Thirteen Midlands Councils are collaborating to apply for £39.3m to get more chargers onto our streets.

The Midlands has come together to create two partnerships across the region to successfully submit a bid for the Government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund in partnership, alongside with Sub-national Transport Body, Midlands Connect.

The two partnerships are the Second Midlands EV infrastructure Consortium and Third Midlands EV infrastructure Consortium.

The Second Midlands EV infrastructure Consortium is lead by Nottinghamshire County Council, in partnership with Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Staffordshire County Council

The Third Midlands EV infrastructure Consortium is lead by Lincolnshire County Council, in partnership with Herefordshire County Council, Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council, Shropshire Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Telford and Wrekin Council, Warwickshire County Council

The cash has come from the Government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.

The partnerships have an award of £39.3m, and each local authority has been allocated an individual amount from that pot.

Analysis by Midlands Connect found the Midlands needs 17,461 new public EV charging points by the end of 2025 to meet the needs of the growing EV market and it's hoped this latest good news around the Government funding will spur on more region-wide installation of charging points.

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Estimates suggest the installation and maintenance of electric vehicle charging points will also create an influx of jobs in the region, with over 42,000 related roles set to be created in the Midlands by the end of 2032.

In 2022, Midlands Connect together with five councils secured £1million of funding through the LEVI Fund Pilot and that cash is expected to attract an additional £2.8m of private sector investment to roll out 322 standard and 27 rapid EV charging points across the Midlands. Charge points are expected to be installed for this project in summer 2024.

Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect, said: "We are delighted the Government has allocated funding over £39.3m for 13 councils across the Midlands. This will really help the region to charge ahead of the pack."

"This is a vital next step in our efforts to improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the region ahead of the phase out of sales of new diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2030. This funding will improve the lives of those living in the Midlands, particularly for those who do not have access to off-street parking and may struggle to charge their vehicle otherwise."