Plans to spend £726,000 on electric vehicles have been unveiled by Colchester Borough Council, according to local reports.
The local authority is aiming to buy or hire some 21 new electric and hybrid vehicles with plans put to cabinet for approval.
As part of the council’s plans to meet government strategy on the decarbonisation of transport, it is aiming for a carbon-neutral fleet by 2030.
Fleets to be replaced with electric vehicles includes park teams, neighbourhood wardens, pest control and the authority’s helpline.
The council will also be installing 20 charging points at its headquarters using a combination of borrowing and grant funding to meet the costs of the project.
Speaking to the Daily Gazette, Colchester’s cabinet member for the environment, Martin Goss, said the work ‘must be done properly’ and that the right technology was used.
Goss also told the paper the council was planning for its waste collection vehicles to also go green – although it didn’t purchase electric trucks in its most recent procurement round because ‘the technology wasn’t there’.
But he was optimistic that within two to five years the transition would be possible and the technology available.
