Northampton man slams council for 'burying its head in the sand' over charging ports for electric cars

A Northampton man has called on the council to stop 'burying its head in the sand' when it comes to implementing charging ports for electric vehicles in the town.

Andrew Hughes, who owns a property in Lutterworth Road, has had 'radio silence' from the council when enquiring about fitting his own private charging port outside of his home.

The 53-year-old has ordered a £53,000 electric Hyundai Iconic 5 but says he is prepared to cancel it if unable to conveniently charge the vehicle.

Andrew also sent emails to three of his local councillors last year but has heard nothing back from them.

Now he is wondering if the council has any sort of policy in place for the use of the green-friendly vehicles.

Andrew's initial email to his councillors said: "Unfortunately, with no rear access I cannot charge my car unless it's outside my house, and that is not without practical issues

"What is the council intending to do to assist people in my position? Surely someone living in a terrace house shouldn’t be disadvantaged or treated differently to a house with a driveway, right?

"It seems the council is putting its head into the sand and ignoring the pressing issues that face many in the Abington area. "

Andrew said he received no reply to multiple emails but has has had brief and 'unhelpful' interactions with the council more recently.

He said: "I called up the council and asked them what their policy is. Just because I live in a terraced house it should not be a detriment. They said they did not know.

"My problem is, I have ordered this car and have no means to charge it.

"I am being told that if I put a cable across the footpath I am breaking the law. I am trying to understand what I can do, not what I can't do. At the end of the day, the council is not really helping me.

"We should be way beyond the point of asking these questions. My car arrives next month and, quite frankly, I don't know where I'm going to charge it.

"I'm beginning to wonder if I have made a mistake. The council seem to be disinterested and sat on their backsides.

"10 percent of new vehicles bought are electric. I think that people should have the facilities to park outside their house and charge their vehicles. There are companies in this country that have developed systems to provide this service."

On climate change, Andrew added: "I feel we have all got to do our bit. I came to the conclusion that buying a petrol or hybrid was like buying a wolf in lamb's clothing."

West Northamptonshire Council was contacted for comment at 12.20pm yesterday but has not yet responded.

A major UN scientific report has said this week that human activity is changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways.

By driving electric vehicles, humans could significantly lower their carbon emissions and slow the speed of climate change.