A COUNCILLOR said he was “astonished” that senior members approved a “woefully inadequate” paper on electric vehicle (EV) charging points to go out for public views.

The Royal Borough’s draft EV charge point implementation plan was heavily panned by opposition councillors for being “incomplete” and lacking detail from a recent trial of chargers and charging points.

The draft document states the borough will need to invest about £5m to install 600 on-street plug-ins and a further 125 charge points in council car parks by 2033.

But this £5m will be funded initially by charge point operators – who will maintain the plug-ins – and by government grants.

Cabinet approved the paper to go out for a four-week consultation period in order to inform a final strategy.

READ MORE: Windsor & Maidenhead needs hundreds of electric car charging points

But the draft document, which took about four months to compile, was called in by Cllrs John Baldwin (Lib Dem: Belmont), Gurch Singh (Lib Dem: St Mary’s), and Jon Davey (Ind: Clewer & Dedworth West) at Monday’s place overview and scrutiny meeting for it to go back to cabinet for reconsideration and to put ‘more meat on the bone’.

They felt because there is little detail – such as suggested locations, costs to residents to charge, and parking restrictions – and no data from a recent trial where several charging points were erected, residents will be unable to give an informed view.

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Cllr Baldwin said: “It’s a woefully inadequate document. I am astonished that cabinet unanimously adopted it and given it’s inadequate, simply delegating it to the lead member and responsible officer, seems to leave open an enormous scope for policy error.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Singh said he felt the draft plan has been “rushed” without it being scrutinised by members before it went to cabinet.

Head of Infrastructure Chris Joyce said the council is not making policy at this stage and is simply going out for public consultation to inform the final plan.

He also said some details are “not possible” to know at this time, such as the cost to residents to charge as electricity and contract prices fluctuate.

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However, members heard they will be given an opportunity to give their views on the draft plan and even amend the consultation before it goes out to the public.

Panel members also heard that the council did not bid for an ‘innovation fund’, which would trial new types of EV chargers, because it didn’t have an EV implementation plan in place but is planning to bid for other grants when government opens those pots.

READ MORE: Slough's £5m electric vehicle charging hub funding withdrawn

When asked if Cllr Phil Haseler (Con: Cox Green), lead member for transport, was willing for the EV plan to go to scrutiny before it is adopted by cabinet, he said he “didn’t see the point” as members will be able to comment and review the document during the consultation phase.

The draft plan won’t go back to cabinet, but councillors agreed to examine the consultation before it goes to the public.