‘We must charge ahead’
COUNCIL URGED TO IMPROVE ‘INADEQUATE’ NUMBER OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING POINTS
A COUNCIL has been told it must move up the gears quickly to ensure enough electric vehicle charging points are in place by the end of the decade.
Clr Felicity Issott (Con, Ryburn) said it was pleasing to see Calderdale Council represented at COP26 but the devil was in the detail and she was looking at the strategy of how the council will reach its CO2 emissions targets.
In particular, there were only 88 electric vehicle charging points in Calderdale currently, with zero in wards like Ryburn, Northowram, Warley and Ovenden.
“That’s 1,900 people per charging point, which is totally inadequate – so what are we doing to address this?” she said.
Clr Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), Cabinet member for Climate Change and Resilience, said it was right more charging points were needed and it was important to stress a charging strategy for Calderdale was being develop.
“We are making sure that all the network there is fit for purpose for all the different providers. We are not trying to manage it alone, bringing in the business sector,” he said.
The council’s housing strategy and Local Plan would ensure all new build homes will have electric charging points.
On-street charging points were more problematic, making retro-fitting difficult, said Clr Patient, adding he would get more details for Clr Issott, who raised the issue in the questions to Cabinet members section of November’s full Calderdale Council meeting.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that new homes and buildings, and those undergoing major renovation, will be required to install electric vehicle charging points from next year, in the run up to 2030 when the Government has said the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end.
Clr Patient, along with Sam Saxby and Emily Farman from the council’s Environmental Projects team, having travelled there in sustainable ways, including by train, walking and cycling, took part in the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow earlier this month, attending events where topics discussed included transport, heat, buildings, energy, finance and zero carbon.