Electric Vehicle Charging Price Hike Undermines Council Climate Change Response

Independent Councillors running Malvern Hills District Council have u-turned on their previous policy of providing free electric car charging points in the Priory Road Car Park in Malvern Town Centre.

The charge will be brought in after new replacement charging points are installed in the car park and will be charged at 26 pence per kWh. Car parking charges from ticket machines for electric car users would remain the same. Electric car users would have to pay more to use the District Council's car park when charging their car than people using higher polluting diesel or petrol cars.

The government has set a target for 50-70% of new cars being electric cars by 2030. This could mean that a majority of car users in Malvern Town Centre will be charged more for using electric cars to shop in Malvern.

There is a risk that hiking prices of electric charging points will also make people less likely to use the new charging points that are going to be installed. The evidence shows that higher parking and travel costs discourage people from travelling that way.

Cllr Jack Satterthwaite, Malvern Town Councillor and Liberal Democrat County Council Candidate for Poolbrook and Malvern Wells, commented that:

"Making it more expensive for electric car users to access our town centre undermines the carbon reduction plan that the District Council recently published.

"We want to support the switch to electric cars in our town because they are better for tackling climate change and lower air pollution on our main roads. The District Council should not be making it more expensive and inconvenient for Malvern residents to switch to electric cars in the coming years."

"Electric cars are already expensive enough. So are the District Council's parking charges. I am calling on the District Council to not add to electric car owners' costs and keep the electric charge free for paying car park users. We have declared a climate emergency in Malvern, let's act like it."

Read Malvern Gazette coverage of Jack's comments here: Click Here