Rotherham car park to get solar canopies and 34 electric vehicle charging points with £1.3m grant

The government awarded £5.3 million to four local authorities in Yorkshire, and Rotherham will use the cash at Drummond Street, next to Tesco.

Local authorities are encouraged to work with private businesses to maximise the number of charging points being provided by the funding.

Rotherham Council leader Cllr Chris Read said: “As we continue to move towards use of electric vehicles and the eventual phasing out of traditional petrol or diesel cars, the council is trying to take opportunities to install more charging points which we know will be necessary.

“We were pleased to be awarded this latest government grant as a result.

“Like the existing chargers in Wellgate multi-storey, it’s envisaged that those funded through this grant will be powered by solar panels, helping to minimise the environmental impact of car use in the decades to come, and the chargers will be amongst the faster versions of what is currently available, which will significantly reduce how long it takes to charge electric vehicles here.”

Transport minister Jesse Norman said: “The government is giving local authorities across England additional help today to energise their chargepoint roll-out plans.  

“Today’s commitment will lead to thousands of new chargers being installed, and plans for tens of thousands extra in due course, so that more people than ever can make the transition to using EVs.”