Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Resident Experience. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport introduced the report.

The Cabinet Member explained that the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding represented a practical partnership between central government, local government, and the private sector, allowing the Council to deliver charging points for residents without off-street parking. It was explained that, by working collaboratively with six London boroughs and leveraging £1.25 million of government funding alongside private sector investment, the Council was able to create infrastructure that addressed one of the most significant barriers to electric vehicle adoption.

It was highlighted that there was a need to develop a reliable charging infrastructure to remove a physical and psychological barrier to transitioning to electric vehicles.

The partnership model at the heart of this project demonstrated the power of coordination between different levels of government and commercial operators. Working together enabled the Council to maximise resources and deliver strategic deployment of charging infrastructure across the borough. It was explained that this approach ensured more equitable access for all residents while eliminating the financial risk to the Council.

It was clarified that every charging point installed became part of the Council’s broader commitment to cleaner air, reduced carbon emissions, and a more sustainable transport network. The Cabinet Member noted that, by making electric vehicles a visible, accessible option on the streets, the Council helped transform how residents moved around the borough. This project was one part of Haringey’s ambitious plans to decarbonise the transport network, creating the foundation for meaningful climate action through partnership, investment, and forward-thinking urban planning.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Connor, the following information was shared:

• Officers explained that the lead borough for co-ordination of the fund was chosen based on the amount of resource that could be allocated to the project by a borough, stressing that this would be a resource intensive project.
  
  
• Officers explained that, given current financial challenges, the Council would be reviewing charges across charging bays. It was explained that the Council had already undertaken formal consultation on the costs for using electric vehicle charging bays already and those charges were now in operation.
  
  
• It was stressed that the Council would aim to diversify the suppliers and speed of charging points across the boroughs to ensure choice in prices for users.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1. Approved the Council accepting Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (“LEVI”) funding, administered by the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (“OZEV”), for the purpose of procuring on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure within Haringey. The individual funding agreement, with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, was for the sum of £1,257,333.
   
   
2. Noted that the Council would be collaboratively procuring, as part of a partnership of six London boroughs, a Charge Point Operator(s) (“CPO”) to supply, install, operate, and maintain on-street electric vehicle chargepoints (“EVCPs”) in Haringey.
   
   
3. Noted that the Council would be required to sign an inter-borough legal agreement, to delegate authority to a lead partner borough to lead the procurement of a Charge Point Operator(s) to supply, install, operate, and maintain on-street electric vehicle chargepoints in Haringey.
   
   
4. Delegated authority to the Director of Environment and Resident Experience, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment, and Transport, to award concessionary contract(s) with the successful bidder(s) to provide on-street electric vehicle chargepoints within Haringey, in accordance with the finalised contractual terms.

Reasons for Decision

The LEVI fund provided the Council with an opportunity to invest in developing on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the borough, in line with policy objectives, without requiring capital investment from the Council.

The expansion of on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the borough formed a key component of the Council’s current and emerging policies around mitigating climate change and improving air quality, as well as creating a sustainable transport network. However, progress was largely dependent on the provision of third-party funding.

Strategic deployment and expansion, to ensure equitable and sufficient coverage of on-street EVCP infrastructure, depended on grant funding to ensure CPO(s) made available match funding to provide, install, operate, and maintain the infrastructure delivered through this project.

The award of a concession contract(s) to a competitively tendered CPO(s) enabled the Council to transfer the operating risk and reward in exploiting the chargepoints. This exposed the CPO(s), rather than the Council, to market fluctuations and incentivised the CPO(s) to deliver operation and maintenance to higher standards to protect profitability.

Acceptance of, and awarding a contract(s) through, LEVI funding did not preclude the Council from having entered into existing, or entering into new, arrangements with CPO(s) to supplement the Council’s EVCP network across the borough.

Alternative Options Considered

The Council not accepting LEVI funding.

If the Council had not accepted LEVI funding, it would have needed to establish on-street EVCP infrastructure through other financial or procurement arrangements, or develop its own provision.

Combined with LEVI grant funding, match funding from a CPO(s) helped establish sufficient financial capacity to deliver the volume of EVCPs required to meet projected demand. Without LEVI funding, it would have been less likely that investment in less financially viable areas would occur, resulting in insufficient EVCPs to encourage adoption of electric vehicles across the borough.

The Council accepting LEVI funding, but not as part of the partnership.

The Council could have accepted the funding on an individual basis, maintaining full control of how funds were utilised. A few other London boroughs had done so.

This option would have depended on sufficient service area capacity and capability to deliver independently, while ensuring alignment with LEVI’s overall objectives. Additionally, it would have reduced the Council’s leverage with the market, limiting investment interest from prospective CPO(s).

There was also a risk that OZEV would not have granted the funding to the Council on an individual basis.

The Council developing its own EV charging infrastructure.

The Council could have pursued a public ownership or ‘own and operate’ model, taking on full ownership of infrastructure including charging hardware and network connections. This would have required significant upfront investment and placed all commercial risk on the local authority. While this model allowed the Council to retain all revenue generated, it was dependent on having the service capacity and expertise to deliver under such a model.