Northumberland County Council has passed a motion to add 36 public electric vehicle charging points at 26 locations, expanding the local authority's existing charging network. Of the new charge points, 78% will be installed on land owned by the council, while the remaining chargers will be located on third-party land through licensing agreements.
The rollout is backed by just over £1 million in external funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. According to the council, revenue generated by the chargers will be used to meet running costs, management and maintenance. The funding is intended to support the roll-out of charge points until 2029.
Northumberland County Council's in-house EV team will install and maintain the equipment. Richard Wearmouth, the cabinet member responsible for transport, said the investment would improve EV charging provision in Northumberland. He added that the county has one of the largest road networks in the country and that it is vital to ensure the necessary facilities are available to help people get around.
Northumberland is a coastal region in northeast England that borders Scotland and is home to Hadrian's Wall and Northumberland National Park. The charging expansion follows the recent entry into service of 14 BYD BD11 battery-electric buses in the region.