24 October 2023

Electric vehicle charging across Redcar & Cleveland is set for a major expansion after the Labour Council approved a new Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, with Cabinet Member Cllr Luke Myer voting in favour of the plans.

The strategy sets out how the Council will roll out more charging points across the borough over the coming years, with a particular focus on residents without driveways, replacing ageing charging infrastructure and encouraging businesses to install chargers. It also recognises the importance of destination charging to support visitor economies in towns such as Guisborough and across the East Cleveland coast, while acknowledging challenges including electricity grid capacity in some areas of the borough.

Luke said reliable charging infrastructure was becoming as important to Britain’s economic future as roads, railways and broadband, and warned that the country could not expect motorists to switch to electric vehicles without making charging practical and convenient.

The decision comes just days after Labour unveiled its national Plan for the Automotive Sector. Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Labour would back British battery factories, strengthen domestic supply chains, deliver reliable charging networks and create thousands of skilled jobs, arguing that Britain should lead the transition to electric vehicles rather than see investment move overseas. Labour has also pledged reforms to planning, skills and industrial policy to give manufacturers the long-term certainty they need to invest.

Luke has consistently argued that clean power should be seen as an economic opportunity. Earlier this year, he highlighted analysis suggesting the North could create 46,000 new jobs if the government backed the right investment and ensured local people had the skills to benefit.