Town-hall leaders want more city businesses to invest in electric vehicles

YORKSHIRE’S BIGGEST local authority wants to start a green revolution by encouraging the owners of industrial vehicles to lower their emissions.

Leeds City Council leaders want to team up with Highways England to set up a “centre of excellence” for ultra-low-emission vans in the city.

The authority says it wants to encourage more small businesses in the south of the city to start using electric vehicles.

Plans involve motorway regulator Highways England, which has been looking to start a scheme to help businesses purchase electric vans and to create more electric vehicle charging points.

It considers Leeds a good place to start, as motorways such as the M1 and M621 run close to residential communities.

It is not known how much money would be available for the scheme, although the council says Highways England is putting together a business case to put to its investment committee next month.

The scheme would be part of Leeds City Council’s wider cleanair strategy – which was set up after the European Union warned levels of air pollution in the city were too high.

The strategy includes proposals for a clean-air charging zone – which would see highemission HGVs and buses being charged £50 a day, while taxis and private-hire vehicles registered in the city would be made to pay £50 a week.

The executive board is expected to approve the partnership with Highways England on tomorrow’s council executive board meeting.

Loneliness and isolation in rural Wales is a “ticking timebomb” which must be tackled, a Minister has said.

Huw Irranca-Davies, the Social Care Minister, said that dealing with the problem was a national priority. According to the 2016-17 National Survey for Wales, about 17 per cent of the population of Wales, or about 440,000 people, report being lonely.