Issue - decisions

Date of Decision:

25^th March, 2025

Title:

Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure consultation activities

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Kevin Fisher, Assistant Director Property & Facilities Services

Details of Specific Cabinet Delegation

or Delegation contained in the relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.

On Monday 18^th March 2024, the Rotherham Public EV Strategy was approved at Cabinet. In this Strategy, the Council commits to undertaking ongoing consultation and engagement activities to include residents, businesses, and commercial fleets.

Printed minutes Monday 18-Mar-2024 10.00 Cabinet.pdf

Decision:

To carry out consultation and engagement activities to support the development of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout the Borough.

The purpose of the consultation and engagement is to ensure the Council understands the needs and views of drivers in Rotherham with regards to electric vehicle charging infrastructure and to share information with stakeholders regarding public electric vehicle charging infrastructure already in the Borough.

Topics will include: location of chargers; accessibility; ease of use and personal safety while using public electric vehicle chargers.

The consultation and engagement activities will include:

·       Information sharing and education;

·       Promotion of the permanent online feedback form;

·       Focus groups;

·       Directly contacting partner organisations and stakeholders;

·       Engaging with residents at events;

·       Engagement activities linked with specific proposed sites.

Activities planned for 2025 include engagement activities at the Roots Carnival and Rotherham Show as part of the Climate Change Team’s stall as well as focus groups with residents and interested community groups across the Borough. The initial focus groups will be held at Riverside House in May and the dates of events at other locations around the Borough will be confirmed following this decision.

The consultation will form part of the ongoing delivery of the Council’s Public EV Strategy which runs until March 2027. As the engagement will be used to inform the siting of devices, interim reports will be published as necessary to gain approvals for the next phase of infrastructure provision. These will include an update of consultation activity and its outcome. A full scheme report will provide feedback by the end of March 2027.

Reasons for the Decision:

It is important for the Council to understand the views of residents with regards to public electric vehicle infrastructure, to support the uptake of cleaner modes of transport throughout Rotherham. As there are revenue costs associated with unused devices, developing a plan based on demand as well as land availability and grid connectivity is appropriate. The Council has previously committed to ongoing consultation as part of its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, which was agreed at Cabinet in March 2024. Developing electric vehicle charging infrastructure also supports the Council towards its net zero carbon ambition.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

To not carry out consultation and engagement. This option is not recommended as this would mean that devices are placed without having consulted interested parties. This would increase the chance of charging infrastructure being unsuitable or sited in the wrong places. The outcome of this would likely be a slower transition to electric vehicles in Rotherham and a greater number of unused devices with costs for the Council.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

None declared.

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None.

Reports or parts of reports considered

Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy – presented to Cabinet March 2024