Plan to invest £3.5m in electric vehicle chargers across Worcestershire

Residents will be asked for their say on plans to invest £3.5 million in Worcestershire’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The county council has been working alongside regional transport body Midlands Connect to secure the funding from the government.

County highways chief Marc Bayliss said the focus would be on providing for electric vehicle drivers who do not have their own off-road charging facilities.

He told a cabinet meeting on Thursday: “We know electric vehicles are becoming an important form of the transport mix and this funding from the government is going to help us prepare for that transition.

“It’s fairly obvious why we need this. We do need to manage expectations though - £3.5m is not going to be the total answer but it will make a significant start I hope.”

The draft Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy for Worcestershire, approved by cabinet on Thursday, says there are more than 16,000 electric vehicles registered in the county but only 280 publicly accessible charging points.

It also says about 30 percent of households in Worcestershire do not have access to off-street parking - something the document describes as “the key to unlocking easier transition to EV ownership”.

A five-year action plan included in the draft strategy says “circa 800 sockets” could be funded through the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure capital fund - and installed by 2027.

But the exact number of charging points and where they will go will be subject to a public consultation process, which council leader Simon Geraghty said will also include district and parish councils.

“I’m really keen on this,” Cllr Geraghty said, “we’ve got to be prepared for the change that’s coming.”

Cllr Matt Jenkins, who was one of several councillors to point out they’d travelled to the meeting in an electric car, suggested the Countryside Centre at Worcester Woods as a potential location for a charging point.

He also questioned why the council had seemingly ruled out installing chargers that run underneath pavements or into lampposts.

Cllr Geraghty responded: “We want to be as open and inclusive to new ideas as possible.”