Two UK government ministers have called on local authorities to use the Chargepoint funding to install more electric vehicle (EV) charging points. Jesse Norman and Claire Perry asked local authorities to get involved in the EV Chargepoint funding scheme.

They made the call in a Department for Transport (DfT) statement where the two ministers pointed out that just five councils across the whole of the UK are using the central government money to put in chargers around their areas.

The DfT Chargepoint scheme was launched in 2016 and is a pot of central government money for local authorities to buy and install EV charging stations. The DfT noted that “the take-up more than a year later has been extremely disappointing”.

The DfT commented: “The two government ministers have written to councils urging them to take up the scheme which makes available up to 75% of the cost of procuring and installing chargepoints. Local authorities can fund the remaining costs through public and private sources.”