Northumberland County Council has passed a motion to add 36 electric vehicle charging points at 26 locations, expanding its existing public charging network. The northeast England county, which borders Scotland and includes Hadrian’s Wall and Northumberland National Park, will place 78% of the new chargers on council-owned land. The remaining 22% will be hosted on third-party land under licensing agreements.
The installation is being financed with just over £1 million in external funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. Revenue generated by the chargers is to cover their running costs, management and maintenance. The funding is intended to support the rollout until 2029, and the council’s in-house EV team will install and maintain the equipment.
Cllr Richard Wearmouth, cabinet member with responsibility for transport, said the investment would improve charging provision in Northumberland. He noted that the county has one of the country’s largest road networks and that the facilities are needed to help people get around.
The region also recently saw 14 new BYD BD11 battery-electric buses enter service. The charge point programme remains focused on public charging access, with council land providing most of the sites and licensing arrangements covering the rest. The additional points are intended to extend the network’s coverage across the county.