Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 11
14th Report - Public charge points for electric vehicles
Published 12 Mar 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Public charge points for electric vehicles All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
However, the Department expected local authorities to move at a quick pace, and build their capability to plan for charge point for rollout at the same time as developing projects to deliver. As a result, it took local authorities longer to develop plans to the Department’s standards than expected.17 The Department acknowledged that capability funding needed 11 EVS0018 12 Q20, 26 13 Qq 27, 48, 50 14 Q 19; C&AG’s Report para 4 15 Q21, 51; C&AG’s Report para 2.6 16 Qq 7, 51, 53; C&AG’s Report paras 2.6–2.7 17 C&AG’s Report para 10 11 to be provided at the earliest opportunity, and prior to the capital funding.18 Many local authorities had also planned to use commercial frameworks to procure their charge points, however, it was determined late on in the programme that doing so in this way was not in line with procurement regulations, meaning many had to change their approach. The Department stated that they had provided advice and support to authorities to ensure that all projects had a route to market, as well as providing template documents to replicate some of the benefits of using a framework.19
From: Public Accounts Committee, 14th Report - Public charge points for electric vehicles (HC 512), 12 March 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fourteenth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026.
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fourteenth report from Session 2024-25
Published 16 May 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it "agrees with the Committee's recommendation" on each of the six conclusions, with commitments to write to the Committee in September 2025 and to confirm other next steps "in due course".
- On local variation in charge point need, it will "look to take a similar needs-based approach to any interventions required in future" and will pay close attention to outcomes from early LEVI Fund procurements.
- On LEVI and on ultra-rapid charge points at motorway service areas, the department will write to the Committee within six months (target date September 2025) with updates on progress.
- On accessibility, it is reviewing the PAS 1899:2022 standard, and recommendations and proposed next steps "will be confirmed in due course". Target implementation date: December 2025.
- On VAT and charging costs, it will "continue to work with HM Treasury to understand the variance in costs" between public and domestic charging and the extent to which any policy change might affect public charging prices.