Agenda item

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/24/1) seeking approval for Devon’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, attached.

 

An Impact Assessment has been prepared for Members at the meeting, is attached and available at - https://www.devon.gov.uk/impact/devon-electric-vehicle-charging-strategy-impact-assessment-november-2022/

 

The Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee had considered this matter at its meeting on 16th November 2023 and had RESOLVED (minute 137) that the Strategy, as set out in Appendix 1 to Report (CET/23/85) be supported and commended to Cabinet.

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

(a) that the adoption of the Devon Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, provided in Appendix I of the Report, be approved; and

 

(b) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated authority, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management and the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport to make minor amendments to the Strategy.

Minutes:

(Councillors Biederman, Dewhirst and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

 

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/24/1) which sought approval for Devon’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

 

The Cabinet noted that the Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee had considered this matter at its meeting on 16th November 2023 and had RESOLVED (minute 137) that the Strategy, as set out in Appendix 1 to Report (CET/23/85) be supported and commended to Cabinet. The Committee had further questioned whether the Strategy built on lessons learnt from the Rapid Charging Devon project and whether the national grid had capacity to accommodate the ambitions of the Strategy and Officers were able to provide assurance that both these issues had been addressed in the Strategy.

 

The Strategy was contained in Appendix I to the Report. In line with the climate emergency and the publication of theDevonCarbon Plan, the decarbonisation of on-roadtransportation was a crucial part. However, it was recognised that as a rural County,manyDevonresidents and businesses continued to rely on carsand vansfor daily needs. The Strategy forecasted that by 2033,the number ofelectricvehicles in Devon was expectedtoexceed the number of petrol/diesel vehicles for thefirst time, yet a key barrier was the availabilityof suitablecharginginfrastructure.

 

The Strategy set out an evidence-based approach to rolling out charging infrastructure across the County and removing some of the barriers that were hindering the uptake of electric vehicles.

 

A summary of the aims and recommendations of the Devon Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy were set out in the covering report (with the full Strategy at Appendix 1).

 

The Devon Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy aimed to:

 

·       Reduce carbon emissions in Devon;

·       Accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles in Devon, within the context of an overall shift away from the use of the private car;


·       Help ensure that the transition to electric vehicles was accessible for all and equitable;

·       Maximise the social value and community benefits associated with the transition to electric vehicles;

·       Maximise the contribution electric vehicles could make to the local economy, including through increased tourism;

·       Contribution to the Council’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality for its own operations by 2030.

 

These aims strongly alignedwith the ambitions of Devon County Council’s Strategic Planinresponding totheclimate emergencyandthe objectives of the Devon Carbon Plan.

 

The Strategy also outlined 12 recommendations enabling it to deliver against its aims such as accelerating chargepoint deployment to promote electric vehicle uptake and focussing on residential charging. Also, to follow best practice design principles and leverage private sector funding but retain control through a concessionary approach, seek national funding to support chargepoint aspirations, leverage scale through Devon-wide funding applications and procurement, lead on local district co-ordination, monitor electric vehicle uptake and chargepoint provision, ensure electric vehicle design considered diverse user needs, raise public awareness, and work with electricity network companies to improve capacity within the network. These were based on a preference for how residents and visitors would charge electric vehicles in Devon with the top preference of residential charging on resident’s private driveway.

 

The Cabinet noted that the Strategy had undergone a countywide public consultation, enabling residents, businesses and other stakeholders to have their say and shape its content and recommendations. A summary of the consultation feedback and the consequent changes to the Strategy were summarised in the Report and a comprehensive public consultation report also available to view at https://www.devon.gov.uk/haveyoursay/consultations/devon-electric-  vehicle-charging-strategy/.

 

The Devon Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy was well aligned with a range of Strategic Plan priorities and actions. The table in the Report summarised how the document would impact achievement of relevant Strategic Plan actions according to a seven-point scale, whereby -3 represented a large negative impact and +3 a large positive impact.

 

Government had announced the national £450 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund to deliver a step-change in the scale and speed of chargepoint delivery. The LEVI fund strongly aligned with the recommendations of the Devon Electric Vehicle Strategy, including a focus on residential charging for those without access to off-street parking. Following a successful Expression of Interest in May 2023, the Council had been indicatively allocated £7,067,000 of capital funding – one of the highest allocations in the country and was expected to leverage between £10 million -£20 million of additional private sector investment.

 

It should also be noted that having a Strategy in place was a requirement of the LEVI fund.

 

The Devon Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy sought to strongly align its aims and recommendations with local, regional and national policy.

 

An Impact Assessment had been prepared for Members at the meeting and was attached to the agenda and available at - https://www.devon.gov.uk/impact/devon-electric-vehicle-charging-strategy-impact-assessment-november-2022/. This highlighted that the Strategy aimed to help all residents and visitorsovercomebarriers to electric vehicle adoptionand increase access to suitableinfrastructure. It was recognised that in theshort-mediumterm many residents would not have the means totransition to electric vehicles, especially lowerincomehouseholdsand / or young people who did hold alicence.The Strategy focused onplanningfor thefuture, and the Strategy was part of asuite ofdocumentsfeedingintothe emergingLocal Transport Plan4.

 

The availability of suitable charging infrastructure remained a key barrier to the accelerated uptake of electric vehicles and the Charging Strategy set out an evidence-based approach to rolling out charging infrastructure across the County and removing some of the barriers that were hindering the uptake of electric vehicles. The Strategy received strong support at public consultation, at which feedback demonstrated strong support for its aims and recommendations.

 

The matter having been debated and the options and alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability and carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and alignment with the Council’s Strategic Plan) set out in the Director’s Report having been considered:

 

it was MOVED by Councillor Hughes, SECONDED by Councillor Davis, and

 

RESOLVED

 

(a) that the adoption of the Devon Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, provided in Appendix I of the Report, be approved; and

 

(b) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated authority, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management and the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport to make minor amendments to the Strategy.

Supporting documents: