With a view to tackling this increasing threat to climate change, the Department of Transport has published the UK Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Strategy, setting out the UK Government’s vision to implement a vast number of public chargepoints across the UK.
Transport is now the UK’s largest emitting domestic sector, with a staggering 91% of emissions coming from road transport. With a view to tackling this increasing threat to climate change, the Department of Transport has published the UK Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Strategy, setting out the UK Government’s vision to implement a vast number of public chargepoints across the UK in an effort to further drive zero emission motoring, improve public infrastructure to encourage consumers to switch, and meet its commitments to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and stop sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.
To ensure the success of this strategy and meet its commitments, the Government is intending to have 300,000 public chargepoints installed across the UK by 2030. To action this, local government will be fundamental to develop chargepoints strategies and scale up the rollout of public chargepoints on local streets. The Government will support local authorities by providing £500m of funding to find innovative ways to increase local chargepoints coverage; £450m to the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, giving local authorities the ability to bid for funding for EV charging solutions; and the remaining £50m to support and upskill local authorities on public chargepoint planning and tackling local challenges. Further to this, local authorities will also be expected to:
Some of the key challenges will be to ensure user convenience and choice to engage consumers and residents to follow suit. The report highlights a number of issues which local authorities will need to consider when implementing the strategy. For example, not every house has off street parking, so to make it more convenient for everyone there will need to be a focus on installing more on-street chargepoints with chargers being integrated into lamp posts and parking bays, providing convenient and affordable charging, ideally on the street where residents live. On the flip side, with the increase of chargepoints on local streets, special care will need to be taken to minimise pavement clutter, prevent trip hazards for pedestrians and stop new EV charging bays impeding bus and cycle lanes, which will also allow for growth alongside other zero emission or low emission forms of travel, which consumers are also more encouraged to use. The Government is also mandating chargepoint operators provide real time reliable data to allow consumers to compare prices as well as streamline payment options for further ease. Finally, more rapid charging points on motorways and major A-roads will be needed for those making longer journeys.
To aid the practical challenges for local delivery, the Government has/will be launching:
It is reassuring to finally see a consolidated strategy for migration to electric vehicles which recognises the importance of charging infrastructure in both encouraging and enabling increased uptake. As with any public infrastructure, coordination by local government will be vital in delivering this strategy at a regional and local level, so it is reassuring to see this recognised and supported by central government.
Law firm Browne Jacobson has collaborated with Wiltshire Council and Christ Church Business School on the launch event of The Council Company Best Practice and Innovation Network, a platform which brings together academic experts and senior local authority leaders, allowing them to share best practice in relation to council companies.
In the Autumn Statement delivered on 17 November, rises to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates were announced, to take effect from 1 April 2023.
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On 2 November 2022, the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the much awaiting case of Hillside Parks Ltd v Snowdonia National Park Authority [2022] UKSC 30. The Court’s judgment suggests that the long established practice of using drop-in applications is in fact much more restricted than previously thought. This judgment therefore has significant implications for both the developers and local planning authorities.
The war on plastic is being taken to a new level, and businesses that don’t consider sourcing recycled packaging materials could face costly implications.
In ‘failure to remove’ claims, the claimant alleges abuse in the family home and asserts that the local authority should have known about the abuse and/or that they should have removed the claimant from the family home and into care earlier.
Earlier in the year a number of fashion retailers, boldly announced the introduction of a charging fee for returning any product purchased via their online store. Yet, despite this commercial, and perhaps somewhat controversial decision, at least one major fashion giant that adopted this approach has recorded ‘historic highs’ in its September profits. Browne Jacobson partner, Cat Driscoll who heads up the firm’s commercial team in Manchester and is also head of its Fashion & Beauty sector discusses whether this change has put the average consumer off and whether the days of free returns are long gone.
