£2.1m partnership will bring 120 more EV chargers

A series of new EV charging points are coming to North-East Worcestershire thanks to a partnership with Zest to provide them on council-owned land.

About 120 new chargers are set to come to 33 locations in the area, after Redditch Borough Council teamed up with Bromsgrove District Council to agree a long-term contract with EV infrastructure provider Zest.

Zest, which is backed by the government-sponsored Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), will invest about £2.1m to provide the new infrastructure for the next 15 to 20 years after winning the contract.

Zest will provide, operate, and maintain the chargers, with no costs for the councils which are providing the land for the chargers to go on for the duration of the deal.

Redditch Borough Councillor Gemma Monaco, whose portfolio includes Climate Change, said: “We’re delighted to deliver on a commitment we made to our residents and businesses to boost EV charger availability in Redditch by adding more chargers on our land. It’s something that more and more people are demanding, and the more we can support people to choose electric the better, not least because lower vehicle emissions means better air quality. We’re very interested in what we might be able to do next in other council-owned places including in residential areas.”

Zest CEO Robin Heap said: “We’re delighted to win this large, forward-thinking contract, one of the first of its kind in the West Midlands. Growing a network that makes charging easy, convenient and reliable helps make the shift to EV a realistic option for everyone. Where councils and commercial landowners have the vision, we have the skills and the funding to make things happen quickly.”

The deal will also see the borough council work with Zest on the feasibility of adding charging points at more borough-council owned land in Redditch, in a next phase of plans to come.

Council Leader Cllr Matt Dormer added: “It’s important that the council do what we can where we can, and show leadership on supporting the growing need for more EV infrastructure. Of course transport transcends district boundaries, and so we were pleased to work together with Bromsgrove on the initial work so we could secure a bigger, better, investment for everyone.”

A rollout plan is now being developed, and the first of the new chargers are expected to be installed before spring.

In this initial phase the contract will mostly add more chargers to more council-owned car parks, while also bringing chargers to the councils’ main workplaces.