Study finds government charge point funding doesn’t address needs
A disparity in access to budgets and planning between local authorities across England to support charging infrastructure rollout is exacerbating the North–South divide and threatening Britain’s transition to a net zero future.
A study by EV charge point operator Believ found that 33% of all local authorities surveyed said they have no formal EV infrastructure plan in place, but the figure rose to 40% for the North.
It also revealed a significant difference in budgetary issues, with 70% of respondents in the North saying access to sufficient funding was “a significant barrier”, compared with 45% in the South of England (excluding London).
Based upon responses from 100 local authorities, the report concludes that the government’s ambition for the UK’s public charging infrastructure ie not being delivered, with charge point installations failing to keep pace with EV driver’s demands.
The report also found that charge points are unevenly distributed across the country which disproportionately affects drivers in the North.
London (with 34% of the total number of charge points) and the South East (12%) have the highest proportion of charge points per vehicle, while the North East (3%) and the North West (7%) are trailing behind.
Believ’s analysis suggests the number of charge points per vehicle has failed to keep pace with the rise in demand from the increasing number of EVs on the road, particularly in the North.
Significantly more local authorities in the North think government funding should be targeted at deprived and rural areas – with 60% arguing for equity compared with 36% in the South.
There is also a major difference in the attitude of authorities that have received Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding. Only a third of authorities that have benefitted from LEVI-funding think support should be directed to deprived and rural areas compared to 70% of unfunded authorities.
Believ said these North/South and funded/unfunded disparities suggest local authorities understandably focus on their localities without appreciating the nationwide need – and stressed that this is why the Government must ensure funding is equitably allocated.
The report identifies a major challenge for many local authorities to be the dichotomy of using local funds to install EV infrastructure while local residents are struggling to cope with the cost-of-living crisis. Some 43% of responding authorities consider the cost of installing charge points to be too expensive, and almost all of them think residents living in deprived areas cannot afford to buy EVs, from which the inference is there is no need to build public charging facilities in their area.
Believ’s research suggests that the South East has succeeded in driving consumers to switch to EVs by first building a robust charging infrastructure, rather than waiting for demand from residents. The region had the highest number of charge points outside London and subsequently has the highest number of used EV sales in 2023.
Guy Bartlett, CEO of Believ, said the survey shows there is an urgent need for a more balanced approach to developing Britain’s national EV infrastructure. “We must address disparities in the pace and scale of the rollout across the UK. It is crucial to ensure an equitable transition to sustainable transportation and mitigate the risk of a growing North-South divide.
“Local authorities,” he continued, “need support for the enormous task of fulfilling the government’s net zero ambition. They should also be encouraged to use the private sector to help them fund and build EV infrastructure so that no community is left behind.”