Council agrees action plan after report criticises electric vehicle strategy

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

A council that declared a climate emergency seven years ago failed to seize opportunities to expand its electric vehicle fleet and lacked a clear strategy for making the transition, a report has found.

It said Carmarthenshire Council was the first authority in Wales to have electric vehicles in 2010 and that progress slowed prior to an acceleration in EV uptake and charging infrastructure over the last couple of years.

The proportion of its fleet of cars, vans, and lorries powered fully by electric batteries grew from 1.8% to 8% by 2024 and now stands at 9%.

The draft report was by a council advisory panel which began looking into transport and EV infrastructure in 2024. It came up with eight recommendations the following year and these have now been agreed by cabinet.

The recommendations include investigating all available opportunities to fund the EV transition, implementing “cohesive strategic” policies to encourage the shift, and training staff “in all aspects of relevant maintenance, infrastructure, and operability”.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on June 29 Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen said transport was one of the authority’s main sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

“In short this report moves us from ambition to action,” he said. “We either accelerate the transition now or we risk falling behind financially, environmentally, and operationally.” The cabinet member for climate change, decarbonisation, and sustainability said the shift would also mean cleaner air and lower fuel costs.

The advisory panel report said the council’s shift to EVs stalled following a positive start and that one of the key obstacles was a lack of a transition plan to coordinate efforts, allocate resources effectively, and set achievable milestones. The absence of a dedicated transition team, it said, compounded matters.

The report added: “Another critical challenge was the missed opportunities for securing grant funding. Grant funding is vital for supporting the infrastructure development required for EVs such as charging stations and fleet upgrades.”

The authors acknowledged acquiring EVs and charging points could be expensive and a challenge logistically particularly in rural counties like Carmarthenshire.

It said since 2023 the council has made strides in boosting EV numbers and developing supportive policies. Examples include a new approach in 2024 whereby all replacement fleet vehicles were to be EV by default and the creation of an EV infrastructure group to coordinate efforts and provide oversight. Charging points have also been installed in depots and other sites.

The report said: “By implementing these recommendations Carmarthenshire Council can make significant strides towards achieving its net zero targets, enhancing the sustainability of its transport operations, and promoting the
wider adoption of electric vehicles within the community.”

Net zero

The Welsh Government wants all public sector organisations to be net zero – meaning they cut their greenhouse gas emissions and offset any remaining ones – by 2030. Replacing diesel and petrol vehicles with EVs is one step towards this.

Carmarthenshire Council aims to slash its carbon emissions by around 80% in four key areas including its vehicle fleet by 2030.

Asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service how many vehicles it had in its fleet and how many of them were electric the authority said 57 of its 628-strong fleet were EVs and that it planned to add a further 20 this financial year.