Published on
23 October 2024
Giving you the power
It is the last few days to have your say about the council's Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy.
It is the last few days to have your say on Wokingham Borough Council’s draft Electric Vehicle (EV) charging strategy, which sets out the objectives and actions to grow the EV chargepoint network and reduce barriers to EV ownership.
EV ownership is on the increase UK-wide, locally around 2.6 per cent of cars in the borough were electric in 2023. This is set to increase further with the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035.
As well as public transport and active travel, EVs play an important role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions from transport, improving air quality and tackling climate change. This supports the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable transport future and the council’s ambition to become a carbon-neutral borough.
The council’s role
The EV charging infrastructure needs to be built ahead of the need so that people are confident they'll be able to charge their vehicle before they purchase one. Local authorities need to be proactive in making sure that the lack of EV infrastructure is not a barrier to EV uptake and that public EV infrastructure can available to all residents equally.
New on-street chargepoints, located where there isn’t off street residential parking will complement residents' own chargepoints at home and those provided by the private sector, offering those who do not have access to off-street parking reliable and accessible public chargepoints near to where they live and work.
The strategy sets out the objectives for the next six years until 2030, including keeping pace with demand and future-proofing the chargepoint network, being accessible for all and supporting and encouraging private sector roll-out.
Progress so far
As well as setting out the work that the council will do to improve the network, the strategy will also give the council further opportunities to apply for government grants when they become available.
The council has already successfully applied for over £700,000 of grants, around 60 per cent for the installation of chargepoints and the remaining to ensure the council has the capability to plan and deliver EV infrastructure.
The council has already installed 44 chargepoints from a £173,500 grant from the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS). The council has a further £264,000 grant from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund to install further chargepoints and will soon be going out to tender for a supplier.
Delivering a comprehensive and inclusive chargepoint network
Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways, said: “At the end of 2023, nearly 4,500 ultra-low emission vehicles were registered in our borough, a growth of 44% on the number registered in 2022. We recognise that for everyone to make the switch, the right charging infrastructure will need to be in the right place both now and in the future.
“Working with the government and private sector to deliver a comprehensive and inclusive chargepoint network in our borough is central to our vision. To achieve this, an action plan has been devised within this strategy with key objectives to direct and deliver the future EV charging infrastructure needs of our borough.
“Please take some time to take a look at the strategy and take the opportunity to share your comments.”
Cllr Jordan Montgomery, executive member for environment and climate emergency, added: “The government’s decision to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 will help the decarbonisation of the transport system.
“Our Climate Emergency Action Plan and emerging Local Transport Plan 4 recognise that achieving carbon neutrality from transport starts from the first principle on reducing our reliance on the private car. For local trips, this can be achieved by more people walking, cycling and wheeling.
“However, for longer journeys we appreciate that this is not always possible and therefore we want to make it easier for our resident to travel in a more environmentally friendly way.”
How to take part
The draft strategy and consultation is available on the council’s Engage Wokingham Borough website and is open for responses until 27 October.
If you need help completing the consultation, please contact the council’s customer services team on (0118) 974 6000 or visit a local library.
