Colchester man's anger over council's electric vehicle chargers

Steve Ray, 71, lives in the Colchester Borough Homes (CBH) owned accommodation in West Bergholt. 

He is a Motability driver on behalf of his son-in-law who as an ex-services man, is blind as well as deaf and has been diagnosed with a form of dementia.

Mr Ray only discovered after he got the vehicle that the council does not allow a charging point to be installed on its properties. 

A private charging point would save dramatically save money.

It costs on average 79p per kwh from a public point compared to 42p per kwh at a private area.

Access - Steve Ray pointing at the direction the covered cable would go on the grass outside his flat (Image: Newsquest) Mr Ray, who lives on a ground-floor council house, said: “The council has put a carte blanche, that no one in CBH flats are permitted to have a charging point.

“I am grateful to Colchester Borough Homes for their help, but still nobody has come round to look to survey, to look at this as an individual case.

"Six out of the eight of the flats here could have cables installed without being a risk to public safety."

Mr Ray said he has offered himself to pay for a trench to be dug in the grass, with the cable buried, leading to an exterior outlet on the accommodation wall which Motability would put in in free of charge – meaning there would be no cost to the council.

Mr Ray also said that a community charger would be another possible solution, but this would “likely become a race” for residents.

Overlooked - Steve Ray also compared the electric vehicle charging issue to how recycling has been said to have been overlooked by the council in flats (Image: Newsquest) A spokesman for the housing association said it and Colchester Council understand the increasing demand for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure “especially for residents who rely on such vehicles to support family members with specific needs”.

The spokesman said: “Currently, CBH’s policy is that EV charging points may be installed where there is a designated off-street parking space with a dropped kerb and hardstanding, and where the installation meets safety and compliance standards.

“Unfortunately, this option is not available to residents of flats at this time, as shared housing spaces present unique challenges. For instance, laying cables across shared areas, such as pavements or communal pathways, poses accessibility and safety risks that need to be carefully managed.

The spokesman also said association has “working closely” with Essex County Council’s EV charger supplier to provide and install chargers on CBH’s estates, with an announcement hoped for soon.

A spokesman for Motability said the Motability Scheme supports its customers with EV charging as part of their all-inclusive lease package at home or with public charging, adding: "We appreciate the challenges that landlords face around the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities for houses or flats that are not able to have standard installations.

"However, we would encourage all landlords, be them private or local authority or councils, to work with their tenants to find ways to enable them to install charge points."