[Brydo]

Up to 126 local councils across the UK have no plans to install any electric car charging in the next four years

Local councils are planning to install 9,317 on-street public electric car chargers between now and 2025 – an average of just 35 per council – despite a ban on the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

There are a mere 7,682 public on-street chargers currently installed in the UK, leaving drivers with no access to off-street parking concerned about how they would charge an electric car at home.

126 councils out of over 400 that received a Freedom of Information request from Centrica have no plans to install any on-street EV chargers between now and 2025.

There’s also a significant disparity between regions, with local authorities in the south of England planning to install 2.5 times more on-street chargers than councils in Northern England, the Midlands, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.

The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.

Topic

[JS]

i hope they dont all have to be the ones run of the Lamp Posts. we only have 2 street lights

[Martinod]

It’s not a lot when the government push ev but doesn’t surprise me the councils are not great at doing anything to help the general public.

I just found out a few weeks ago when it snows and/or icing ,

my council will not grip side roads or cul de sacs they don’t have the funds or recourses . They are always cutting back , no free special up lifts it’s £35 for up to 10 items , they removed care and repair service which  lots of disabled and elderly relied on.  So I can’t see my council putting any in , but I bet the council tax will still go up,

not a fan of the council

[MickC]

[Tharg]

The councils certainly seem to be lagging behind but the infrastructure is getting in place. The National Grid opened 20 miles of new power tunnel in 2018. Next batch due to complete in 2026. Details here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Power_Tunnels

[Wigwam]

Local Authorities can’t spend money they don’t have.  Whether it’s Social Services or Charging Points, they can only spend money raised through council tax (and the amount they can raise is subject to HMG controls), or by government grant.  If anyone wants more spending, then tell your MP!

[gothitjulie]

Local authorities can nudge companies through planning processes, so could “suggest” a certain number of charge posts to “ease” the progress of planning permission.

 

[Wigwam]

 

They could, gothitjulie, but it would be a long slow process.

In a sense Local Authorities have no incentive to provide on-street charging facilities. They make no money out of it. Shouldn’t it be down to the electric utility companies to do the job?  No-one expects the council to provide petrol stations – why charging points? If its just because they are on the street, so are (were) phone boxes and post boxes but nothing to do with the council.

[ChrisK]

I like to look at things from a different point of view and the way I see it it’s all to do with road tolls ?

I don’t have a clue if or what my local council plans are to install street chargers but one thing I do know that they have longed to install cameras around the city borders so they can charge commuters who live in the commuter belt to bring their cars into town.

So why hit commuters, well commuters live outside the council voting area and therefore they, the council, would not get a backlash from local voters who would be toll free and still vote for the council.

Up until recently that argument has always been about pollution down town and it is a good argument but with EV’s in the near future pipeline that excuse will go by the way so in light of that they have just a few years to get their argument over to install road tolls before there is no argument to be had and once installed under the flag of “diesels are killing us all” tolls will be introduced and once the gravy train has started they won’t be able to let it go and as diesel and petrol slowly disappear from our roads those tolls will without doubt get passed on to EV’s.

So now I come to why I think councils will be reluctant to install street charges, it comes back to those commuters again because locals can, or most can, charge at home and there would be no doubt that those within the local council catchment area who can’t have a charger at home would of course be exempt from toll charges so safe guarding local councillors votes while punishing those who’s electric cars are out of range of a return trip to work down town without a recharge.

Of course longer range batteries would put paid to that but as longer range batteries are more expensive then we come back to that age old problem of only punishing the poor who can’t afford long range batteries in their cars but again like I said above, once toll charges are in for ICE cars that will roll over to EV’s by the mid 2030’s so won’t matter even if your car has perpetual motion engine.

Then on the other hand we might still be in lockdown in 2035 so no problem and no excuses. ?

[Georgie]

Living in an area where the County Council spent £6k on taps for two Office toilets and the Town Council only reinstated the Commuter Bus Service to the railway station because the niece of one of the Councillors needed it to get to work, I can guess where our ration of Charging Points will be . . .

[Oscarmax]

In our area EV charging point are as rare as hen teeth.

Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.

[Author]

Replies