Council announces more than 600 EV charge points

A council has announced more than 600 new electric vehicle (EV) charge points will be installed across its district.

West Berkshire Council is partnering with Connected Kerb to deliver the project in its wards, which include Newbury and Thatcham, as well as rural villages such as Chieveley and Pangbourne.

The project is supported by £382,000 from the Department for Transport's local electric vehicle infrastructure fund and backed by additional private investment through Connected Kerb.

The authority said it would "make it easier for residents to switch to electric vehicles - especially those living in flats or homes without driveways".

The scheme will also include infrastructure for a further 300 future charge points across West Berkshire to ensure the network can grow as demand increases in public car parks and on-street locations.

Installations are expected to begin in 2026 and the council said locations would be confirmed once feasibility studies were completed.

Stuart Gourley, the authority's executive member for environment and highways, called the project "a major step forward in delivering our climate and transport strategy".

He said: "By expanding public EV infrastructure, we're enabling more residents to support our net-zero goals by choosing sustainable travel and future proofing the district as demand grows."

Connected Kerb chief executive Chris Pateman-Jones said the partnership was "all about giving every resident the confidence to go electric".

The 20-year contract includes a revenue-share model, capped tariffs to keep charging affordable and "strong service level agreements to ensure performance and reliability".

At the end of the contract, all infrastructure will transfer to the council for long-term public benefit.

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