Agenda item

Following the Motion agreed by full Council on 19 January 2023 relating to electric vehicle (EV) charging, which is appended to this report, a cross-party working group was established to consider matters raised in the Motion.

Full Council on 23 November 2023 noted the findings of the working group and agreed for these to be submitted to Cabinet for its consideration.

This report invites Cabinet to consider the findings of the working group and to approve a number of recommended actions which relate to the recommendations made by the working group.

Cabinet were reminded that in January last year, full Council approved a Motion on electric vehicle charging, which is attached as an appendix to the report. A cross-party working group was established to consider matters raised in the Motion.

In November, full Council noted the findings of the working group and agreed for these to be submitted to Cabinet for its consideration. These are set out in section 1.5 of the report.

In the course of its work, the working group looked holistically at a range of available options in relation to charging for electric vehicles, or “EVs”. It noted the policy context at regional level as set out in the North East Transport Plan, and the proposed major regional bid which has now been submitted to the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, or “LEVI” fund, for the provision of further publicly available EV chargepoints.

The group considered the policy context at local level. This includes the North Tyneside Transport Strategy and the North Tyneside Zero Emission Vehicles Strategy (the “ZEV Strategy”), which acknowledges that the Authority is not a mainstream fuel provider to the public or businesses. While the Authority is of course part of the solution, it is expected that the commercial market will provide the substantial majority of payable EV charging.

The group found it positive to hear that a variety of EV charging technologies are on the market, with different solutions better suited to different situations. It noted that other local authorities have introduced such solutions using licence or permit arrangements, and was interested to review a type of gully system currently being tested by Durham County Council on a pilot basis.

The Authority has worked constructively with partners on opportunities to improve EV charging provision in the borough. For example,  publicly available EV charging is being introduced  at Tynemouth Pool car park supported by external funding.

To respond appropriately to the working group’s recommendations, and taking account of the wider policy context, a number of recommended actions are now set out for Cabinet’s consideration at Appendix 2.

These relate to a range of relevant aspects of electric vehicle charging, including policy and strategy; the provision of information; and the development of options for further consideration. They include arrangements for appropriate delivery targets to be developed and monitored through the Carbon Net Zero Board.

One of the recommended actions is to develop an updated version of the ZEV Strategy – for example, to provide further guidance around on-street EV charging provision - and Cabinet is invited to authorise the appropriate Directors to update the strategy accordingly.

Cabinet is also invited to authorise the appropriate Directors, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency and myself, to arrange for the ZEV Strategy to be updated on an ongoing basis. As the market for zero-emission vehicles continues to develop rapidly, this will help to ensure that our strategy continues to be relevant to the aspirations of our residents and businesses.

I would therefore like to invite Cabinet to approve the recommendations set out at section 1.2 of the report.

Cabinet considered the following three options:

Option 1: to approve the recommendations as set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report, including approving the recommended actions set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

Option 2: to approve the recommendations as set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report while making amendments to the recommended actions set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

Option 3: Not to approve the recommendations as set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report.

Resolved: that 1) the recommended actions relating to the working group’s recommendations at Appendix 2 to the report be approved; 2) that the Director of Regeneration and Economic Development and the Director of Environment be authorised to make amendments to the North Tyneside Zero Emission Vehicles Strategy to reflect the actions agreed by Cabinet; 3) that the Director of Regeneration and Economic Development and the Director of Environment be authorised, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and the Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, to make amendments to the North Tyneside Zero Emissions Vehicles Strategy from time to time to reflect the developing nature of the market for ZEVs.

(Reason for Decision: to put in place an approach which enables the recommendations of the cross-party working group to be taken forward in the context of the Authority’s wider transport and carbon net zero aims.)