Issue - meetings

Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy

Meeting: 25/02/2025 - Full Council (Item 11a)

11a Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy - Public Consultation Feedback pdf icon PDF 264 KB

Officers have been exploring opportunities to install Electric Vehicle Charge Points (EVCP) in council owned car parks using external government grants and/or Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding and a decision was made at the General Public Services and Economic Development Committee in March 2024 to progress a scheme.  The Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy sits alongside and develops these proposals further for the provision of a publicly available electric vehicle charging network and details the Council’s future rollout of EV charging infrastructure.

 

This report provides an update on the development of the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy including the key findings from the public consultation on the draft Strategy and proposes a final Strategy for adoption.

 

Recommendation:

 

Council adopts the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy.

Additional documents:


Meeting: 27/01/2025 - Policy and Resources Committee (Item 5)

5 Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy - Public Consultation Feedback pdf icon PDF 265 KB

Officers have been exploring opportunities to install Electric Vehicle Charge Points (EVCP) in council owned car parks using external government grants and/or Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding and a decision was made at the General Public Services and Economic Development Committee in March 2024 to progress a scheme.  The Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy sits alongside and develops these proposals further for the provision of a publicly available electric vehicle charging network and details the Council’s future rollout of EV charging infrastructure.

 

This report provides an update on the development of the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy including the key findings from the public consultation on the draft Strategy and proposes a final Strategy for adoption.

 

Recommendation

 

That:

 

i)        Members agree the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy for adoption; and

 

ii)       Members agree that the Strategy is progressed to Full Council for final adoption.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited Tom Rankin, the Principal Sustainable Travel Planner and Transport Officer to present the report. The Officer explained that the report initially focused on town centre and car park charging, before moving to on-street solutions. He noted that several projects were already underway, which had been funded by Community Infrastructure Levy and external grant funding. A public consultation had been held in the summer on the plans for further expansion of charging, the outcomes of which were included within the report.

 

Councillor Sarah Nelmes, as the lead member, commended the strategy to the committee, which, if agreed, would be referred to Council for adoption. She noted the agreement of the strategy would facilitate the development of a roadmap, setting out how the strategy would be implemented.

 

The Chair invited members to debate the item. A wide range of questions were asked primarily relating to the grant funding arrangements; potential loss of parking spaces; how on-street charging provision could be achieved; how the contract arrangements with charging operators would work, including the fees payable and maintenance arrangements, and whether security would need to be enhanced in the car parks. In response, officers confirmed the grant funding arrangements, and that options such as the use of gulleys were being explored for on-street parking. It was difficult to predict the level of demand for chargers but charging rates would be established within the contracts. Contractors would be responsible for the charging units, but the Council would maintain responsibility for the underground connecting infrastructure helping potential future-proofing risks. Security enhancements would require additional funding but the Council would work with Parishes to assess need. Officers further confirmed the arrangements for securing sufficient power from the power networks.

 

During the debate Chris Mitchell proposed an amendment to attach an action plan to the strategy which would enable members to monitor how it was being delivered. Following confirmation from the Chair of the intention to bring forward a report to the General Public Services, Community Safety and Infrastructure Committee in due course with a roadmap and action plan to deliver the strategy, Councillor Mitchell withdrew the amendment.

 

Councillor Cooper expressed his concern regarding the potential loss of car parking spaces. He believed it was important that rapid chargers were accessible to users passing through towns, however there could be less demand for slower chargers in the day and proposed an amendment to 5.1 of the strategy so that:

 

“Spaces next to rapid or ultra rapid chargers are generally expected to be reserved for electric vehicles. However, other spaces - such as fast chargers - should not be reserved solely for electric vehicles, to minimise the loss of parking spaces to users of other vehicles.”

 

The amendment was debated. Concern was raised that firstly, this may not comply with the terms of grant funding available or obtained by the council; that this may deter companies seeking to install chargers as it could result in a loss of income, and thirdly, that people may be deterred  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5


Meeting: 14/01/2025 - General Public Services, Community Safety & Infrastructure (Item 28)

28 Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy - Public Consultation Feedback pdf icon PDF 265 KB

Officers have been exploring opportunities to install Electric Vehicle Charge Points (EVCP) in council owned car parks using external government grants and/or Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding and a decision was made at the General Public Services and Economic Development Committee in March 2024 to progress a scheme.  The Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy sits alongside and develops these proposals further for the provision of a publicly available electric vehicle charging network and details the Council’s future rollout of EV charging infrastructure.

 

This report provides an update on the development of the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy including the key findings from the public consultation on the draft Strategy and proposes a final Strategy for adoption.

 

Recommendation

 

That:

 

i)        Members agree the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy for adoption; and

 

ii)       Members agree that the Strategy is progressed to Policy and Resources Committee and Full Council for final adoption.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sustainable Transport Officer introduced the report.

 

Members raised concerns regarding the On-street Residential Charge point Scheme (ORCS), emphasising the importance of meeting the 1 March deadline for project completion to secure the funding from Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). Officers reassured the committee that they are working diligently with the operator to meet the deadline, and had received positive feedback from officers at the Energy Saving Trust representing the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles regarding project timelines. Officers also advised that certain sites funded through different allocations will be deprioritised to ensure ORCS funded sites are completed on time.

 

In response to questions raised regarding on-street charging solutions related to the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project, officers highlighted various options for charging operators and enforcement mechanisms, such as the use of sensors to monitor vehicle occupancy at charging stations. Officers acknowledged the challenges of ensuring that electric vehicle charging spaces are respected by users and highlighted recent regulations that mandate charging operators to provide helplines for technical support and ensure a certain uptime for the chargers. They also noted the collaborative efforts with charging operators to maintain the functionality of the charging points and the financial incentives for operators to maximise usage. In addition, officers expressed confidence in the reliability of the current charging infrastructure, particularly, with the involvement of Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) in establishing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for future developments. Furthermore, officers explained the terminology and concepts related to risk assessment; focusing on the terms ‘tolerate’, ‘treat’, ‘terminate’ and ‘transfer’. They emphasised that the current risk rating is very low, which allows for a tolerance of that risk level, due to existing control measures.

 

Members raised concerns about the costs associated with charging and the quality of service, emphasising the need for a balance approach that accommodates both EV users and non-EV users. Officers in response advised of the potential for dual-use charging bays, particularly for slower charging options, and highlighted the importance of managing parking pressure in high demand areas.

 

In discussion Members also raised concerns regarding the disparities in funding received by different local authorities for EV infrastructure, specifically noting that the Council received significantly less funding compared to other local authorities’ funding. Furthermore, Members expressed concern about the late and minimal bid submitted by the Council, which resulted in the reduced funding received and the greater financial burden on the Council. However, some Members argued that while other local authorities received funding for on-street charging points, the Council was unable to secure similar dispensation. In addition, the government’s changing guidelines on funding bids have complicated the process. They highlighted reliance on expert advice for navigating these challenges, and noted that despite difficulties, the Council had allocated CIL funds to enhance the charging infrastructure.

 

Councillor Louise Price moved the recommendation that:


i)        Members agree the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy for adoption; and

 

ii)       Members agree that the Strategy is progressed to Policy and Resources Committee and Full Council for final adoption.

 

On  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28