making decisions, can listen and share your knowledge, you may still come forward, attend meetings and let the clerk know of your interest.
The Parish Council meets on the first Wednesday of each month, except August, in the Village Hall at 7.30pm. 

West Northamptonshire Council

Residents across West Northants are invited to take part in a competition that launched today (Tuesday, 1 July) to raise awareness of how easy it is to recycle your food waste and bag the chance to win some fantastic prizes. Click the link to see how you can win prizes for simply putting out your food waste for weekly collection. Take the pledge to recycle your food waste for a chance to win!

FREE CarKraft driving course returns this autumn

Following its continued success, Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance (NSRA) has released another date for its hugely popular CarKraft experience.
Now in its 24th year, the FREE road safety event returns to the Silverstone Porsche Experience Centre on Sunday, September 28, to provide young people, both qualified and not yet driving, the opportunity to get behind the wheel.
For non-drivers aged 15 and over, it will be an opportunity to experience driving for the first time in a controlled environment while qualified drivers (aged 17-30) will have the chance to enhance their skills.

Young drivers are one of the most vulnerable road user groups in the county, and since launching in 2001, more than 16,000 participants have already benefitted from taking part in the premier, award-winning driving experience.
Last year, our young driver casualties fell by 47 per cent compared with 2023, but we cannot be complacent, which is why it is important that CarKraft continues to offer young people the opportunity to learn invaluable, potentially lifesaving driving skills.

On September 28, young non-drivers will take part in one of four sessions (8.25am, 10.45am, 1.25pm and 3.45pm) which includes their first driving lesson with an approved driving instructor as well as learning about how to get a driving licence and coping with peer pressure.
Parents will also be invited to take part in a session which is designed to help them understand the learning process that their children are about to embark on.
In addition to this, there will be two sessions at 8.15am and 1.30pm for qualified drivers, who will experience what it is like to drive an HGV, including understanding blind spots, as well as learn advanced driving techniques and what it feels like when a car skids.
There will also be a workshop looking at changes to the Highway Code, Smart motorways and the Fatal Five - careless driving, excessive speed, using a mobile phone behind the wheel, not wearing a seat belt, and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These are the main contributory factors linked to death or serious injury collisions on the roads.

Keith Millard, Senior Road Safety Officer for both North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council, said: “More than 16,000 drivers have benefited since CarKraft was first launched in 2001 and it continues to be a hugely popular and regularly over-subscribed scheme.
“CarKraft is for everyone – it is an invaluable experience whether you have never driven before, are a newly qualified driver or have held your licence for a few years. Everyone can benefit from some refresher training, and we encourage you to sign up to one of our events.

“We would also like to thank our partners from Volvo UK, BYD, Adrian Flux Insurance, Forterra, National Highways, Northampton Advanced Motorists and a small group of enthusiastic local driving instructors, as without their continued support, we would not be able to run CarKraft.”
Places for the CarKraft sessions fill up fast so anyone interested in taking part is advised to book early to avoid disappointment. Places can be booked online at www.carkraft.info

Tragically in 2024, 31 people never returned home safely to their loved ones following a collision in Northamptonshire and 243 required urgent medical assistance for serious or life-changing injuries.

The NSRA was set up in 2018, and is a countywide partnership between the Police, Fire & Rescue service, the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and both North and West Northamptonshire Councils.
It brings together key partners to work on initiatives which aim to improve road safety across Northamptonshire through education, engagement, engineering, and enforcement.

Looking after our Village

It's not difficult to appreciate frustration with issues that cause concern in the village. The condition of road surfaces, blocked drains, risk of flooding, quality of playing facilities, overgrown hedges and trees extending into paths and roads, inconsiderate parking, litter and dog mess to name a few. Some issues shouldn't exist, some can be solved if there's the finance to put it right and some are completely out of our control.
If you've read this far you may have an issue that needs adding to the list or an idea on how an issue can be resolved. You may be willing to have a go at solving an issue but don't know if you are allowed, or you may be unsure who to discuss it with. You may need the support of others to make an idea work. 
Volunteering can be very rewarding and can take as much time as you are prepared to give or fit in with what you normally do in your everyday life. Why not give it a go and let others know what you have to offer.
Please share your ideas and thoughts by emailing or speaking to a member of the Parish Council, attend the Parish Council meeting or simply using the Contact option from the dropdown above.

Recycling centres to open 7 days a week as new contracts set to launch

Residents will soon be able to take their waste to recycling centres across West Northants 7 days a week offering a better service and value for money this spring.
Starting from 1 April, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will enter a new contract with FCC Waste Services, better known as FCC Environment, to manage all six recycling centres across the area – Sixfields, Ecton Lane, Daventry, Towcester and Brixworth Household Recycling Centres and Farthinghoe Recycling and Reuse Centre.
Feedback from residents helped shape the future of waste and recycling services in West Northants as part of the development of its Resources and Waste Strategy in 2023. Their feedback highlighted that they want to have access to reuse, recycle and dispose of their waste more often and at a time that is convenient for them. Having previously been open on certain days of the week, all centres will open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm from 1 April 2025.
In the near future, other service improvements as a result of the new contract with FCC Environment, will also include a new onsite reuse shop at Sixfields Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) to complement the existing shop at Farthinghoe. The reuse shops will be operated via a charity partner and, residents will be able to visit the recycling centres and shop to donate items suitable for reuse/sale during opening hours of 10am – 4pm.
WNC has also awarded a second contract for the treatment of residual waste, which is the waste that is collected in residents’ black bins or sacks, and which cannot be recycled, to Thalia Waste Management.
Residents will see no changes to their current collection arrangements because of this new contract.
This contract, which will also start on 1 April 2025, will ensure at least 95% of residual waste will be treated, significantly reducing the amount sent to landfill.
The new contract will not limit changes that can be made to kerbside waste collections, meaning the Council can maximise the amount of recycling in West Northamptonshire.
Cllr Rebecca Breese, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste said: “The signing of these two new contracts will improve our recycling centres and provide greater convenience to people, which is great news. We’ve listened to people’s feedback, and by opening them seven days a week and introducing a new reuse shop at the Sixfields centre, we are making it easier than ever for people to recycle and dispose of their waste responsibly. Both contracts reflect our commitment to sustainability and delivering value for money to our communities.”
Steve Longdon, Chief Executive Officer of FCC Environment said, “We are delighted to have been appointed to manage the six recycling centres across WNC until 2040. We are focused on providing over 425,000 residents with a welcoming and efficient household waste reuse and recycling service and we are looking forward to helping them reduce, reuse and recycle more than ever before"

The two contracts will be in place until 2040 and the signing of them will be noted at the Council’s Cabinet meeting on 11 February 2025.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC)

WNC provides support services and advice for the community and holds consultations for the community to have their say.
Access the details on the WNC dedicated screen which can be accessed by clicking here.

Playing Field and Equipment needs of the community

Do you have aspirations to help improve the Village Playing Field?
If you do, gather your thoughts, determine what your children wish for, check out suppliers, potential costs and options to aid funding. Funding is an issue, but you may have the knowledge and skill to access grants.
Please let our Parish clerk, Jenny Evans or a Parish Councillor know if you can help. Contact Jenny by email at clerk@cosgroveparishcouncil.org.uk