Ealing Liberal Democrats have challenged Labour-run Ealing Council over the roll out of electric vehicle charging points and the cost to charge vehicles in the borough.
According to the LibDems, not enough is being done.
Councillor Gary Busuttil, Ealing Liberal Democrats deputy leader, said: “They have chosen an approach which is paid for by the suppliers who get their return by hiking the price for electricity supplied.”
Councillor Busuttil added: “The lack of fairness and equity and the impact on people’s pockets seem to be lost on Ealing Labour who continue to underwhelm with their lack of vision and feeble delivery. Liberal Democrats want to see more charging points introduced quicker but ones that are fairly priced for residents.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: “Ealing Council is committed to tackling climate change and improving local air quality.
“We are rapidly expanding the number of electric vehicle charging points across the borough to help people make the switch from more polluting cars. We have already installed 685 charge points across the borough and are on track to meet our commitment to deliver 2,000 by 2026.”
The council also said public pricing for EV charging across Ealing is competitive. Zapmap which monitors pricing across the country found that the average UK cost for fast charging in July was 57p/kwh and in Ealing it ranges from 53p/kwh with Ubitricity, 56p/kwh with Believ and 60p/kwh with Source.
The council spokesperson added: “We have also installed four rapid charge points across the borough, which can charge two cars at the same time. With a 50KW rapid charger, residents can conveniently add 100 miles of range in 35 minutes while popping to the shops or grabbing a coffee.
“As part of our expansion plan, we are working with our partner, Believ, to install charge points in 15 more locations. It is important that the views of our residents are considered, alongside the growing demand for chargers, and we are consulting on charge points in 15 more residential roads.”
