Government grants East Sussex County Council £5 million to install new EV chargers

East Sussex is among the first three local authorities across the country to benefit from the Government’s £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) with an award of £5,028,000.

These funds will support the installation of hundreds of new EV chargers across East Sussex, ensuring the rollout continues at pace to support the increasing number of EV drivers in the county, as well as those looking to make the switch.

Technology and Decarbonisation Minister Anthony Browne said: “We’re getting on with delivering our Plan for Drivers, and this latest set of measures will mean EV owners everywhere benefit from easier and more convenient access to chargepoints, with over £5 million of dedicated funding just for East Sussex.

“Across the country the Government has already spent over £2bn to ensure a smooth switch to EVs, and we’re committed to supporting drivers as we transition towards net zero in a proportionate way that doesn’t burden working people.”

Additionally, a new grant, which aims to support greener schools, has been launched and will provide up to 75 per cent of the cost to buy and install EV chargepoints (up to £2,500 per socket). Paid for by the Department for Transport, the grant forms part of the Workplace Charging Scheme and is available for state-funded schools, colleges, nurseries and academies to boost the chargepoint facilities for staff and visitors.

The DfT said this could ‘help schools to generate revenue by making their chargepoints available to the public’.

Minister for the School System and Student Finance at the Department for Education Baroness Barran said: “This is an exciting opportunity for schools across England to become part of an ongoing move towards a greener public sector. Schools engaging with this grant will be supporting the development of green infrastructure, helping to improve their local environments.

“Developing a greener education estate is a key element of our Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy. The expansion of this grant supports our ambition to improve the sustainability of our schools in the ongoing move towards net zero.”

The schools grant is for state-funded schools and education institutions which must have dedicated off-street parking facilities. Independent schools may apply for funding through the Workplace Charging Scheme and electric vehicle infrastructure grant for SMEs.

In addition, the Government is today launching a consultation to look at ways to speed up chargepoint installation across the country. The proposals would give EV chargepoint operators the right to carry out street works using a permit rather than a licence.

Permits can be issued much faster, taking days instead of months, and are significantly cheaper to obtain than licences, reducing costs for operators and speeding up the chargepoint rollout for drivers.

This forms part of a second package of measures delivered from the Government’s Plan for Drivers, and follow last month’s announcement of a ‘crackdown’ on disruptive roadworks and better digital information to boost sat-nav accuracy.