Northumberland County Council has passed a motion to add 36 public electric vehicle charge points at 26 locations, expanding the council’s existing charging network. Of the new charge points, 78% will be installed on land owned by the council. The remaining chargers will be placed on land owned by third parties under licensing agreements.
The charging infrastructure is being financed with just over £1 million in external funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. The settlement funding is intended to support delivery up to 2029. Revenue generated by the chargers will be used to meet their running costs, management and maintenance.
An in-house EV team at Northumberland County Council will install and maintain the equipment. Councillor Richard Wearmouth, the cabinet member with responsibility for transport, said the investment was welcome. He noted that the county has a road network among the country’s largest and said it was vital to ensure the necessary facilities are available to help people get around. The additional points are intended to improve charging provision across that network. The council says the expansion is intended to help people get around the county.
The region recently saw 14 BYD BD11 battery-electric buses enter service, adding further sustainable transport capacity a few months before the council approved the charge-point expansion.