What it's like to live in Earl Shilton

Social housing is tighter here than in much of England. Just 10.2% of homes in the Hinckley and Bosworth area are socially rented, split between council at 6.1% and housing association at 4.1%, against 17.1% nationally. Owner occupation dominates at 74.4%, with 14.4% privately rented.

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council is by far the biggest social landlord with around 3,211 homes. Orbit Housing Association has 698, Midland Heart 490, Platform Housing 480 and EMH Housing and Regeneration 297.

Average weekly social rents in the council area for 2024/25 were about £87 for a one-bed, £101 for a two-bed and £107 for a three-bed. Because the social stock is relatively small, swaps come up less often than in a big city, so patience helps.

Families are well served for primary schools. St Simon & St Jude Primary School and Townlands Church of England Primary School are both about 0.3 miles away, with St Peter's Voluntary Academy at 0.6 miles and Newlands Community Primary School at 0.7 miles. Barwell Infant School is 1.4 miles out. Check current admissions and Ofsted reports yourself, as catchments change.

For secondary, The Hinckley School is the nearest at about 2.6 miles, so expect a bus or car run rather than a walk.

Earl Shilton Library sits in the town and offers Family Hub support, which is useful for parents of younger children, and Stoney Stanton Library is 2.4 miles away. Across the Hinckley and Bosworth area, 17.3% of residents are under 16, a shade below the England figure of 18.6%.

Earl Shilton has bus stops close to the middle of town, with Almeys Lane about 0.2 miles from the centre and The Square around 1.4 miles away. Buses are the main public transport option here, so it is worth checking the routes and times for the journeys you actually make before you commit to a swap.

There is no railway station in the town itself, so if you rely on trains you will need to plan a bus or lift to reach one. A car makes life easier for bigger shops, hospital appointments and work further afield, and roads out towards Hinckley and Leicester are well used.

On foot, the town centre works well. Shops, pharmacies, the library, several pubs and two primary schools all sit within about half a mile of each other, which is a real plus if you do not drive.

Green space is easy to reach. Wood Street Park is about 0.2 miles from the centre, with Queen Elizabeth II Hall Field, Maple Park and Radford Park all within a mile. There is even JP's Pooch Paddock nearby if you have a dog that needs space to run.

The town keeps a decent pub scene for its size. Shilton Vaults, Fernleighs, the Red Lion, the Lord Nelson Inn and the Dog & Gun are all within a short walk of the centre, which makes for a sociable evening without needing to travel.

For exercise there is a mix of small, local set-ups rather than a big leisure chain: The Shelter Personal Training and BASE Training Club in town, plus Earl Shilton Amateur Boxing Club and a CrossFit gym just over a mile away. Community Action Hinckley & Bosworth and St Simon & St Jude Church Hall host local groups.

The Hinckley and Bosworth area has a strong employment picture. Around 59.5% of adults are in work, above the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment sits at 2.2% against 3.5% nationally. Unemployment-related benefit claims were 2.5% of working-age people in August 2026, compared with 4% across England.

We do not have figures on which employers dominate locally, so it is worth doing your own research on the sectors you work in. What is clear is that many people here travel out to work, with Hinckley and Leicester both within reach by road.

Health services provide some local employment too, with Barwell Medical Centre 1.5 miles away and Hinckley and Bosworth Community Hospital about 2.4 miles.