Northumberland County Council has passed a motion to add 36 public electric vehicle charge points at 26 locations, expanding the local authority’s existing charging network in northeast England.
Under the plan, 78 per cent of the new charge points will be installed on land owned by the council. The remaining chargers will be located on land owned by third parties through licensing agreements. The additional points will be distributed across the 26 sites rather than concentrated at a single location.
Funding and operation
The charging infrastructure is being financed with just over £1 million in external funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. Generated revenue is being used to meet the chargers’ running costs, management and maintenance. The funding will be used to roll out the charge points until 2029.
Northumberland County Council has an in-house EV Team that will install and maintain the chargers. The model separates the upfront infrastructure funding from the day-to-day operation of the network, with external funding supporting delivery and charger revenue covering ongoing costs.
Land and delivery
The ownership split determines where the rollout can take place. Most of the chargers—78 per cent—are planned for council property, while the remaining share will be hosted on third-party land under licensing agreements. The council’s in-house EV Team remains responsible for installation and maintenance across the programme.
Council view
Cllr Richard Wearmouth, cabinet member with responsibility for transport at Northumberland County Council, said: “It’s great to see more investment towards improving EV charging provision in Northumberland. We have one of the largest road networks in the country, and it is vital that we ensure we have the necessary facilities to help people get around.”
The quote ties the charger expansion to the county’s geography and road network. Northumberland is a coastal region that borders Scotland and is known for Hadrian’s Wall and Northumberland National Park.
Recent transport investment
The charge-point announcement follows another sustainable transport development in the region. A few months earlier, 14 BYD BD11 battery-electric buses entered service in Northumberland.
The council’s motion sets out the number of additional charge points, their distribution across 26 locations, the ownership split for the sites and the funding arrangements intended to support delivery through 2029. The 36 points will be added to the council’s existing public charging network, making the motion an expansion of capacity rather than a standalone installation.
The charge points are described as public infrastructure, and the funding period gives the rollout a multi-year horizon to 2029. Operational revenue is directed to management and maintenance, while the external settlement funding supports delivery.