Bath MP Ben Howlett recently used questions in the House of Commons to urge John Hayes, the Minister of State for Transport to help councils such as B&NES overcome the barriers to introducing electric car charging points.
Ben also met with Therese Coffey, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss ways air quality could be improved in Bath.
During the discussion Ben raised areas of Bath that have high levels of pollution including the London Road, Bathwick Street and Dorchester Street.
Speaking in the Chamber Ben said: “I welcome the fact that the Government will be doing an awful lot more to encourage the use of ultra-low emission vehicles.
“However, councils such as mine want to introduce a low emission zone, and they will struggle to introduce electric car charging points and new enforcement cameras without planning and regulatory changes.
“Will my right hon. Friend confirm that these issues will be at the top of his agenda with the Department for Communities and Local Government?”
In response, John Hayes said: “Charging points are vital. One of the great challenges for industry and Government is to ensure that there are adequate numbers of charging points across the whole country. That particularly applies in rural areas such as the one I represent.
“There may be a need for legislative change to that effect, and we are considering that. We are introducing a modern transport Bill, in which we will address the issue of charging points.”
Upon leaving the chamber, Ben said: “I am pleased that the Government are aware of the barriers to making our cities greener and improving air quality. I will support them in redressing these.
“Parts of Bath have shockingly high levels of pollution which need to be addressed to prevent negative health implications.”