'It's vital we utilise the £4m in a way that is beneficial for everyone'

STAFFORDSHIRE County Council's Reform UK-led cabinet has voted to take back more than £4m funding for electric vehicle infrastructure from a consortium involving four other Midlands authorities.

- By KERRY ASHDOWN

Withdrawal from the Midlands Connect-led regional consortium, which also involved councils in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, means the Staffordshire authority will be able to spend its share of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding on locally-determined priorities instead, a cabinet report said.

The authority was allocated £4.6m from the Government last year to help the private sector deliver public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to help meet growing demand.

The previous Conservative county council administration joined the Midlands consortium, committing 90 per cent of its LEVI funding to a joint procurement for on-street infrastructure.

On October 15, the county council's new cabinet backed plans to withdraw from the consortium. Members also agreed for the development of a new business case for the remaining 90 per cent of LEVI funding, to be prepared by officers and submitted to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles for feedback.