South Wales electric car charging points get £459k boost

Charging points will be made available in public car parks near residential areas

Electric car use is being given a boost in south east Wales where five councils will share £459,000 of UK government funding for new charging points.

They will be installed in 33 car parks across Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.

Blaenau Gwent cabinet member Dai Davies said support for renewable energy would help preserve the environment.

The charging points will be installed near residential areas where people have no off-street parking.

The government said this was aimed at overcoming a barrier to the take-up of electric cars, among motorists unable to plug in their vehicles at home.

Mr Davies said local authorities and their partners were helping support residents who were "passionate" about cutting their use of fossil fuels.

"We are delighted to be able to give them confidence to use electric vehicles now and for our future generations," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales are also contributing to the £636,000 cost of the project.

• Electric cars could drive green future

• The rise of electric car schemes in Wales

• 'Leadership' needed on electric vehicles

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said: "The next few decades will be transformative for our transport industry,"

Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Powys and Swansea councils have also been promised money, although the sums have yet to be confirmed.

The scheme, which will provide 146 individual charging sockets, has to be completed by the end of March for the government money to be claimed.