Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is doing its bit in the drive to cut carbon emissions.

This spring it is to install 32 electric vehicle charging points in six of its public car parks.

Each car park will have a minimum of four charging points and the charge rate will vary based on the car park location, time parked and available power network capacity.

The car parks are at Bailey Bridge Road in Aylesford, the council offices in Kings Hill, and Bradford Street, River Lawn Road, Sovereign Way North and Upper Castle Fields, all in Tonbridge.

The announcement comes as Department for Transport figures show a 57% year on year increase in ultra-low emission vehicles licensed in the borough, with 1,142 electric vehicles now on the roads.

In a recent assessment by Climate Emergency UK of the climate change action plans developed by local authorities across the country, Tonbridge and Malling fared well, coming in the top 50 nationwide out of 409 councils, and scoring 64% compared with the average of 43%.

The council hopes that boosting the number of charging points will support the switch to electric vehicles and the wider goals set out in its climate change strategy.

Other initiatives include tree planting schemes, providing discount solar panel installation, and improving recycling rates which, according to recent government figures, are already the best in Kent.

The council's cabinet member for the environment and climate change, Cllr Robin Betts, said: "It’s a real step forward to have electric vehicle charging points easily available to residents and visitors alike, which in turn I hope will encourage people to invest in electric and hybrid cars in the future."