North-East Worcestershire is to gain a series of new EV charging points on council-owned land under a partnership.

Zest will provide, operate and maintain the chargers at no cost to the councils

Around 120 new chargers will be deployed in 33 locations in the area, after Redditch Borough Council teamed up with Bromsgrove District Council to agree a long-term contract with EV infrastructure provider Zest.

Zest, which is backed by the government-sponsored Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), will invest around £2.1m to provide the new infrastructure for the next 15 to 20 years.

The charge point operator will provide, operate and maintain the chargers at no cost to the councils, which are providing the land for the chargers for the duration of the contract.

Bromsgrove District Councillor Steve Colella added: “As cars continue to electrify the need for local EV charging infrastructure is increasing, and this council will support this growth where we can, not only to give residents more options but also to help improve local air quality and cut carbon emissions. We identified council-owned car parks and buildings where more EV chargers could be added, which Zest will now take forward.

“Furthermore, by collaborating with our counterparts over in Redditch we were able to put out a bigger, better contract and attract even more investment.”

Zest CEO Robin Heap added: “Growing a network that makes charging easy, convenient and reliable helps make the shift to EV a realistic option for everyone. Where councils and commercial landowners have the vision, we have the skills and the funding to make things happen quickly.”

A rollout plan is now being developed, and the first of the new chargers are expected to be installed before spring. The initial phase will mainly focus on adding more chargers to more council-owned car parks, while also bringing chargers to the councils’ main workplaces.