Caerphilly’s Cabinet agrees way ahead for a greener fleet

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet has unanimously approved the next steps in its plans for decarbonisation of its fleet vehicles.

Cabinet members endorsed the efforts made to date in delivering on the Council’s commitment to become net zero carbon by 2030, including the installation of three electric vehicle charging hubs situated at locations in Tiryberth and Penallta House in Ystrad Mynach.

During a meeting held on 30^th November, Cabinet members also approved a proposal to allow staff and visitors to use the electric vehicle charging hubs; subject to the development of a policy on how this will operate.

The next phase of implementation was also agreed by Cabinet, which will see more of the Council’s fleet replaced with ultra-low emission vehicles.  Next steps of the transition will also include a home charging pilot for those members of staff who take vehicles home at the end of the working day.

Cllr Jamie Pritchard, the Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Climate Change, said “In June 2019 the Council declared a ‘climate emergency’ and since then we have been working to deliver on our commitment to become carbon neutral.  The carbon savings if all small and medium vans switched from diesel to electric would be around 650 tonnes per year. This is a significant reduction and something we will be happy to see.

“We have already introduced several electric vehicles into our fleet; now that the charging infrastructure is in place at our key buildings, we can begin transitioning even more. Not only are we reducing carbon emissions, but also making significant cost savings that can be reinvested into services for residents; with an estimated saving of £800 per vehicle per year.

“Also, it is hoped that a policy to enable staff to use the vehicle charging points for personal use will encourage more people to make the switch to electric; further helping tackle the climate crisis.  This is in addition to the installation of electric vehicle charge points in public car parks across the borough in 2021.”