Agenda item

(Report of the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Skills, Planning, Economy and Waste)

Report of the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Skills, Planning, Economy & Waste on the Staffordshire Sustainability Board update to adopt:

1.    the Joint Staffordshire Sustainability Board Communications Plan 2023 which had been developed with the Staffordshire Sustainability Board in conjunction with all district and borough councils to help residents to reduce their carbon emissions; and

2.    the Staffordshire County Council Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy which had been developed in conjunction with all district and borough councils to help residents to transition to electric vehicles.

The Assistant Director further reported that the report covered the proposed adoption of the above two Staffordshire wide strategies as well as a proposal to adopt a borough strategy for EV Charging and to provide an update on progress made in relation to the installation of EV Charging points in two brough car parks.

Following this Committee’s consideration, the Report and its recommendations would be presented to Cabinet on 6th April 2023.

The Committee sought and received clarifications in the following areas:

·         the Chair reported that over the last 5 years recommendations to Cabinet from this Committee had been made and that whilst work to attract the installation of EV Charging Points in the Borough had been progressed to date no EV charging facilities had been delivered, which in part reflected the complexities of the system being operated within and the importance of ensuring any new strategy delivered.  

·         the Committee sought assurances that there would be action on EV Charging, where the Assistant Director reported that with the adopted of the Staffordshire Strategy could open up funding streams, which had been the case in Warwickshire following their adoption of a strategy.  However, it was reported that the Staffordshire strategy did place the onus on the districts and boroughs to do the delivery, even though not the highway’s authority.  The Staffordshire Strategy model would therefore need to assist boroughs and districts in accessing government funding streams to facilitate this.

·         The importance of there being EV Charging points in the town centre, to ensure that the town centre did not miss out. The importance of the council talking to the electricity network companies was also reported.

·         The importance of the Local Plan in this area, which was under review, and where climate change was likely to be central to that work.

·         The value of a bespoke strategy for Tamworth which could facilitate the delivery at pace of solutions once funding was available.  The Committee supported the importance of this strategy being developed quickly to facilitate progress in this area.

·         The Committee discussed the strategy to pursue a no cost solution to the council for EV charging on two borough car parks which was entered into with a sole supplier and where limited progress had been made.  It was reported that the supplier’s solution had moved from the delivery of facilities across 2 council owned car parks to one larger charging facility at the Riverdrive car park.   It was reported that a bespoke strategy with different options would enable the council to move forward at more pace.

Councillor B Price joined the meeting at 7.08pm.

The Committee thanked the Portfolio Holder and Assistant Director for their attendance.  The Assistant Director then left the meeting.