Last week, the government announced approval of the first five Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund projects to support the roll out of chargepoints across England. Bedford Borough Council is one of the five and has been awarded £1,010,000 LEVI capital funding.
Richard Fuller MP said:
I am delighted to hear that Bedford Borough Council is one of the first five councils to have been awarded £1,010,000 LEVI capital funding to support local charging infrastructure with funding to be distributed shortly. This is in addition to £346,000 of LEVI capability funding that has already been approved.
This funding will mean EV owners in the Borough will benefit from easier and more convenient access to chargepoints.
Through the LEVI capability funding, almost 100 dedicated EV officers have been newly recruited to support chargepoint procurement. To aid local authorities in building a skilled workforce and delivering their charging projects, the government is also launching the electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) training course for their officers, which will open to all local authorities from mid-March following a successful trial.
In addition, the government has launched a consultation to look at ways to speed up chargepoint installation across the country. The proposals would give EV chargepoint operators the right to carry out street works using a permit rather than a licence. Permits can be issued much faster, taking days instead of months, and are significantly cheaper to obtain than licences, reducing costs for operators and speeding up the chargepoint rollout for drivers. To have your say, please visit this page.
Alongside this, the government announced new measures as part of the Plan for Drivers, including grants for schools and proposals to help speed up EV chargepoint installations. Paid for by the Department for Transport, the grant forms part of the Workplace Charging Scheme and is available for state-funded schools, colleges, nurseries and academies to boost the chargepoint facilities for staff and visitors. This could also help schools to generate revenue by making their chargepoints available to the public.
The school’s grant is for state-funded schools and education institutions, which must have dedicated off-street parking facilities – applications can be made online. Independent schools may apply for funding through the Workplace Charging Scheme and the Electric vehicle infrastructure grant for SMEs.
