Nottingham City Council is bidding for a share of £35 million worth of Government funding after making the shortlist to become one of the UK’s first Go Ultra Low Cities.
The City Council, already leading the way with its green agenda, is submitting its £8.5m plans to boost the area’s eco-credentials in a bid to the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles fund. If successful, residents, businesses and the City Council will soon be making a substantial difference to the local environment and quality of life.
Nottingham already has a series of schemes in place with the aim of accelerating the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles by both businesses and private car users. Existing initiatives such as the City Car Club, the extended tram routes and Europe’s largest fleet of electric buses are already making the use of electric vehicles a practical and viable choice for many local people.
Councillor Nick McDonald, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Jobs, Growth and Transport, said: “We are submitting a really exciting bid that would see us create an electric vehicle charging infrastructure, encourage businesses and residents to choose electric vehicles and measures to radically improve air quality in the city. It’s becoming increasingly important to provide viable alternatives to petrol and diesel vehicles and this funding, if successful, will go a long way to future-proof Nottingham by putting us in the driving seat to become the UK’s electric city. Nottingham is already the UK’s most self-sufficient energy city and new developments such as the Robin Hood Energy Company and the availability of sustainable electricity, provided by Enviroenergy and our urban solar farms, means that we are in an unbeatable position to Go Ultra Low when it comes to vehicle emissions.”
Andrew Jones, Transport Minister said: “Plug-in cars are green, cheap to run and an increasingly popular choice for both families and businesses. Nottingham City Council has the opportunity to lead the way in boosting their uptake and supporting jobs and growth. The Government is doing its bit by committing £500 million over the next five years in making ultra low emission vehicles an accessible and affordable choice for all. With the average commute less than ten miles and the cost of running an electric car as low as 2p per mile, Nottingham has put forward a series of new ideas for consideration by the UK government. As part of the national Go Ultra Low Cities scheme, the new ideas aim to transform the local plug-in car market, raising the status of Nottingham as a leading green champion.
“One part of the new proposal will see a massive increase in the availability of vehicle charging points. If the proposal is accepted, local owners of plug-in vehicles could also see a package of support to make electric vehicle ownership or short term hire easier for all.”
Set up by the Government and led by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, the £35 million Go Ultra Low Cities scheme will reward up to four of 12 shortlisted cities that present most potential to achieve ‘exemplar status’ – becoming internationally outstanding examples for the adoption of ultra low emission, plug-in vehicles in a local area.
The initiative will also recognise cities that best demonstrate how their plans could be rolled out across their region and even throughout the UK. Additionally, each set of proposals should complement existing schemes in the area and should fit with other low carbon efforts such as funding to improve bus and taxi emissions. Those cities that address local air quality issues will also be considered favourably when the winner is announced in autumn this year.
Visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/golownottm to find out more about Nottingham’s ambitious bid for OLEV funding.