Ministers urge councils to use electric car scheme

Government ministers have encouraged local authorities to do more to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle air quality, as it is revealed that only five councils in the whole of the UK have taken advantage of an electric car scheme.

Claire Perry, Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, and Jesse Norman, Secretary of State for Roads and Local Transport, have written to councils urging them to take up the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, which makes available up to 75 per cent of the cost of procuring and installing chargepoints.

The funding has been available since 2016 but so far only five councils have come forward, so there is £4.5 million still available for them – enough for thousands of extra points.

A set of schemes for electric vehicles were announced in the Autumn Budget in November, including a further £100 million to help consumers purchasing electric vehicles. The government has now extended current grant rates for both the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, and Plug-in Car Grant which provides up to £4,500 to help motorists make the switch to electric.

Norman said: “We are in the early stages of an electric revolution in the UK transport sector, and connectivity is at its heart. Millions of homes in the UK do not have off-street parking, so this funding is important to help local councils ensure that all their residents can take advantage of this revolution.”