Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 17
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)
In 2020 the Department announced the rapid charging fund, intended to future proof electricity capacity on the strategic road network in the longer term, by part–funding the capital costs of upgraded grid connections. However, nearly five years after its announcement, the Department has yet to issue any of its £950 million of funding.29 ChargeUK, which represents many of the companies installing charge points, stated that several months have passed with limited updates, creating unhelpful uncertainty, and clear direction on the status of the fund is needed for industry to plan investments with confidence.30 The Department stated that when this programme was first conceived, the world was very different and much more appetite for private investment has emerged since, and there have also been changes in how electricity upgrades are funded. The programme has also had to navigate competition concerns in the sector as well as the risk of legal 24 Q 63; C&AG’s Report para 12 25 Qq 63, 73 26 Q 76; C&AG’s Report para 13 27 C&AG’s Report para 11 28 Qq 29, 58–59; C&AG’s Report 2.17 29 C&AG’s Report Figure 7 30 EVS0015 13 challenge. These aspects mean that the programme’s original concept is probably not how it will work in the future, and the Department hopes to be able to provide more information shortly.31 Next steps in developing the public charge point network
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.