North East England set to double charger numbers in new deal

The number of public EV chargers in England’s North East is set to double under a new partnership.

South Tyneside Council has signed a new deal with infrastructure provider Connected Kerb which will see 2,100 new charge points installed across the region over the next 20 years.

The North East currently has some of the poorest charger provision in the country. The region hosts just 2.7% of the UK’s public charging infrastructure, despite being home to almost 4% of the UK’s population. That equates to just 58 chargers per 100,000 people, compared to 193 in London, demonstrating the urgent need to level-up access to charge points across the region.

The new agreement represents a 126% boost to the North East’s existing network – the largest single rollout in the north of England. Work is due to begin this month and around 80% of the new chargers are set to be operational within two years.

Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said: “With millions of pounds available to local authorities from government initiatives such as the LEVI Fund, councils are in the driving seat to take decisive, meaningful action to deploy charge points where their communities need them the most. Our partnership with South Tyneside Council is yet another example of bold ambition turned into action.”

The first phase of the installation will take place over at least 41 sites, including community centres, sports facilities and libraries. As part of the rollout, 43 existing charge points will be upgraded, increasing reliability and network uptime for users. The original network reported operational uptime of 56% while the new network will demand 99%.

Cllr Ernest Gibson, lead member for neighbourhoods and climate change at South Tyneside Council said: “The entire country is undergoing a massive shift in ways in which we travel, and we are committed to ensuring that South Tyneside plays its part.

“With the first chargers expected to be in the ground by the end of March, we are committed to giving more residents the confidence they need to make the switch to electric, whilst supporting our sustainability agenda.

“Our partnership with Connected Kerb – enabling the largest rollout of EV chargers in the North East – provides a blueprint for other councils right across the UK to follow.”