North Norfolk District Council has purchased the fleet of eight electric vans for use by contractor, Serco, which will use the vans to support cleaning operations, toilet upkeep, as well as call-outs.
New electric vehicle charge points have also been made live in North Walsham, Norfolk. The charging points, situated in the Bank Loke car park, are among 34 EV charging points across the district.
Following a successful bid to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, the Council was awarded the funding to develop them across its car parks, joining the electric vehicle charge points installed at the Council Offices in Cromer.
Nigel Lloyd, portfolio holder for environmental services, climate change and environment, said: “This is a great step in the right direction – every positive, sustainable change we can make in our day to day operations has an impact on our future.
“We welcome the new vehicles into our fleet and will consider future ways to make our operations energy efficient, meeting our carbon reduction objectives and without compromising delivery of our services.
“Electric Vehicles represent a sustainable future growing ever closer – ownership is rising in the UK and will continue to do so as more affordable options enter the market. We are very pleased we can accommodate these drivers and encourage a more sustainable method of travel.”
The Council will look at the feasibility of extending EV charging points into smaller towns, and may apply for any funding which becomes available in the future to increase the provision of charging points
The council, having declared a climate emergency in 2019, recently published an Environmental Charter, committing to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Image: courtesy North Norfolk District Council
