£2.5m for chargepoints on residential streets

Extra funding of £2.5 million is being put into the government's on-street residential charge point scheme to fund the installation of over 1,000 new chargepoints.

The funding will go towards helping local authorities to install chargepoints, which can be built into existing structures like lamp-posts.

The on-street residential charge point scheme, launched in 2017, helps people access charging infrastructure near their homes when they don’t have off-street parking.

The scheme has already seen 16 local authorities prepared to install 1,200 chargepoints this year.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "It’s fantastic that there are now more than 20,000 publicly accessible chargepoints and double the number of electric vehicle chargepoints than petrol stations, but we want to do much more.

"It’s vital that electric vehicle drivers feel confident about the availability of chargepoints near their homes, and that charging an electric car is seen as easy as plugging in a smartphone.

"That’s why we are now doubling the funding available for local authorities to continue building the infrastructure we need to super-charge the zero emission revolution – right across the country."