Almost £150,000 is being spent on new electric vehicle charging points across Swale – but a councillor says the scheme ignores some of its villages.

The council has begun installing 18 new charging bays in car parks across Sheerness, Faversham and Sittingbourne.

Cllr Richard Palmer, chairman of the communities committee at the council, said: “We received £106,000 from the government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, and contributed £42,000 from our Improvement and Resilience Fund, to buy and install the chargers.

“We’ve installed nine electric twin charge points, creating 18 charging bays, with [provider] Pod Point.

“The chargers are suitable for a slow, overnight charge, which will give people without a driveway, or access to charging at home, the opportunity to charge their vehicle in their nearest town centre.”

Despite the positive push for green energy alternatives, Conservative borough councillor for Teynham and Lynsted Mike Whiting says the progress is being limited to urban areas.

He said: “More good news for others, perhaps, but certainly nothing for the villages like Teynham, Lynsted, Oare or Norton, I’m afraid.

“The rainbow coalition administration at Swale seems to be leaving the villages behind, again, despite its green election promises.

“Its published short-term aim is to get charging points into villages and rural communities – great. But when I asked the question recently I was told there are no plans to deliver on that promise.”

The latest car parks to be fitted with the charging points are Rose Street in Sheerness, Queens Hall in Faversham, and Albany Road in Sittingbourne.

Cllr Whiting added: “Are villagers really going to leave their cars to charge in town centres overnight?

“For a start, how would they get home and get back to town in the morning?

“And this is £106,000 of government money they’re spending. When I say government money I mean taxpayers’ money.

“It’s really disappointing to see, especially when those living in rural communities, who have no off-street parking, want to make the swap to electric vehicles.

“I am talking with a company that provides a possible solution and will keep people posted on any progress I can make.”

To find out more on the electric car charging points scheme click here.

Cllr Julian Saunders, chairman of the environment committee at the council, said: “We are committed to installing electric charging bays in our council-owned car parks, and this funding has given us a good start.

“We already have charging bays available for public use in the Central car park, Faversham and the Bourne Place multi-storey, and we’ll continue to look for external funding sources to supplement our own contribution and grow our EV charging offer in other areas of the borough.”

The typical time to charge an electric car can range from as little as 30 minutes to as long as 12 hours depending on the model.

• Kent County Council has signed a deal with Connected Kerb, one of the UK’s leading providers of electric vehicle charging infrastructure solutions, to install and maintain 600 charging points primarily for people without off-street parking and the option of charging their vehicle at home.

Charging points have already been installed in Folkestone and Hythe (109), Tonbridge and Malling (30), and Gravesham (24). A separate project, also with Connected Kerb, has already delivered 50 charging points installed in Dover with high utilisation already reported as well as Kent Parish with 40 charging points.

The scheme will seek to help Kent overcome the problem of charging ‘blackspots’ that can occur in rural areas where there is often reduced grid capacity, maintenance challenges and lower footfall. Currently around 30% of the UK charging network is focused in London, so expanding deployment to less-urban areas is essential if Kent and the UK are to meet net zero targets by 2050.

Kent County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, David Brazier, said: “We have an ambitious aim to get the county to Net Zero carbon emissions before 2050.

“In order to achieve this, we need to work with other Kent councils and private companies – such as Connected Kerb – to make sure we make sustainable transport more attractive.

“The work that has been done so far is a testament to how well we can all work together and I look forward to the continued success of this scheme.”