Northumberland County Council has passed a motion to add 36 electric vehicle charge points to its existing network at 26 locations. The additions are public charge points and will expand the council's public charging network in the county.
Most of the new charge points will be installed on land owned by the council. The authority said 78 per cent will sit on council-owned land, while the remaining chargers will be placed on land owned by third parties under licensing agreements. The split means the network will extend beyond council property without the council having to own every site.
Funding and delivery
The charging infrastructure is being financed with just over £1 million in external funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. According to the council, the funding will be used to roll out the charge points until 2029.
Revenue generated by the chargers is being used to meet their running costs, management and maintenance. The council’s in-house EV Team will install and maintain the equipment.
Council rationale
Cllr Richard Wearmouth, Cabinet Member with responsibility for transport at Northumberland County Council, said it was good to see more investment in improving EV charging provision in Northumberland. He noted that the county has one of the largest road networks in the country and said it was vital to ensure the necessary facilities are available to help people get around.
Wider context
The region gained more sustainable transport a few months ago when 14 new BYD BD11 battery-electric buses entered service. The charge point expansion and the bus deployment both add to the electric transport infrastructure available in the area.
Northumberland is a coastal county in northeast England, bordering Scotland, and is known for Hadrian’s Wall and Northumberland National Park. The council’s charging rollout is intended to improve provision across a large road network, with installation supported by external funding through 2029.