Councils are progressing with EV charging rollouts but constrained budgets and slow access to government funding remain top barriers, a national survey shows. The research, based on responses from 101
Councils are progressing with EV charging rollouts but constrained budgets and slow access to government funding remain top barriers, a national survey shows.
The research, based on responses from 101 local authorities across England, Wales and Scotland, found that 75% cited pressure on council budgets as their main obstacle to expanding public EV charging.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) said central government funding was a barrier, while 42% say logistical and delivery challenges, including grid capacity and site constraints, are holding projects back.
The survey results are published in the new Accelerating the UK’s EV Future briefing published by Believ and marking its latest Local Authority Insight Report.
The charge point operators says the new report shows more advice and training should be signposted to local authorities and that administrative delays hindering the LEVI tendering process need addressing.
The UK’s charging network continues to grow rapidly, with nearly 88,000 charge points installed across over 45,000 locations.
But local authority-led deployment continues to play an essential role in this growth, and is crucial to ensuring coverage in residential areas, smaller towns and rural communities, and for drivers with no driveways or means to privately charge their vehicles. However, progress is being threatened by complex funding processes, administrative delays and infrastructure constraints.
Believ’s report ranks the main barriers to EV charging point installation as follows:
Resourcing was cited as a key reason causing local council budget pressures. Local authorities will, therefore, widely anticipate the rollout of the £200m additional capability funding, announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget, which will fund more dedicated EV councillors.
When asked to comment on the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding, 71% of councils overall and more than three-quarters (78%) of rural and semi-rural councils stated a preference for more direct and targeted access to funds, while 43% want greater local say in budget decisions.
There was some encouraging new when it comes to formal EV charging plans; some three-quarters of local authorities now have these in place, up from two-thirds in the previous insight report.
The majority have also issued or are about to issue tenders to charge point operators.
With numerous LEVI contracts now signed with CPOs, the hope is that 2026 will see a significant uplift in the LEVI charge point rollout. Only 12% of local authorities do not expect to complete their planned rollout by 2030.
Guy Bartlett, Believ CEO, said: “The clear and urgent priorities of unlocking funding, streamlining processes, expanding and signposting guidance must be addressed. The responsibility for this lies in tandem with the charging industry and government – with the right partnerships, the UK can build an EV charging network that works for everyone.”
The 2026 Believ Local Authority Insight Report is online here.
