Nearly three-quarters of UK councils (70%) have yet to publish any strategy for residential on-street charging, according to new findings from a Freedom of Information application targeted at hundreds of townhalls.

The same request for information to more than 400 councils and local authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also revealed that 69% of local authorities have yet to install any on-street chargers. 

According to the 289 councils who provided data up to July 1, only 14,188 new charge points are planned to be installed this year, well behind the run rate required to hit the Government’s target of 300,000 by the end of 2030, according to Vauxhall which has launched its new ‘Electric Streets of Britain’ initiative following its FOI request.

As part of the initiative, Vauxhall is partnering with three leading charging operators char.gy, Connected Kerb and SureCharge to launch ‘Electric Streets of Britain’, which includes a fund to help local authorities understand residential on-street charging needs as well as a new national database so the public can register its needs, enabling councils to have a better understanding of demand.

Vauxhall said on-street electric car charging is seen as critical to EV uptake as current data shows that 80% of all EV charging is done at home. However, approximately 40% of UK households do not have a driveway or access to off-street parking, a figure that rises to 60% in urban areas.

Residential on-street charging solutions include lamp post chargers, which can be installed and working within as little as 30 minutes, and innovative pavement-mounted bollards.

Around 12,700 on-street residential charge points have now been installed to date with 6,397 planned to be installed over the next year. London will soon have 19,105 on-street charge points – more than double those available across all other UK regions combined.

James Taylor, managing director, Vauxhall, said: “We want to galvanise the needs and interests of everyone, from the public to the councils and the charging operators to make sure that anyone without a driveway is part of that journey.

Vauxhall already offers a range of electric cars and vans and from 2024 will offer a fully electric version of each model. Vauxhall will be an all-electric brand from 2028.