Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of electric car charging points in North Cornwall.

We want to encourage private sector investment to build and operate a self-sustaining public network that is affordable, reliable and accessible. In many cases, the market is best placed to identify the right locations for chargepoints and make improvements to the network and it is essential that viable commercial models are in place.

The Government is also providing support through a number of schemes, which can be accessed across the country, including in North Cornwall. This includes schemes to help fund chargepoint infrastructure at people’s homes and workplaces and on residential streets. The Government’s on-street residential charging scheme offers grants to local authorities to help support this investment at local level. In February 2019, Cornwall County Council were awarded £94,000 through the Government’s Ultra Low Emission Taxi Infrastructure competition, to deliver five chargepoints dedicated to charging electric taxis and private hire vehicles.

In conjunction with the Energy Savings Trust, this year the Office for Low Emission Vehicles has been running a series of roadshows for local authorities and public bodies across the UK, on best practice approaches to driving the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles. The event in Bristol was well attended including local authority and public sector representatives from across the south west.