GPSJ - SPRING 2025 - Flipbook - Page 8
GPSJ
LOCAL AUTHORITY & COUNCIL
6,000 on-street and community
EV charge points for Suffolk
Su昀昀olk County Council, in partnership with charge point operator (CPO) Believ, will deliver around 6,000 new
public electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the county to support residents make the transition to EVs.
The county council has made
this project possible with a
successful £5.3m bid to the
government’s Local Electric
Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund,
which supports local authorities
to plan and deliver charging
infrastructure for residents without
o昀昀-street parking. This roll-out
uses a proportion of that funding
along with over £16m funding
from CPO, Believ.
Su昀昀olk County Council is the
昀椀rst local authority in England
to both award their LEVI main
funding tender, and subsequently
sign a contract with an operator.
Beginning in Summer 2025,
thousands will be installed on
residential streets, with many
locations suggested by local
residents following a survey last
year.
The county council has also
worked closely with district
and borough councils and
communities to identify further
suitable sites.
The majority will be bollard-style
units at the kerbside, suitable for
long-stay or overnight charging.
Drivers will be able to bene昀椀t from
From left to right: Matthew Ling and Amy Rushton of Su昀昀olk County
Council, Charlie Allen and Steve Beer of Believ.
8
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SPRING 2025
an overnight o昀昀-peak tari昀昀, and a
dedicated resident’s tari昀昀 which
features discounted charging at all
times.
Public car parks will also see a
number of rapid and ultra-rapid
charge point installations, allowing
for quicker charging.
Councillor Philip FaircloughMutton, Su昀昀olk County
Council’s Cabinet Member for
Environment, Communities
and Equality said:
“25% of Su昀昀olk households
don’t have a driveway and park
on their street. This is a signi昀椀cant
barrier for people who would like
an EV, as they have no convenient
way to charge.
“We are providing a solution
by installing charge points on
their street, or very nearby. Our
ambition is to provide them with a
public charge point within a 5-10
minute walk or wheel.
“There are around 1.5 million
EVs on the country’s roads and
we need thousands of new public
charge points in Su昀昀olk, and we
need them quickly – around 5,400
by 2030, and 12,000 by 2040.
Working with Believ, our new
installations will bring a signi昀椀cant
reduction to those numbers.
“The bene昀椀ts of EV ownership
go beyond helping residents
and businesses to reduce their
carbon emissions and their impact
on climate change. It means
together we can contribute to
Su昀昀olk’s Climate Emergency Plan,
improving Su昀昀olk’s air quality and
enabling us to live healthier lives.”
Following a competitive
procurement exercise, Believ
will install, operate and maintain
the charge points, which deliver
100% renewable energy.
Believ is able to install all speeds
of charge points to accommodate
the full breadth of resident and
visitor charging needs.
Believ will install a minimum of
2,100 on-street charge points and
over 400 car park charge points
by the end of 2026, increasing
to a total of approximately 6,000
throughout the project as EV
demand increases. Believ will also
support with the installation of fast
and rapid charging infrastructure
at key locations, building on the
county council’s successful ‘Plug
In Su昀昀olk’ project which launched
in 2018.
Guy Bartlett, Believ CEO,
said:
“We’re delighted to have been
awarded the opportunity to rollout
such a signi昀椀cant number of
charge points across Su昀昀olk.
“It will make a real di昀昀erence to
local EV drivers and give others
the con昀椀dence to go electric,
helping to support our mission to
deliver cleaner air for all. Through
this project we forecast the
removal of nearly 140,000 tons of
emissions by the end of the initial
phase in late 2026*.
“As one of the UK’s bestbacked privately funded charge
point operators investing over
£16m in the Su昀昀olk area, Believ
is well placed to support Su昀昀olk
deliver its zero carbon transport
ambitions.”
Future of Roads Minister
Lilian Greenwood said:
“Making charging as easy as
possible is a crucial ingredient
to make the switch to electric a
success. Rolling out over 6,000
charging sockets across Su昀昀olk
will make driving an EV easier and
more convenient, especially for
those without a driveway.
“The switch to electric will
power growth, cut emissions
and improve lives in Su昀昀olk
and beyond, as we continue to
support jobs, attract investment
and secure our future as part of
our Plan for Change.”
