Bristol's £7m boost for drivers of electric vehicles

Councillor Kye Dudd said they hoped to see a focus on the installation of rapid charge and ultra rapid charge hubs

Drivers of electric vehicles are to receive a £7m boost with investment planned for new city charging points.

The chargers will be built on streets in Bristol to help residents without a driveway who would otherwise have to trail wires over pavements.

Money from the government's Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, recently given to the West of England Combined Authority, will pay for them.

Leaders said the investment was needed to help meet net zero carbon targets.

The chargers could also be installed for use by car clubs, taxis and park and ride sites but the money will mainly be spent helping residents without driveways.

The payment was agreed by the West of England Combined Authority committee in a meeting on Friday 16 June, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

'Equitable way'

Councillor Kye Dudd, Labour cabinet member for climate at Bristol City Council, said: "We really welcome the government funding.

"It's quite clearly part of the overall strategy to meet our net zero targets in terms of the transport sector.

"But we do need to ensure that the money is spent in an equitable way and it's not just used in residential areas where people can afford expensive electric vehicles at the moment."

It comes as political leaders are trying to encourage drivers to switch to an electric vehicle, public transport or walking and cycling to cut emissions in the city.

In total the government is giving out £343m to councils across the country for new charging points.

Steve Reade, the former Conservative cabinet member for transport at South Gloucestershire Council, said he hoped the extra £7.2m local funding would be allocated across the whole region to "benefit the rural areas as well as the urban ones".

He added: "The money has the ability to make a significant impact on our net zero goal. Our residents are crying out for some form of acceptable on-street charging."