£57m investment boost for EV charging in Cumberland
Council set to award contracts to install chargers
COUNCILLORS will next week get a progress report on plans to install electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) in north and west Cumbria with two 15-year contracts worth a total of almost £57million.
Members of Cumberland Council’s highways and transport Strategic Board are due to meet at Cumbria House in Carlisle to hear the update on Thursday, April 23.
According to the report the council will procure for two 15-year Concession Contracts, running from 2026 to 2041 – the first with an estimated value of £25.791million and the second valued at an estimated £31.180million.
It states: “Cumberland Council is appointing two concessionaires for the provision, operation and maintenance of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for public use across Cumberland.”
According to the report a 15-year contract is advised by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and is the standard contract length for such contracts.
It adds: “The estimated contract value is £57 million, this includes £3.465million in grant funding secured by the council, investment provided by the appointed concessionaires and potential revenue generated across both contract lots for the 15-year duration.
“To ensure the effective and efficient deployment of EV charging infrastructure across Cumberland, the contract has been divided into two lots, reflecting the different installation and operational requirements of the charging locations.
“Lot one focuses on on-street charging infrastructure, while lot two covers installations within car parks and community assets, where usage patterns and revenue potential are typically more predictable.”
According to the report as the highway authority Cumberland Council has responsibility for managing and maintaining the installation of electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) on street and in car parks throughout the council area.
It states that the council currently has around 30 electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the authority area in off-street car parks.
However, the report adds: “The majority of which are out or will be out of contract by the end of 2026 and the majority are not fit for purpose due to their age and condition.”
The report states that the council has received £3.465million of capital funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
It adds: “The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project will also benefit from investment contributed by the successful Concessionaires, the expectation is that this investment will, as a minimum, match the capital funding, with the concessionaires encouraged to exceed this to maximise the delivery of EV charging infrastructure across Cumberland.
“Cumberland Council also received £703k in pilot funding from the OZEV (DfT). Due to LGR and the EV team only recently being in place, the pilot funding has not yet been spent and has been carried forward with the agreement of OZEV.
“This funding has now been allocated to the Gully project as well as any additional expenditure incurred from the EV Infrastructure Contract roll out, following approval of H&TS Board in July 2025.”
According to the report the OZEV also allocated £419k capability funding to
Cumberland Council in 2023, to fund Cumberland Council’s EV team, which will oversee procurement, implementation and contract management in line with the LEVI project objectives.
It adds: “In February 2026, it has been confirmed that Cumberland Council has been awarded a further 3 years of capability funding from OZEV.”