The growth of the electric vehicle charging network in Staffordshire has been boosted by £4.6million of government funding.
The Department for Transport will provide the cash as part of a link-up with four other local authorities and regional transport body Midlands Connect.
The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund aims to help councils create more charging points through private investment to encourage the switch from petrol and diesel.
The county council’s cabinet is set to approve joining the consortium with Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council at a meeting tomorrow (20th March).
Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, Cllr David Williams, said:
“It’s great news that our funding allocation to support the implementation of Staffordshire’s electric vehicle charging network has now been confirmed.
“It is not the county council’s role or responsibility to install or operate the charging points, but by working with partner local authorities, we will be in the strongest position to attract commercial providers which will undertake this.
“Our partnership strategy has identified where the most appropriate places for charging points could be and how we will work with the private sector to facilitate successful delivery.
“We will also work with businesses to encourage workplace charging and residents to support off-street charging, in addition to people and organisations making planning applications.
“We understand that electricity may not be the only type of alternative power for vehicles in future years, but it’s vital that we have our Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure in place as soon as possible.”
Cllr David Williams, Staffordshire County Council
Figures reveal that there are currently around 97% of homes in Staffordshire without off-street parking that are not within a convenient walk of a public charging point.