North Northamptonshire EV charging network receives £3m boost

Infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles in North Northamptonshire has been given a boost with £3.25million from Government.

The provisional funding includes £2,895,000 capital funds for purchasing and installation costs and a further £351,780 for planning and delivery.

Bringing more on-street charging points into operation is seen as one of the main ways of making the use of electric vehicles more appealing and the funding will focus on areas with no, or very limited, off-street parking.

Funding has been made available under the UK Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund and is dependent on suitable plans to be agreed by the Department for Transport.

The council plans to submit a detailed business case before the end of the year to secure this funding. Work will include preparation of an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy which will help to inform where the funding should be targeted.

Currently there are 128 publicly available electric vehicle charging points in places such as Corby, Higham Ferrers, Kettering, Rushden, Thrapston, and Wellingborough, but forecasts’ suggest that potentially more than 1,000 could be needed across these and other towns and in rural communities by 2030.

Cllr Graham Lawman, the council’s executive member for highways, travel and assets said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been allocated this provisional funding from Government which will greatly help to create more charging points around our area.

“As a driver of an electric vehicle myself, I can appreciate the benefits of having an enhanced infrastructure would bring and I look forward to new proposals being brought forward.”

Cllr Harriet Pentland, the council’s executive member for climate and the green environment, said: “Reducing carbon emissions is one of the key priorities for the council as we strive to be carbon neutral by 2030.

“Encouraging low-carbon forms of transport is so important to achieve this aim and there is also the added bonus of reducing pollution, which is beneficial for everyone.”

Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council, said: “This is a great boost to the North Northamptonshire area – as electric cars are the future of transport, bringing so many benefits.”