Almost 150 new EV charging points on the way for Kirklees
The 148 chargers will be gradually installed at 23 locations from this April
Almost 150 electric vehicle charging points are set to be rolled out across Kirklees by April 2027.
The 148 chargers will be gradually installed at 23 locations from this April and funded by cash from the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. This makes up Phase 1 of the scheme, with all West Yorkshire districts each getting £282,000. Kirklees has been allocated a further £2.2m to deliver a second phase.
Yesterday’s (January 7) meeting of Kirklees Council’s Environment and Climate Change Scrutiny Panel heard an update on the project. Here, members were told that Phase 1 would primarily focus on installing charging points in car parks, whereas Phase 2a would target on-street infrastructure, especially in densely terraced areas. Phase 2b would then fill in any identified gaps.
The full list of areas included in Phase 1 are as follows:
Springwood, Spring Wood Street, Huddersfield
New Street Car Park, Lupton Square, Honley
Shaw Cross Community Centre, Dewsbury
New Way Long Stay Car Park, Batley
High Street Car Park, Birstall
Camroyd Street Car Park, Dewsbury
17 Carlisle Cl, Meltham, Holmfirth
25 Station Rd, Holmfirth
99 College St, Crosland Moor, Huddersfield
Wellington Road West Library Car Park, Dewsbury
4 John St, Milnsbridge, Huddersfield
48 George St, Cleckheaton
King’s Bridge Road Car Park, Huddersfield
39 King St, Heckmondwike
Meltham Road Car Park, Netherton
Field Lane Long Stay Car Park, Batley
War Memorial Car Park, Denby Dale
CO-OP Car Park, Skelmanthorpe
Church Street Car Park, Emley
57 Harpe Inge, Huddersfield
10 Warton St, Liversedge
59 School St, Moldgreen
28 Mains Ave, Cowersley
By the end of 2025, Kirklees was in need of 926 public/residential charging points, according to Transport for the North (TfN). But in reality, the district only had around 300. Further figures from TfN show that Kirklees currently has the lowest number of charging points per 100,000 people of any West Yorkshire borough, and will require almost 2,200 by 2030.
Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Transport and Housing, Cllr Moses Crook, said: “This programme of expansion of EV charging within Kirklees is aimed at increasing EV takeup and in particular, extending adoption into less affluent residential areas which typically do not have the same access to off-street parking, allowing residents to benefit from very preferential domestic charging rates, making the overall cost of ownership for electric vehicles much more attractive.”
The councillor explained that sites had been allocated to reflect this, with pricing negotiated to have a ceiling rate “well below” commercial tariffs. But questions were raised around the council’s rationale underpinning the selection of sites.
Councillor John Taylor (Con, Kirkburton), questioned why his ward had been allocated no charging points, especially considering that Skelmanthorpe, Denby Dale and Emley had made the list, as well as the focus on dense, urban areas. He said: “Surely this should be about enabling people to get around and part of that broader getting around in a more sustainable way. And what you’ve done is you’ve focused on the urban areas where there are sustainable transport alternatives and ignored the areas where there are no sustainable transport alternatives.”
In response, Cllr Crook, said that a “data driven” approach informed by internal officers and the Energy Saving Trust, had been taken to the selection of locations. He continued: “I represent a rural ward as well. It would be fantastic to have some EV chargers in very remote locations but actually, the contention for those chargers would be very minimal because you’re likely to have a single electric car or whatever, in which case you’re using public money to fund a single car when you could better use that public money in terms of our adoption as a population in more densely populated areas.”
Councillor Crook also said that improvements to public transport across West Yorkshire, through measures like bus franchising and the introduction of the Weaver Network are expected to better serve Kirklees’ rural communities and provide a viable alternative for people in these locations without cars.
Electric Vehicle Project Manager, Jason Smith, also gave his assurances around the process taken and said that if gaps are identified, they will be prioritised in Phase 2b of the scheme.