Issue - meetings

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director – Environment seeking adoption of the North Yorkshire Council Electric Vehicle Public Charging Infrastructure Rollout Strategy, including a concessionary delivery model for electric vehicle charge point (EVCP) rollout (subject to any legal requirements) and to publish the 2020 Deployment Study and 2022 strategy online.

Councillor Keane Duncan, Executive Member for Highways and Transportation presented the report, noting that it is predicted that 3,161 charge points will be required in North Yorkshire by 2030 to meet demand, with half of these to be delivered by the public sector at a cost of £10.3m. In order to achieve this, predominantly rural areas such as North Yorkshire cannot be left behind, despite barriers to overcome such as electricity grid constraints and the volume of on-street parking, with 21% of households not having access to off-street parking.

There are seven key objectives in the strategy to create a comprehensive, convenient and accessible network of charge points across North Yorkshire, making sure that all residents are able to access an EVCP, and work with employers and support measures to decarbonise fleets and roll out charge points. A transition plan will be put in place in the lead up to 2030 and beyond to ensure that those who do not immediately switch to electric vehicles (EV) are not left without a solution.

In order to fund the charging infrastructure, £2.2m has already been secured from the national Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme to install 70 charge points, the highest secured by any local authority in the country, topped up with £1.2m capital funding to extend the pilot scheme, providing a further 80 charge points. Looking ahead, there are further funding opportunities through the Devolution Deal net zero fund and the LEVI Capital Fund, with a potential for £8.5m capital funding available and over £500k revenue funding to fund the aspirations of the council. Huge steps have been made in the delivery of EV charging infrastructure to date, with the new strategy showing the council is ready to rise to the challenge.

Barrie Mason, Assistant Director for Highways & Transportation, noted the importance of investing in EV charge points going forwards. The Local Transport Plan sets out to achieve the net zero carbon aspirations of the council, as well as also developing more sustainable modes of travel. It is clear that even with the growth of the EV charge point network in North Yorkshire over the coming years, in a predominantly rural area, residents will still need to travel around the county in private vehicles when the ban on petrol and diesel engines in new vehicles from 2030 comes into force.

Councillor Greg White supported the proposals but asked how and when the publicly funded charge points would be delivered. In response, it was noted that nearly £3m has been secured so far, with further funding opportunities pending. It is hoped that the LEVI capital funding from government will lever in private sector funding to help deliver the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 230