Climate action plan will bring electric taxi charging points to Warwick district sooner than planned if residents vote yes in forthcoming referendum says council

Warwick District Council recently voted unanimously to put its Climate Action Now programme – CAN – to a referendum on Thursday, May 7.

Councillors from every political group are now working together on their Warwick District CAN campaign to encourage voters to back their plans to make the council carbon neutral by 2025 and the district by 2030.

The council wants to wants to encourage taxi drivers to switch to electric vehicles and drive down CO2 emissions by installing a new network of electric vehicle charging points in the district.

A survey of driving habits among taxi drivers within the district will be undertaken to find out where charging points are most needed.

Around 50 Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles will be tracked for 12 months by electric vehicle consultancy Electric Blue.

Data such as journey patterns, CO2 emissions, idling hotspots and resting hotspots will all be analysed to provide a feasibility report into how much money could be saved by cabbies switching to electric vehicles, and where charging points would best be located to provide maximum usage with minimal disruption.

Cllr Tony Heath, Chairman of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee at Warwick District Council and a former taxi driver, explained drivers needed the assurances of a reliable charging network and evidence of cost-savings to invest in an electric vehicle.

He said: “This survey will be able to tell us where taxis travel to the most, where they are most likely to stop to pick up passengers depending on the date and time, and their average mileages.

“We’ll be able to use this data to determine where the best places for electric vehicle charging points would be, and how much money our drivers would save by making the switch to electric.

“Once the report comes out after the survey, we’ll be in a great position to advise drivers on how going electric will work for them.”

But Cllr Heath warned that the delivery of the charging network depended directly on the result of May’s climate referendum, which aims to raise council tax by £1 per week in a Band D household to create a ring-fenced fund to directly tackle climate change.

“If people vote yes in May’s referendum, we’ll be able to get this network up and running very soon after the survey is complete, meaning there will be far more green taxis on our streets,” he added.

“But if people vote no, then making any changes will take a lot longer, and air pollution in key hotspots is likely to get worse.

“We want to give our taxi drivers as much incentive as possible to make the switch to electric, and having a comprehensive and reliable charging network in our district will make it far easier for them.

“A yes vote means we’ll get the charging network we need, and therefore the electric taxis we need to drive down our emissions and help make the district carbon neutral. We urge the public to support us by saying ‘yes’ on Thursday, May 7 – Warwick District CAN.”

News of the survey comes after councillors from all parties in Warwick District Council agreed to ask residents to approve a council tax increase to fund its ambitious climate change plan in a referendum.

If a yes vote is returned, the council will be able to raise £3 million per year to spend on its ambitious climate change programme – with every penny ring-fenced.

Taxpayers on lower incomes will be able to apply for a discount on their council tax if the public votes ‘yes’.

Anyone wishing to find out more should visit the campaign website wdcan.co.uk, follow the campaign on Facebook at facebook.com/WarwickDistrictCAN, or follow the Twitter page @WD_CAN.