COUNCILS in Gwent have been awarded £459,000 of government funding to install electric vehicle charging points in car parks across the region.

Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Caerphilly councils have been successful with a joint-bid for funding from the UK Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

The money will be used to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure across 33 local authority car parks in residential areas in Gwent – installing up to 73 fast charge points.

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The joint bid was put together by the Gwent authorities, aided by the Energy Saving Trust and submitted by Blaenau Gwent council.

Blaenau Gwent councillor Dai Davies, executive member for regeneration and economic development, welcomed the announcement on behalf of all the councils.

“The funding will help establish an infrastructure across Gwent to provide residents with opportunities to drive electric vehicles in the future,” Cllr Davies said.

“The councils and our key partners are committed to helping to preserve the environment by supporting renewable energy and lowering our carbon footprints.

“There are many residents in Gwent who are passionate about this too, by working with partner organisations we are delighted to be able to give them confidence to use electric vehicles now and for our future generations.”

A spokeswoman for Monmouthshire County Council said: “We are delighted that the funding bid has been successful. As an authority we are taking all the steps we can to be carbon free by 2030, following our declaration of a Climate Emergency in 2019. The funding will empower the authority to install charging points thereby encouraging residents to be able to take advantage of electric vehicles. We look forward to installing the points across the county.”

Torfaen, Newport and Caerphilly councils were invited to comment.

The electric vehicle charge points will be installed in car parks near residential areas to support residents without off street parking switching to electric vehicles.

The aim is to address barriers to residential electric vehicle take-up caused by having no dedicated off street parking.

The project was also supported financially by the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) which funded a feasibility study.

Lesley Griffiths, minister for environment, energy and rural affairs, said: “It is vital we ensure no-one is left behind during the change to low carbon transport and this funding will help address barriers to residential electric vehicle.

“It will also open up the potential for community transport pooled offerings facilitated by having dedicated off street parking in the Gwent area.”

And the Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, added: “The next few decades will be transformative for our transport industry and therefore it is vital that electric vehicle drivers feel confident about the availability of charge points near their homes and along their journeys.

“Greater availability of charge points will also encourage a shift towards greener transport, bringing significant environmental benefits with it.

“That is why the UK Government is committed to delivering this funding for local authorities across Wales, and I would encourage more councils to apply in order to create the necessary infrastructure to help us reach our net zero emissions target.”

The whole project, estimated around £636,000, needs to be completed by March 31, 2020, and funding can only be claimed once the charge-points are in the ground, according to a Torfaen council report.

Each council will contribute funding depending on how many electric vehicle charging point sites are proposed.

Steve Morgan, head of operations South East Wales for NRW, added:  “We are committed to working closely with our partners in this area to develop and deliver a more sustainable future for the people, places and future generations in Gwent and in Wales.”

Further details of the locations will be announced at a later date.